'Book of Mormon' bows on Broadway: How offensive is it?

I was offended at first when I heard about this play. But now, I think of it as a good chance for missionary work. If you have a question about mormons or about our religion, you should contact the LDS missionaries or ask a member of our church. They will be glad to answer any questions, we don’t have anything to hide. I am not afraid to be a mormon, and I am proud of it. I just think it is sad that people have nothing better to do with their lives than make fun of others, regardless of what the teasing is about (religion, race, etc.) It is sad and I will not stand for that abuse.

If any of you guys actually listened to the full show or even saw it, you’d realize that most of you are wrong. My best friend is an active and faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I respect the religion tremendously. I consider most of the beliefs beautiful, despite being of a different faith myself. This show does indeed portray Mormon beliefs and mannerisms in quite a goofy light, but that doesn’t mean that the writers hate Mormons. They actually adore them. It’s a pretty big compliment to be seen as so sweet and fun that you deserve your own musical. Throughout the show, the missionary characters enlighten Ugandan villagers, and while they respond very explicitly for the sake of roaring laughter (like in most South Park episodes), the show eventually reveals its message, that people should believe whatever comforts them. This show is a celebration of faith. Take the song, “I Believe,” as performed on the Tony awards. The protagonist states all of his devout beliefs in the most blatant and silly-sounding way possible (you know, like musical comedy usually does), but it comforts him and is a very important moment in the show. Honestly, do you guys think that Matt Stone and Trey Parker sat around for seven years working on this show saying, “how can we attack a group of people more intensely than we ever have on Comedy Central?” No, they don’t. They honestly don’t hate anyone (except Barbra Streisand). They’re willing to do anything for a laugh, but this show is more than that. It’s not an attack on LDS beliefs, but it rips into all religions equally in exposing that, in their most stripped-down form, pretty much all creation stories sound a little silly. Hence supporting the show’s message that it doesn’t matter what you believe or how goofy it sounds to someone else, as long as in your heart, YOU believe it. So my point is, if everyone would just calm the fudge down and get their panties out of such a twist, they’d realize that, while the show makes people laugh at themselves in a way that may appear disrespectful, it ultimately celebrates faith, rather than indicting it.

A final word: I’m a Jew and guess what; not every single person in my family acts like a member of Tevye’s clan in Fiddler on the Roof, but I like it anyway. Religious stereotypes in musicals existed way before Book of Mormon, and will continue to exist after.

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