Comments on: Mormon Images

By: Richard Oman

Richard Oman — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Interesting ideas. There are four 19th century images of Mormons that you might want to explore.
The first is a rather sympathetic painting of a Mormon missionary (probably Erastus Snow) teaching a Danish family in the 1850′s. The painting by the non-Mormon Danish artist Dahlsgard is on permanent exhibit in the National Museum in Copenhagen.
Second is a book, Twelve Mormon Homes, by Elizabeth Kane, the wife of Thomas Kane.
Third is a report on the Mormon chartered immegrant ship, Amazon. The report was written for the British House of Commons by Charles Dickens.
The fourth is a publication by L.D.S. historian Davis Bitton about Mormon visual images in the popular 19th century press. These tend to be rather negative sterotypes. Bitton focuses on political cartoons.
What these sources show are rather positive images of Mormons by non-Mormons when the goal is to calmly describe Mormons. It is particularly helpful if the author has had some prior positive contacts with real live Mormons. But when the political and social worlds get really stirred and turn hostile, objectivity fades quickly. This is particularly true when the person commenting on Mormons has had no previous contact with real Mormons.
I do find it interesting that the British Parliment was looking to Mormons as role models in how to organize an emigrant ship. Many Britons were dying during passages on non-Mormon ships. So the focus was not on Mormons as the problem. But rather Mormon experience as a useful model.

By: GREG

GREG — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I usually just laugh off offensive representations of Mormons in popular culture. But it amazes me the lasting impact they sometimes have.

When I was working at a court, one of the judges on the court was a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes novels. For him, his conception of Mormonism seemed tied up with Doyle’s portrayal of Mormons in “A Study in Scarlet.” This judge understood, of course, that it was a distorted view, but still, there seemed to be an effect of having Doyle’s depiction as a primary contact with Mormonism.

Perhaps that type of impact should teach me not to ignore the sometimes unfortunate portrayal of Mormons in popular culture.

By: Jeremiah John

Jeremiah John — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I have a Jewish friend who heard we tapping out a beat on my knee as I often do. He causally but seriously said “Are you a drummer? You have very good rhythm for a Mormon.” I hadn’t heard that stereotype before; perhaps the Mark Madsen championship parade dance is catching up with us.