Readers' forum: Forgiveness freely given for 'The Book of Mormon' musical

It seems that the hit musical "The Book of Mormon" has taken theater critics and Broadway audiences by storm, and as a result, the production has won nine Tony awards. I wonder how many of these theater sophisticates would give such effusive praise to art that so thoroughly mocked any other significant religious community. It's very hard to believe, for example, that critics would heap praise on a similarly profane portrayal of American Muslims.

With the Mormons, the musical's producers and their fawning critics have chosen a particularly soft and safe target. They needn't worry about death threats, bombings, arsons or even a trendy boycott. Instead, many Mormons have responded to the mockery by trying to follow the simple admonition of a hymn, "Help me, dear Father, to freely forgive all who may seem unkind to me."

Steve Fillerup

Salem