God Created Man in His Own Image.

April 28, 2009 4:59 PM

Last year saw the launch of the first 'Men on A Mission' calendar -- featuring 'beefcake' photos of young Mormon men recently returned from their two-year missions. Church elders were not pleased. As a result, calendar creator Chad Hardy was excommunicated from the Church of Latter Day Saints. The church also revoked his "BA degree in Communications Studies at Mormon-owned Brigham Young University." Hardy has just released the 2009 Men on a Mission Calendar. Again, the church ai'nt too happy. [Photos- 1, 2 click-through to Java-based slideshow].

'Men on A Mission's' take on Prop. 8.

Hardy is working on the 2010 calendar. It will feature "sexed-up" Mormon moms.

posted by ericb (35 comments total)

Hardy v. Brigham Young University.
posted by ericb at 5:02 PM on April 28

I think I caught a glimpse of the magic underwear! Apparently it's pink at the top.
posted by diogenes at 5:03 PM on April 28

Hardy's upcoming 2010 calendar featuring sexed-up Mormon moms will be a companion to the continuing line of men's calendars.

Yeah, except the moms calendar will feature five models a month...
posted by Sova at 5:17 PM on April 28 [9 favorites has favorites]

Just give 'em cut and they'll be happy.

Shit. The Mormons are involved in all sorts of so-called "sin" businesses. From the selling perspective.

Profit is god's work.

You gentiles wanna BUY porn, or Cola, or Coffee... that's your funeral.
posted by tkchrist at 5:19 PM on April 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

"What can they do to me now?" Hardy recalls thinking. "I'm not afraid. Excommunication made me famous."

If he's not careful they'll dig into his genealogy and excommunicate all his ancestors.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 5:25 PM on April 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

LOLSEXYMORMONS.
posted by rokusan at 5:28 PM on April 28 [3 favorites has favorites]

They revoked his degree? Fin' crazy.
posted by delmoi at 5:30 PM on April 28

or, STUPIDSEXYMORMONS
posted by Flashman at 5:30 PM on April 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

Wait, he just released the 2009 calendar? In April? I'm confused.
posted by desjardins at 5:31 PM on April 28

The church also revoked his "BA degree in Communications Studies .
That is bizarre. I have no words....
posted by Rashomon at 5:44 PM on April 28

Mormons have a tried and true tradition of not making sense. They based their whole religion on it. Calendars in April are the latest and greatest example of this.
posted by mannequito at 5:46 PM on April 28

They can't revoke his credits, can they? I'm sure he can find a real school that would accept his credits and award him a degree.
posted by troybob at 5:50 PM on April 28

They can't revoke his credits, can they? I'm sure he can find a real school that would accept his credits and award him a degree.

They can choose not to release his official transcript, without which no accredited school can give him transfer credit.
posted by desjardins at 5:52 PM on April 28

They didn't revoke his degree. He just didn't have the sense to finish up his degree before doing something that would piss off the church. Is it wrong on their part? Sure, but you've gotta be an idiot to piss off a private university before you've finished your credits there.
posted by Happydaz at 6:02 PM on April 28

Utah could secede from the Union. Really. I wouldn't mind. Texans who want out can go there too.

I once shared an apartment -- this is mid-80s -- with a friend and fellow musician who was a lapsed Mormon. He was, bar none, the single most debauched human being I have ever known. I mean, he was debauched for a drummer, which is saying something.
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:14 PM on April 28 [7 favorites has favorites]

My wife's puckish gay husband is, as he would put it, an escapee from the LDS Church. Once when a pair of missionaries rang his doorbell at a particularly annoying time, he told them "I'll take some of your literature if you'll take some of our literature."

The way he tells it, Salt Lake City has the most overstuffed closet in the country.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:28 PM on April 28

In my job, some years ago, I discovered that Mormans were more than happy to entertain me by providing things they won't do themselves, like booze and coffee, so I'm not surprised that they'd consider that beefcake was a profitable product. At least they weren't openly judgemental, and I had designated drivers and, really , no awkward moments. A Morman with a decent expense account can be good company, once they've gotten past their missions and matured.
posted by path at 6:46 PM on April 28

My wife's puckish gay husband? Something you've been meaning to tell us Joe?
posted by Baron Kriminel at 6:54 PM on April 28 [5 favorites has favorites]

"The Mormons are involved in all sorts of so-called 'sin' businesses."

I may have told this story here before, but what the hell.

Back in the late 60s/early 70s, there was an adult bookstore in my home town of Ogden, Utah, right on the main drag (Washington Boulevard) which had been there very quietly minding its own business for years until the Mormons opened their newest temple across the street and down the block.

After a period of temple-attendees annoyance, then griping, and finally of round-the-clock picketing, the constabulary took notice and raided the place, closing it down for selling prurient materials.

