Mormon Observations on “The Book of Mormon” the Musical

“The Book of Mormon” opened up last year on Broadway. It was made by the creators of South Park, and has brought a lot of publicity to the Church and its beliefs. To say that it has been incredibly successful is quite an understatement.

I think that there is benefit in looking closely at the songs on the show. I’m sure that most people who see the show will realize that it’s overblown. Still, that does not mean there isn’t a danger of having the inaccuracies in the show influence what people believe is true about the LDS Church.

I won’t go as far as to say that the show is a bad one, though. The songs can be catchy, and the story highlights some very valid criticisms of faith and spirituality, missionary work, and, yes, even the LDS Church. I don’t hate the show, and while I may not encourage people to go see it, I won’t be picketing the ticket lines. I simply want to make sure that we can laugh at some of the elements that are out of proportion, while at the same time recognizing that they are out of proportion.

Show Synopsis

The Book of Mormon tells the story of two young LDS missionaries sent to a remote village in northern Uganda, where a brutal warlord is threatening the local population. Naive and optimistic, the two missionaries try to share the gospel—which only one of them really knows—but have trouble connecting with the locals, who are worried about famine, poverty, and AIDS.

Responding to an Objection: ‘It’s Just Comedy!’

As a means of heading off a typical objection, I will claim up front that I’m not being overly sensitive about a show that’s just supposed to be funny. When discussions like this come up, I often hear criticism along the lines of “Come on, lighten up!” or, “Hey, it’s a satire. Relax!”

About satire:

Satire “often emphasizes the weakness more than the weak person, and usually implies moral judgment and corrective purpose“ (from dictionary.com, emphasis added).
“Although satire is usually meant to be funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humor in itself so much as an attack on something of which the author strongly disapproves, using the weapon of wit” (from Wikipedia, emphasis added).

As a satire, this show is purposefully exaggerating and attacking the weaknesses it sees in Mormonism, and doing so in order to show disapproval and disdain. A moral judgment is applied. Because of that, it becomes beneficial to investigate the show’s content regardless of whether or not it’s ‘just comedy.’

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Act I

Hello

Two by Two

You and Me (But Mostly Me)

I Am Here for You (Reprise)

Man Up