Is Mormon Culture Becoming More Mainstream?

28 May

Mormon Lifestyles1As I look at the different videos on YouTube by members of the Mormon Church, I find myself wondering how far are they willing to go be seen as “one of the guys (or gals)”? I’ve seen link after link of different parodies of songs members of the Church have made to promote something about their religion.

A new thing they seem to be into is taking popular songs and making it “their own”. Below are just a few examples of this:

Seminary Funk – 

All about that Book (Book of Mormon) – 

Royals LDS Parody – 

When I was a Mormon I heard more times than I can count to “not be of the world”, but now it seems things are shifting. Nowdays Mormons want to be more like the world. As one Mormon told when I commented on one of the videos –

“I think it’s more of a way to bring more people to the church – they realize we’re just like everyone else, but really happy.”

They’re just like everyone else, but “really happy”?

I hate to sound like a downer, but who said they were supposed to be happy? Mormons have this mistaken idea that Jesus came to bring them happiness. He promised us joy…yes and peace, but not that our lives would be a never ending trip to Disneyland.

This person went on to say:

“As I was growing up (and perhaps you too), the messages were all about guilt and not being good enough. Now it’s all about Christ and love.”

So the messages before weren’t about Jesus, and loving others? Were they really all about guilt and not being good enough? Did the church members truly not find anything about Jesus or of value in what they learned prior to this “shift”?

I’m wondering what will happen if this pendulum swings back to where it was before, or even further back. It used to be, a least from my perspective as a member of the church that there was a certain decorum church members were expected adhere to. The Church was pretty solidified in its view of what members should watch, listen to, and how to behave. As the Mormon saying goes, “the thinking had been done” for us, now it was up to us to obey.

I can clearly remember when Gordon B. Hinckley stood up at a Women’s Conference and told the women of the church that he received a revelation they were only to have one set of pierced ears, and multiple piercings and along with tattoos were out of the question.

A few of my friends at the time who had two or more piercings in one ear didn’t think twice about removing all their extra earrings. To them the decision they should remove them was made, and now all they had to do was follow the prophet.

So now that there’s been this shift will temple worth members be allowed to have belly button rings, or nose piercings? Time can only tell, but one thing is for sure. Mormons are doing their best to show the world they’re just like them which is something most Christians try to avoid.

It’s hard to be a light a dark world when your light is dimmed by showing everyone you’re just like the world.

In Christ,

Melissa Grimes (melissa@lifeafter.org)

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