Popular lore has it that when the inventory was tallied for the court case, a number of the paperbacks that had been offered for sale were printed by a publisher owned by the LDS church.
posted by mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey at 7:00 PM on April 28

My wife's puckish gay husband? Something you've been meaning to tell us Joe?

Really! Why don't any of the wives in this neighborhood have puckish gay husbands? I demand better quality.

I do get Xian types ringing my doorbell from time to time. I just tell them "Your church isn't interested in having me as a member" and close the door. None of them are ever strapping Mission Men.
posted by hippybear at 7:11 PM on April 28

They didn't revoke his degree.

True.

My mistake in the wording of the FPP.

"Mormon officialdom has come down on him hard. He was excommunicated from the church, then barred from receiving his degree from Brigham Young University."

posted by ericb at 7:25 PM on April 28

The church also revoked his "BA degree in Communications Studies."

So in terms of net value, he comes out even?
posted by rokusan at 7:25 PM on April 28

joe, you're wife has a gay husband or are you the puckish kind who speaks of themselves in the 3rd person ... not that there's anything wrong with that :D
posted by liza at 7:38 PM on April 28

Joe Beese is puckeringly gay, Marissa Stole the Precious Thing is a guy, and Arlen Spector shot some girl in the face before becoming a democrat? I need to sit down.
posted by Bageena at 7:43 PM on April 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

My wife's [friend/sibling/coworker's] puckish gay husband...
posted by ryanrs at 7:49 PM on April 28

One time some Mormons came to visit me at home.

"We'd like to talk to you about the plan that Jesus Christ has for the world," they said.

"Ah," I said. "Jesus's plan. I sure hope it involves me having six drifter heads in my refrigerator!" I said, laughing.

They just sort of looked at me.

"Four of them are filled with dog food," I added solemnly.
posted by hifiparasol at 7:49 PM on April 28 [12 favorites has favorites]

You should have continued with "...but it is normally only two that are filled with dog food and I promise you that this is not normal state of affairs in my household at all."
posted by Avenger at 7:56 PM on April 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

I think I fell onto some Mormon list. Every two months a car pulls up in front of my house in a tiny Jersey suburb and two young men exit and head straight for my house. I tell them I'm too worldly, they thank me for my time, and then get back in their car and drive off. They don't even knock on any other door in the neighborhood. It's fucking creepy.
posted by FunkyHelix at 8:03 PM on April 28 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'm sensing America's next great meme.
posted by hovercraft at 8:11 PM on April 28

Is he the guy interviewed by Stephen Fry on his "Be Nice to Americans They're People Too" series last year?
posted by fullerine at 11:41 PM on April 28

The way he tells it, Salt Lake City has the most overstuffed closet in the country.

States Of Desire talked about this in the 70s. I wonder if it's gotten better or worse since then...
posted by The Whelk at 7:03 AM on April 29

So that's what's underneath the drip-dry, short sleeve shirts...
posted by Sassenach at 7:34 AM on April 29

Would it be an inappropriate tactic to have one of these calendars on hand, and then ask any Mission Men who come to the door to "come inside and sign my calendar"? Would it? Really? Damn.
posted by hippybear at 9:27 AM on April 29

The missionaries come by my house every so often. I know for a fact I'm on their list. For that matter they found my brother while doing a study abroad in Germany.

My dad's side of the family is mostly Mormon and two of my cousins have done missions.
In fact my great-great-something loaned Joseph Smith the wagon to go get the golden tablets. So I've got that on my conscience.

The next time they come by, I'm going to have a conversation about Prop 8. I mean, hey, if you people want to go form your own state and do what you want. Then whatever, but don't actively try to mess with other people.

The missionaries are always super nice though. I think they shoveled my driveway. So I can't think to badly of them.
posted by gelos at 9:57 AM on April 29

We (my husband and I) actually asked a couple of guys on a misison to do some work - the way they explained it, that what they are really looking for when they knock on your door.
Mr dbmcd outlined the (hard manual) labor for them, then said: "Tell ya what, how about I cook you dinner too? How does a steak sound?" Their eyes got huge, and both nearly salivated. One fella said: "Wow! That sounds wonderful - I haven't had a steak in months!"
Later at dinner, we explained that I work full time, and commute about an hour each way, the Mr. works occasionally, and mostly does the house stuff (laundry, cooking, keeping things repaired). Or, as I put it - "He's my wife." Shoulda seen their faces after I said that.
We actually had a great conversation - at the time I was on my (Unitarian) church board, and they respected that and didn't try any proselytizing. We had a very interesting conversation about the LDS response in New Orleans after Katrina (this was about a year later), and they told us the NO Mayor had announced that "... the first two groups to respond were the Mormons and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints."
As always, I came thinking - dang, nice guys (like every Mormon I've ever met) - why is their faith so fucked up?
posted by dbmcd at 6:30 PM on April 29