THE New York Times calls it “the best musical of the century.”

We exclaim: “The book is always better!”

The Book of Mormon musical, telling the story of two young men who serve as Latter-day Saint missionaries in Uganda, found success in the United States, London and Melbourne despite its far from accurate portrayal of real Mormon missionaries. Instead of reacting to the false and often confronting depictions of our faith, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (as Mormons are officially called) responded with a lively and good-natured campaign that told people who Mormons really are. The result was a resounding applause by the public and media outlets on the church’s turning of what could have been detrimental to the church into a positive outcome.

media_camera Ryan Bondy and Augustin Aziz Tchantcho in the Australian production of The Book of Mormon. (Pic: Jeff Busby)

Sydney prepares for a similar experience as the musical opened last month. Chatting with a friend over lunch, she asked how I felt about my faith being pulled out of context for the sake of humour. Surprised to hear that I was not offended, our chat quickly shifted to a talk about my Christian faith, the church’s involvement in community work and our recognition of the family as society’s building block — things that matter most to Mormons.

Another friend was impressed by the contrast between what he saw in the musical and ‘real’ Mormon missionaries. Far from naive and ignorant, Mormon missionaries are articulate, intelligent, selfless and humble young people. Many have put on hold their studies, scholarships and careers for up to two years to dedicate themselves to service.

Mormons embrace this opportunity to tell others about ourselves and our belief. We believe the Bible — both Old and New Testaments — to be the word of God and the Book of Mormon sits beside it to testify of Jesus Christ. Only two of the 531 pages of the Book of Mormon do not mention Jesus. Yes, Mormons only worship God and Jesus Christ, His Son. We venerate Joseph Smith, our first leader.

media_camera NRL player Will Hopoate was a mission with the Church of the Latter Day Saints for two years, from 2011-2013. (Pic: Tim Marsden)

We’re also making the most of the interest in our faith. If you see a 10-foot tall, walk-through and interactive Book of Mormon in Sydney, come over for a look at the real thing. You might find a chat with our missionaries more compelling than a musical, and you might even get to speak with one of our prominent Latter-day Saints rugby league stars such as Will Hopoate. We also regularly share personal experiences of faith on social media.

The writers of the musical never envisaged it as a great platform for Mormon members to speak about their faith.

While the musical may entertain audiences for an evening, the Book of Mormon can change lives forever.

Emily Kwok is director of public affairs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in NSW.