For my latest endeavor, I decided that instead of my typical talk-real-fast style, I’d try something wildly different–sing-real-fast. So, without further adieu, I give you The True Believing Mormon Dude. I hope you enjoy it.

Now that you’ve seen that, you may be wondering–what exactly was I trying to say with this video? And the short answer is, I don’t really know. I mean, sure, there were a few things I had in mind as I made it–the conformity that Church membership and participation breeds, the homogeneity of belief among Mormons, etc.–but we were all aware of those things. Or at least we are all aware that many people see Mormonism that way.

Poking fun at the quirks of Mormon culture is easy. It’s a lazy man’s game, which works out great for me, since I am a lazy man. But the far more interesting issue to me is what will happen to Mormonism in the future. The current super-homogenized Church structure (and culture) is in large part a product of Correlation, but I think we may be in entering a new chapter in the relationship between Mormonism and American culture as Mormonism continues to drift into the mainstream. Now, when I say “drift into the cultural mainstream,” I’m not saying that now everyone wants to be a Mormon or people don’t find Mormon beliefs odd anymore. I’m just arguing that in the wake of recent events (two Mormon presidential candidates, The Book of Mormon on Broadway, etc.), awareness of Mormonism is becoming a part of the common cultural language in the U.S.

The transition from being a largely unknown oddball to a quirky kid brother in American culture is one I’m curious to see unfold. What will the implications be for the members? Will the increased awareness in the outside world cause a dehomogenization of beliefs and participation levels among Mormons? Will our tendency to see ourselves as the object of persecution make us more insular? Will something completely different happen that I’m not even considering right now because I haven’t thought of it?

You people are smart. You tell me.