A new Hulu show, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” is an exposé of scandals surrounding mom-TikTokers with varying levels of affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While arguably more provocative, it is simply the latest to use a century-old formula of sensationalizing faith in the pursuit of eyeballs and ad dollars. Other recent examples include, “Under the Banner of Heaven,” “LuLaRich,” “Mormon No More” and “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.”
By one count, there are 30 total shows — all negative — featuring members of my church alone.
It could be that Latter-day Saints are especially popular targets, particularly because the church has often ignored blatant attempts at undermining its reputation, which they feel is best protected by simply looking at the lives of its members.
As an immigrant to the United States and a convert to this church, I am hopeful people can see beyond the clickbait to more than 17 million faithful Christians who aim to live with the radical love Jesus taught. My own conversion to this faith is what has motivated me to dedicate a legal career to reducing mass incarceration, to care for “the least among us” and influenced me towards religious freedom litigation to help an imprisoned Jewish rabbi better practice his faith. I have never felt prouder to be a Latter-day Saint than when I sat with my Jewish client in federal prison to learn how to advocate for him and his Muslim brothers to pray pursuant to their religious dictates.
Other Christian faiths have been recently targeted, as well. “Righteous Gemstones” is a television show featuring dysfunctional evangelical pastors. The Academy-award winning movie, “Spotlight,” uncovered sex abuse by Catholic priests. “Unorthodox” is a television series focusing on disgruntled ex-members of an Orthodox Jewish community. It’s difficult to think of any significant Judeo-Christian sect spared from a combo of documentary exposé and ham-fisted stereotyping in scripted media.
It is unsurprising, then, that public views of organized religion continue to deteriorate. In 2023, a national survey of more than 6,000 U.S. adults showed that nearly half of Americans believe that America getting less religious is a good thing. As a consequence, Americans who practice faith recognize that it’s unfashionable and don’t want to admit in open company that they are religious, claiming instead they’re “spiritual.” And 1 in 5 have actually left organized religion.
This shift in perception of religion — and the subsequent declines in religious affiliation and practice — have significant implications for our nation. Those implications are, according to our research at the Wheatley Institute, extremely harmful.
Most Americans continue to be believers of one form or another. A 2023 poll of 1,783 U.S. adults found that 85% of respondents believe there is a God or higher power. The same poll found that 61% of respondents pray. Another 2023 poll of 1,680 adults in the U.S. found that 7 out of 10 Americans believe in angels.
The reality is that more generic spirituality is a poor substitute for organized religion in terms of positive impact.
Participating in faith communities drives a host of individual and societal benefits. Internationally, people who regularly participate in a religious congregation tend to be happier, more civically engaged and more generous than either religiously unaffiliated or inactive religious people, according to Pew data. Harvard’s Tyler VanderWheele demonstrates that church-goers enjoy better health outcomes — including lower anxiety and suicide.
The drop in church attendance in America is accompanied by a steady decline in charitable donations and volunteerism, according to research by The University of Maryland. I am curious if media executives realize that they are causing public harm when they treat organized religion as a relic of the past. While I’m not advocating for the kid-glove treatment for organized religion, there seems to be a massive imbalance.
Ask yourself: When was the last time you saw a religious character in a TV show or movie who was also a kind, good and relatable person? When was the last time you saw a mainstream documentary about a religion that featured the good it did?
Fortunately, we’re seeing some glimmers of change with Rainn Wilson’s Soul Pancake — with 700 million views — and Angel Studios with 45 million downloads. “The Chosen,” a show about the life of Jesus Christ, has had nearly 800 million views. There is a hunger on the part of billions for balanced media that speaks to the lived experience of those who honor sincere religious commitments.
We cannot afford to remain silently faithful while allowing mainstream bashing of a known societal good. As a refugee starting over in America, finding my faith community gave us family in a strange land automatic invitations to gatherings when we had no friends — and even furniture and Christmas gifts when we couldn’t afford any.
Now as a professor and mother of five, I’m grateful my children have a place to go each Sunday to serve, be inspired and to love. The impacts on individuals, families and society writ large without organized religion is catastrophic. It’s my prayer that we reverse this dangerous trend.
(Shima Baughman) Shima Baughman is a Distinguished Fellow of Religion at Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute.
Shima Baughman is a Distinguished Fellow of Religion at Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute.
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