Twelve Mormon men “have dared to pose bare-chested in a steamy national calendar,” according to a statement from calendar project manager Chad Hardy with the company Mormons Exposed.
The calendar entitled Men On A Mission features the twelve Mormon returned missionary men with bare chests wearing pants in conjunction with photographs of each of the young men in their missionary attire and official name badges/tags that bear the name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the time period they served two year missions for the Church.
The young men “who bare their testimony” in the calendar were recruited “for their striking good looks and powerful spiritual devotion…who were comfortable enough in their own beliefs, and independent and brave enough to take a stand for what they believe in regardless of what others may think,” according to the Mormons Exposed web site.
Mormons Exposed claims, “By slightly stepping away from the Mormon traditions of modest dress, these missionaries show the world they can have a strong faith….”
While it is apparent these young men or the “devout dozen” as Hardy describes them do not speak for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as the Mormon church) or Church leadership, I am uncomfortable that members of the public may think these young men are representative of the general body of Mormons or that this would imply their “strong faith.
I feel each individual Mormon has a responsibility to conduct oneself in a manner that is consistent with acting as a representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints although they may not be official representatives. People judge the Church as a whole based on members’ conduct, not always rightly or fairly so, but they do none-the-less.
The pamphlet For the Strength of Youth is typically given to young men and women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but all Mormons are exhorted to follow and live the standards contained therein. It details standards of living to guide members of the Church to live righteously according to the Lord’s teachings. In the section on dress and appearance, For the Strength of Youth discusses the importance of modest dress to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because God created our bodies.
“Your body is God’s sacred creation…Through your dress and appearance, you can show the Lord that you know how precious your body is. You can show that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ.”
The section on dress and appearance continues with the caution to Mormons to never lower their dress standards for any occasion as “Doing so sends the message that you are using your body to get attention and approval and that modesty is important only when it is convenient.”
Immodest clothing for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is “clothing [that] includes short shorts and skirts [that does not reach the kneecap], tight clothing, shirts that do not cover the stomach, and other revealing attire. Young women should wear clothing that covers the shoulder and avoid clothing that is low-cut in the front or back or revealing in any other manner. Young men should also maintain modesty in their appearance.”
I must admit that I have not seen the calendar in its entirety and am basing my thoughts on the information on the Mormons Exposed web site, news sources that picked up the article that was on the newswire, and a video promoting the calendar that was posted to youtube.com. All of which indicate the young men posed provocatively without their shirts on in the calendar.
I realize the participating returned missionaries must not have an issue with participating in the calendar as they did so willingly for payment. While I do not typically comment on individuals’ personal choices, I feel because of the public manner this was done and because of the implied message that this is typical and acceptable behavior for members of the Mormon faith it is worth expressing an opposing viewpoint that others may see as unrighteous judgment. As a practicing Mormon, I do not wish to be perceived as agreeing with this behavior or having the implied message that this is something that is acceptable to me personally. The dress of the returned missionaries in the self-proclaimed “steamy national calendar” does not, in my opinion, accurately reflect Church member beliefs and it does not reflect my personal values despite it being marketed as a means to “help sort out some common misconceptions of Mormons,” according to Mormons Exposed.
Indeed Hardy admits the calendar will be controversial within the Church in an article by the East Valley Tribune in Phoenix, Arizona, “The prejudice that lives between religions also lives within religions…This is going to divide the Mormons right down the middle.”
Officially, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had no comment on the calendar. However in the same article from the East Valley Tribune, Don Evans, the Church’s Arizona spokesman said, “For us, there’s no story here. There’s some young guys showing their muscles.”
Hot on the heels of having our Standards Night with the Mormon youth locally, I am disturbed by this.
Standards Night is an annual event for youth and their parents in the Mormon faith. At Standards Night the youth are encouraged to live the standards outlined in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet and the standards are reviewed. In the Church handbook of instructions for Young Women adult leaders, Mormon young women or their leaders are responsible for planning and carrying out Standards Night and to invite the young men to participate. The Young Men’s handbook does not officially require that they hold a Standards Night each year, but it is the practice of many local Mormon congregations that the young men attend Standards Night each year.
This year in the local Mormon Young Women’s organization, we encountered some stiff resistance to having Standards Night. The Young Men’s organization in particular did not see the reason necessary to attend or participate in Standards Night, although they did eventually.
One girl’s parent who also happens to be a leader in the Young Women’s organization locally voiced her reluctance as to needing to have Standards Night as it did not seem necessary as none of the youth had any problems living the standards despite increased pressures from the world for youth to lower their standards and some youths’ personal struggles.
These seem to be indications to me of the increased need to live high standards. Yes, I’m sure I sound like a prude to many people out there. I do not know many Mormon women who would feel comfortable posing in swimwear (even if it was a modest one-piece) for a calendar. I wouldn’t do it personally because I would consider it inappropriate because it does not meet modest dress standards although I wear one regularly when I’m swimming. I don’t think this should be any different for young men than young women. All Mormons are asked to dress modestly and cover certain parts of our bodies unless, for example, it becomes a necessity to wear more appropriate attire such as to participate in athletic activity like swimming.
Another reason I have a problem with the implied message that posing in the calendar is acceptable behavior for members of the Church is that in my opinion, it does not follow the guidelines of the 13th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which states:
“We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; Indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul…. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”
When The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints councils its members to stay chaste before marriage, to stay faithful after marriage, and to maintain virtuous thoughts; it does not seem particularly Christian or in line with Mormon teachings to promote something that would seemingly create additional temptation for individuals.
Prancing around half naked does not “…invite the companionship of the [Holy] Spirit” or “exercise a good influence on those around you” (like those ogling the “steamy calendar”) as outlined in For the Strength of Youth in my opinion. This does not seem to contribute to being true, chaste, virtuous, or in doing good to all men.
Mormons Exposed proclaims revenues from the sale of the calendar will provide charitable opportunities for the areas the missionaries served in if the young men choose to donate a portion of the proceeds. This seems like cloaking a wolf in sheep’s clothing in a weak attempt to cast a good light on something that is morally repugnant. It is apparent that the primary purpose of the calendar is to fill Hardy’s pockets. Hardy himself declines to state the status of his membership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints although it is known that he was a member in the past and served a mission ten years ago.
Hardy admits missionaries posing shirtless “will certainly raise eyebrows.”
My eyebrows are raised.
Sources:
Read the standards outlined in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates$fn=default.htm
Read the 13th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
http://scriptures.lds.org/a_of_f/1
View the calendar and statements from Mormons Exposed here *Warning- may be considered explicit or provocative material:
http://www.mormonsexposed.com/
Watch a promo of the Mormons on A Mission calendar at YouTube.com *Warning- may be considered explicit or provocative material:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HavwkKdWa-c
Read the article from the East Valley Tribune here:
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/97145
