America's Favorite Punching Bag: Mormonism as American Civic Religion (original) (raw)

Examined here is the general cultural attitude towards Mormonism, namely that it is a silly religion for the simple-minded. Even within the theological academy, Mormonism is neglected and disenfranchised as either invalid or oppressive. Some of these criticisms are certainly worthy of attention, but if the academy is to be a democratic force, which it seems to wish of itself, it must relinquish its anti-conservative bias and allow Mormon voices to speak for themselves. This paper indicts both the theological academy as well as popular culture for allowing the marginalization of the LDS community with complacency and perpetuating false information and mischaracterizations about Mormons and their faith. Further, Mormonism is examined as not only valid within the marketplace of religious ideas, but also as a truly American civic religion – a faith that parallels American virtues and narratives with respect to its whiteness, economic practices, and general historical plot.