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SALT LAKE CITY — An LDS blogger who got attention for his writings of the 2008 presidential elections is now blogging more broadly to try to dispel Mormon myths in America.

Ryan Bell writes at MormonAmerican.com. He told KSL Newsradio this week that he's disputing fewer myths this time around than when Mitt Romney first ran for president four years ago.

"I would say that they (the myths) are somewhat different. They've been a little repackaged," he said. "In the last cycle — it's funny — most of the fire came from the right. It seems like everything has shifted. Maybe conservatives had their chance to kind of get familiar with the Mormon thing the last time around. And now it's the liberals' turn."

When asked about what kinds of myths continue to dog not only Mitt Romney, but Mormons in general, he said, "There's kind of an overarching context which is that Mormons are pretty weird. I think that just arises from the fact that Mormons are generally unfamiliar to the mass of the American public."

There's kind of an overarching context that Mormons are pretty weird. I think that just arises from the fact that Mormons are generally unfamiliar to the mass of the American public. –Ryan Bell

"What people sometimes fail to grasp is that all religions have these elements in them that look a little exotic," he continued. "Once you can take away the newness of it all, things become pretty familiar and normal-looking after a little bit of time."

He also mentioned refuting talk show host Bill Maher, who appears to be one of the main critics this time around.

"I sometimes wonder if it's even worth it. But it's too tempting," Bell said. "Most of Bill Maher's stuff is a low-hanging fruit. It's pretty easy to go in and refute a lot of the stuff he says. I hope most people don't take him too seriously, as a religious commentator, anyway."

When asked whether stories about polygamous sects blur the lines for some people, Bell answered, "Absolutely, yes."

"The lines remain blurred. Objective journalists are doing their best to sort of 'get this right,' but there's plenty of progress still to be made," he said.

In March, Mormon Newsroom launched a feature called "Mormonism in the News: Getting It Right." It features a roundup of recent articles and blogs that accurately portray the church and those that don't, according to the newsroom staff's view.

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