Every single male Mormon goes on a mission? Uh, no. Many do (as do young women), and all are encouraged to go ... but not all of them go. That's just a simplistic exaggeration for effect.

Redford isn't the only one who thinks so. I remember, some years ago, when Shawn Bradley was an up-and-comer in the NBA and he appeared on "The Tonight Show," and Jay Leno said something about all young LDS men being "required" to go on missions. Bradley corrected him and said it's not "required," and not everyone goes. Mostly I remember Leno looking a bit stunned at the correction.

Mormons aren't robots. One of the LDS Church's basic tenets is that people have been given free will to choose for themselves.

Mormons are just ordinary people trying to do the best they can. Some succeed incredibly, some fail miserably and most fall somewhere in the middle.

Redford's main offense, however, is suggesting that all Mormons (or maybe just the men) are "plastic."

Although, on this subject Redford is the expert. After all, he made his millions primarily from acting — being phony, pretending to feel emotions in the context of a fictional story.

If he wants to suggest politicians are equally superficial, he's entitled to his opinion. Or that Romney is superficial; also his opinion.

But let's leave religion out of it.

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E-mail: hicks@desnews.com