Stephen Fry: Mormon Encounter

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A Mormon tour guide did not appreciate his sly questions.

I remember making an absolute... Well, I wouldn't say fool of myself. I was expelled from a meeting of Latter Day Saints when I first went to Salt Lake City. I just literally as a tourist I was wandering around and this person in a grey shift came up to me and said, "Would you like to see around?" And I said, "That's very kind." And then she started gathering others and then I realized she was a Mormon who was doing a tour and presumably there was a little bit of a recruitment going on because they are very proselytizing sect as you know, the Mormons. Anyway, she gave us a good tour and we saw this tabernacle here and this here and so on and then at one point she said, "I just want to tell you a little about the church of the Latter Day Saints." And we all politely stood and then she said how in the afterlife all families will be reunited. You'll be with your families forever, so I put my hand up and said, "What happens if you've been good?" And she said, "Could you leave please?" Because everyone started laughing, but I mean what a ridiculous idea. How is that supposed to be attractive that you're going to be stuck with every aunt and every cousin and every...? Good gracious, every you know alcoholic or slightly deviant uncle. I mean Jesus, it's just the most awful destiny imaginable and they think that's a USP. That's a... Yeah, that's what our church promises. Good Lord. Well of course, what it does. You don't have to be that smart to spot is what it does is that church focuses entirely on women the d'un certain âge as the French say, woman of a certain age and who have lost their children because they've grown up and have lost their parents because they've died and they're lonely and they've still got that family queen bee mother nesting instinct and they're the ones the Latter Day Saints hone in on and say, "You follow us and we promise you that you'll be your family all around you again in heaven." And they think that's a cool thing. Everyone else would go yuck. Anyway.
 
Recorded on December 8, 2009

I remember making an absolute... Well, I wouldn't say fool of myself. I was expelled from a meeting of Latter Day Saints when I first went to Salt Lake City. I just literally as a tourist I was wandering around and this person in a grey shift came up to me and said, "Would you like to see around?" And I said, "That's very kind." And then she started gathering others and then I realized she was a Mormon who was doing a tour and presumably there was a little bit of a recruitment going on because they are very proselytizing sect as you know, the Mormons. Anyway, she gave us a good tour and we saw this tabernacle here and this here and so on and then at one point she said, "I just want to tell you a little about the church of the Latter Day Saints." And we all politely stood and then she said how in the afterlife all families will be reunited. You'll be with your families forever, so I put my hand up and said, "What happens if you've been good?" And she said, "Could you leave please?" Because everyone started laughing, but I mean what a ridiculous idea. How is that supposed to be attractive that you're going to be stuck with every aunt and every cousin and every...? Good gracious, every you know alcoholic or slightly deviant uncle. I mean Jesus, it's just the most awful destiny imaginable and they think that's a USP. That's a... Yeah, that's what our church promises. Good Lord. Well of course, what it does. You don't have to be that smart to spot is what it does is that church focuses entirely on women the d'un certain âge as the French say, woman of a certain age and who have lost their children because they've grown up and have lost their parents because they've died and they're lonely and they've still got that family queen bee mother nesting instinct and they're the ones the Latter Day Saints hone in on and say, "You follow us and we promise you that you'll be your family all around you again in heaven." And they think that's a cool thing. Everyone else would go yuck. Anyway.
 
Recorded on December 8, 2009