2011 positive Mormon media highlights

For its 2011 annual retrospective, Time magazine named Mormonism the Religion of the Year, accompanied with an obligatory photo from the Book of Mormon Musical. The distinction isn't offered every year, but in light of the musical, two presidential candidates and the rise of Glenn Beck — funny no one ever mentions Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in these lists — the editors made an exception.

The Time write-up itself was notably upbeat.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has always been the religion of the future — demographically, organizationally, fervently. Well, the future is now," the blurb began. After running through the highlights, it concluded, "Mormon visibility has helped dispel some stunning bits of ignorance. … By being part of the social and political conversation, this original, innately American religion has become even more a part of the mainstream American fabric."

That mainstreaming was in evidence in two New York Times pieces on pop culture icons. In November, the paper did a profile of Ryan Raddon, a $200,000-a-club DJ with a large and fanatical nationwide following — who, oddly, has never tried alcohol or drugs: "The kids at Roseland may be surprised to learn that their beatmaster is the father of three small children. And that he doesn't drink. And that he's a devout Mormon who still goes to church in San Clemente, Calif., and counts choir practice among his music influences."

Then in December, the Times tracked down a Mormon high school student, attended seminary with him, and featured a photo of him with his seminary class. The student's name is Jabari Parker, and he happens to be the hottest high school basketball player in the country. Again, the coverage expresses understated admiration: "Jabari merges Mormon-taught humility with an athlete's lottery-pick potential. 'Basketball is not who I am; it's what I do,' he said. … In keeping with Mormon custom, Jabari does not smoke or drink and he shuns caffeine. He has a self-imposed curfew on road trips. 'Jabari disciplined himself at a very young age,' said his mother, Lola."

These two vignettes capture an emerging consensus in mainstream media coverage of Mormons and the LDS Church. Hostility endures, but elite anti-Mormon attack dogs like Bill Maher and Christopher Hitchens now seem more exceptions than the rule. Pop culture figures like Parker, Raddon, and rock star Brandon Flowers draw interest in one direction, even as observers of politics and business reach to explain what they consider the outsized role that Mormons play business and government. The tone that percolates through this coverage is grudging admiration for the powerful culture that produces character and accomplishment, combined with a lingering bemusement at seemingly odd beliefs.