by Brother Jake (bio)
Hi! I'm Brother Jake. And I couldn't be more pleased to be making my first contribution to Modern Mormon Men. In fact, I made a little video for the occasion:
Now, while this video is obviously intended as a joke, writing a song about "the model of a true-believing Mormon dude" forced me to think about what Mormonism looks like to the outside world and the place Mormonism has in American culture. And to me, it looks like Mormonism is starting to drift into the cultural mainstream.
Now, by saying "starting to drift into the cultural mainstream," I'm not saying that now everyone wants to be a Mormon or people don't find Mormon beliefs odd anymore. I'm just arguing that in the wake of recent events (two Mormon presidential candidates, The Book of Mormon on Broadway, etc.), awareness of Mormonism is becoming a part of the common cultural language in the U.S.
The transition from being a largely unknown oddball to a quirky kid brother in American culture is one I'm curious to see unfold. What will the implications be for the members? Will the increased awareness in the outside world cause a dehomogenization of beliefs and participation levels among Mormons? Or will our tendency to see ourselves as the object of persecution make us more insular? (Not that those are the only two options--those are just the only two I can think of right now.)
I have no idea. But making the video sure was fun. I hope you enjoyed it.
