While he doesn't believe the sentiments necessarily reflect the actions of local members, he senses "there is a certain subset of church membership that's very receptive to believing messages like this." Why? "Because they're looking for excuses to justify their financial behavior." Godfrey said he has known Latter-day Saints who make major purchases "without even running the numbers" because they've adopted the philosophy that if they're "living right and paying tithing, everything will work out just fine."

Even so, Godrey said, "the vast majority of LDS people I know would certainly temper all these myths with a hard dose of reality."

Among the most widespread myths among Latter-day Saints, he said, is that financial well-being is a sign of righteousness.

"I believe it to be utterly false but I believe it's also fairly pervasive." That, combined with Lown's assessment of how much information Latter-day Saints have about their neighbors, "contributes to people making financial decisions beyond their means," Godfrey said.

When applied to the state's dubious bankruptcy ranking, Godrey said he doesn't believe it's "the causal, smoking gun, but I think it's one thing that sets Utah apart" from other states — mostly in the Bible Belt — that are also near the top of the bankruptcy chart. While no statistics are available, Godfrey believes Utahns who file bankruptcy closely mirror the state's religious demographic.

Fan has done research on consumption, saving and borrowing. She has no research regarding religious affiliation and its relationship to debt, but has wondered if there is some connection between the bankruptcy rate and the dominant LDS culture.

The U. won't approve a research study that includes questions about people's religious preference, she said. "It definitely hampers our ability to understand what's happening. All you can do (regarding faith questions) is just speculate."

Social status and spending do have some correlation, according to a recent study of 400 U. students that Fan and colleague John Burton compiled last year. Survey respondents agreed that clothing, vacations, Palm Pilots and laptop computers, furniture, luxury cars and sports utility vehicles all elevate social status.

The survey results are being used to conduct more detailed research on "status consumption" and its relationship to financial management problems, Fan said.

"We wanted to know whether status consumption — also referred to as conspicuous consumption, social display or positional goods — played a role in debt and bankruptcy and the reasons why. We wanted to know if people were going into debt to pay for luxuries or to put food on the table."