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Are Mormons funny? Do we Mormons have a good sense of humor\u2014in general, or more importantly, when it focuses on\xa0ourselves? In introducing Mormonism to those who are outside the faith and attempting to share\xa0how the gospel and Mormon life make sense to or motivate its adherents, can a light-hearted, humorous approach be more effective than \u201cearnestness\u201d? In this episode, we bring together three people for whom the answer to this last question is a resounding \u201cyes\u201d! Yet each\xa0also recognizes that there are lines\u2014sometimes fuzzy, sometimes very clear\u2014that one must not cross. Often it is informed by fear of losing the good will and respect of the Mormon audience who, let\u2019s face it, will be among the majority of readers even for books about Mormons geared toward outsiders. This audience may be comfortable with finding humor in Mormon culture and its quirks, but possibly will balk as one seeks to examine via humor (and its gifts at providing at times very stark mirrors for things under its gaze) certain practices or teachings. When writing for outsiders (and it\u2019s a good reminder when the Mormon audience will be reading, as well), a humorous approach must watch out for pitfalls such as stereotyping, caricaturing, or not recognizing that a particular view of theirs that might feel like \u201csafe\u201d territory to you doesn\u2019t feel so for them.

A wonderful panel consisting of Latter-day Saints who have written or illustrated wonderful books examining Mormonism through fun approaches\u2014Stephen Carter and Jett Atwood (author and illustrator of the new book, Mormonism for Beginners, as well as two volumes of a Book of Mormon comic book/graphic novel called iPlates) and Jana Riess (co-author of Mormonism for Dummies, and author of The Twible)\u2014examine these and many other questions. How does humor function more effectively\xa0than taking a serious, dead-eyed laser approach as an aid in our examining things we sometimes miss because of familiarity, or because we are living within certain patterns of thought, or shells, or structures that we forget are not themselves actually the \u201creal\u201d thing? How important is a humorist\u2019s own feelings toward its subject\u2014affectionate, antagonistic, dismissive\u2014in her or his ability to reach their desired audience\u2014and not just to entertain them but possibly also aid in their shifting certain perspectives? It\u2019s a wonderful conversation that also features their recommendations, along with those of Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon, of favorite examples of Mormon humor done well.