A elderly Mormon asked his doctor if he thought he’d live to be a hundred.
The doctor asked the man, “Do you smoke or drink?”
“No,” he replied, “I’ve never done either.”
“Do you gamble, drive fast cars, and fool around with women?” inquired the doctor.
“No, I’ve never done any of those things either.”
“Well then,” said the doctor, “what do you want to live to be a hundred for?”
Author unknown from here

It’s easy for me to laugh at myself. It can be almost as easy to laugh at my religion when you consider:

Utah is the only state where Jell-O is sold at corner kiosks, casseroles are considered part of the major food groups and Mormons are the largest producers of other Mormons.

It’s not always that way. Plenty of “humor” stems from extremely negative stereotypes and seem laced with a touch of hate and ignorance. Yeah, that’s a good one guys. The church has provided an abundant amount of material for the creators of South Park. While much of it I consider not funny  or offensive, I do like this well-known clip.

But as the only Mormon in high school, I learned to laugh when my religion became the target of well-placed barbs.

“Hey Mike,” they would say. “Keep this up and you will earn more persecution points at the clubhouse.”1215 orrin_hatch_12

So when Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch (a devout Mormon) wrote a song about Hanukkah, it seems only fair that somebody would jump on the chance to poke fun at the Mormons. Time out for a quick observation when you see the video. Way to put a little energy into your performance, Orrin. If you were any stiffer, you could be a body double in a morgue.)

Max Weinberg, band leader for the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, wrote a song about Mormons featured below. Even though this highlights age-old stereotypes about the church, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, it even made me smile.

So if you expect a negative reaction when you bring up something about Utah or the church, hope you won’t be disappointed. If it’s too scathing, I might just smile politely or walk away. But more often than not, I might even laugh.

What else am I going to do?