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Tuesday, December 4, 2007

So, Are YOU a Molly Mormon???

We saw this on Wikipedia and thought it was pretty funny. What do you think? Do you fit the mold? :)

Molly Mormon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Molly Mormon is a term for the popular stereotype of a female member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A Molly Mormon is thought to be the "perfect Mormon woman" - an attractive and pure woman whose life revolves around the family and marriage and the social demands of Mormonism, and who embodies the cheery, chipper and domesticated female in Latter-day Saint culture. Peter Priesthood is the male version of the same term, though used somewhat less frequently. Many "Molly Mormons" are stereotyped as being consumed by their life within the church, and as gullible and out-of-touch with the reality outside it. These terms are occasionally used in a disparaging way by members of the Mormon church to refer to other Mormons who display or promote an ultra-conservative interpretation of their understanding of the church's teachings. An example of a person that may be labeled this way is one who abstains from drinking caffeinated cola drinks (based on an interpretation of an ambiguity in the Word of Wisdom), won't watch television on Sunday, and tells on her 15-year-old friend for dating before age 16, and who insists that others do so as well, perhaps claiming to be "setting an example". Abstinence from these behaviors is not required by the church to remain as a member in good standing, but is often preached unofficially as interpretations of church teachings in lessons taught by members of the church's lay clergy.

Usage in LDS culture The term Molly Mormon can take on both positive and negative connotations, depending on who is using it, and toward whom. When used by or toward teens, it can refer to prudish behavior. When it refers to an adult LDS woman, it often refers to a stereotype which may or may not be welcome. The term is used openly in LDS churches, and has even appeared in magazines published by the LDS church for more than 20 years, as in the phrase "they had taunted her and called her a 'Molly Mormon' because she would not participate in their questionable activities" appearing in a 1989 edition of Ensign. The term is often simply abbreviated to "Molly" (or sometimes to "Momo") or used as an adjective: "She's gotten so molly lately - all she could say about these new shorts is that they were too short."

5 comments:

BrandonKristin said...

Hi Ryan and Family this is Kristin (Brown) West and I just thought I would say Hello! I love catching up with people from El Paso!!! Have a great day! :)
brandonkristin.blogspot.com

Melanie and Jarom said...

Yay I found you guys! This is Captain Mel- (Ryan's old buddy) I found you cause Kristin found me. So cool- I can keep tabs on you guys and your cute little girly. #2 on the way yet? Ours is- July 1st to be exact. Here is our blog: http://melnjarom.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Of course I'm the perfect Molly and so are you. I never would do anything wrong! JK!

S+S said...

Ryan, just because I can't spell "massage" and you can...grrr. I fixed it for you. :D See the new and improved.

coolhandluke said...

I never thought I'd see Molly Mormon in wikipedia, it really is the source of everything you ever want to know about!