“I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry…”
Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 5:401.

Hard to describe the joy I feel going from the Mountain Meadows Massacre memorial to discovering Book of Mormon action figures inside the LDS Church History Museum gift shop. I don’t know about you, but to me this signals major progress. One hundred and seventy years ago, a visit from the three Nephites meant you were about to be called on an errand from God, but now you can arrange a play date with their three-inch facsimiles, ziggurat playset sold separately. Mix and match your favorite prophets from Another Testament of Christ at your leisure.

Now some may argue such action figures brainwash susceptible little Saints’ minds or even reinforce ugly racial stereotypes, but if these kids grow up with a kindler, gentler form of Mormonism, one that has disfellowshipped much of its more eccentric doctrine, I tell ya that bodes well for all of us.