You have to admire a guy who loves his faith. Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of The Killers could have just hid in a shell and not let anyone know he is Mormon or that he is married and having kids like crazy, but he didn't. The Mormon church came calling and Brandon made a video for them. I think this differs from the Tom Cruise Scientology video because Mormons are not charging for their religion. It is rare though for a celebrity other than one who is in Scientology to discuss their religion. So, does this mean that Brandon Flowers supports the ban on gay marriage? What this is going to do is open himself to a lot of interview questions about his personal beliefs and as much as the Mormon church might think this video will increase membership, it also might backfire because many people do not know just how conservative Mormons can be. It is not all Sister Wives and BYU football.
I believe Mormon's give a % of their income to the church. That however is nothing like becoming a slave to Scientology.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, the Mormon church isn't asking any specific members to make these videos. Anyone can do it and upload their video to www.mormon.org
ReplyDeleteI'm a pretty liberal Mormon, and I have no problem telling people I don't support the ban on gay marriage, I think polygamy is creepy and that I think BYU football is *highly* overrated. But at the same time I have no problem sharing my faith with anyone who wants to know what I feel and believe when it comes to spiritual matters.
More important -
ReplyDeleteIs he human or is he dancer?
I think most religions expect/require a tithe.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading somewhere, ages ago, that he was raised Mormon but left the church because he found it too restricting, or some such thing. I also remember being surprised when I found out he was married because I thought he was gay.
Does anyone else remember reading/hearing about him leaving the church?
Bahaha@ Ms Cool. That killed me.
ReplyDeleteI've read that he left the church when he was 15 to move to Vegas. He's never been shy about his faith and how he struggles with it being in a band.
ReplyDeleteShakey- He kind of addresses that in the video, saying (and I paraphrase) that he had lots of fans coming up to him after the Killers hit, talking about how they had been raised in the church and weren't really apart of it anymore, just like him, and isn't that cool?
ReplyDeleteHe then began to realize that his faith wasn't totally gone (hence the "A fire is still burning" title) and it started to become more important after he married, because his wife joined the church and they started having children.
I would imagine his relationship with the church and his faith is complicated, but no more so than anyone who is human.
Maybe do some research before posting. As others have stated, he's never been quiet about being a Mormon (I believe other members of the band are Mormon as well, but I could be wrong) so this is nothing new. I also believe he's been with his wife for a long time.
ReplyDeleteBe whatever religion you want, just don't come to my door trying to convert me.
Mormon's "tithe" 10 or 15 percent of their income, I believe. Maybe I should say, practicing Mormons.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, I've come to regard Scientology as a hybrid Ponzi scheme/network marketing strategy.
Ms Cool, that made my day!
ReplyDeleteFlowers never hid that he's mormon
ReplyDeleteWhy are people upset with this post? The general public (including me) had no idea he was Mormon, but Enty didn't say he hid it before. He just said he could have. There's a stigma against Mormons, just like there's one against very religious Christians, at least in Hollywood.
ReplyDeleteI didn't find out until I was 19 that I had two half sisters living in New Zealand, then didn't meet them til I was in my mid-20s, at which time I learned their mother had married a Mormon after she split with my dad, and thusly they were raised. Anyway, I remember being so surprised that they didn't even drink coffee or tea because of the caffeine, but one sister is a major chocoholic. Neither drink, but the non-chocoholic was arrested a few years ago for distribution of marijuana. The contradictions just don't make sense to me.
ReplyDeleteHis kids are cute.
ReplyDeleteGood one Ms Cool!
ReplyDeleteNot all Mormons are automatically anti-gay or anti-gay marriage (but chik fil-a is, so I won't eat there anymore). I like their music, I don't really care what religion he belongs to, unless he starts advocating some really hateful shit. He just doesn't strike me as that type of guy.
ReplyDelete"Tithe" means "ten percent", which is biblical and pretty standard among religions, including Christians. Further, Mormons don't condone polygamy, and the family from Sister Wives is not Mormon. Finally, Mormons, like most of America, are pretty sharply divided on the issue of gay marriage.
ReplyDeleteFS, agreed. Not all Mormons are against gay-marriage. I support gay-marriage and am also pretty liberal and am an active Mormon.
ReplyDeleteFlowers is really well known as a Mormon in the LDS community just like all Mormons know Katherine Heigle was once a Mormon.
I could care less if he is mormon or not, his music is good. I am surprised to hear he is straight. I could have sworn I read he was gay, but I guess I am wrong. Not that it matters.
ReplyDeleteI knew he was Mormon...can't recall where I read it, but I knew. I hope he is one of the more open minded ones :)
ReplyDeleteI love Brandon Flowers! He is who he is, period. He has spoken about his faith quite a bit and he has also said he has been heavily influenced by many gay artists. That's probably where some of you get the "gay" vibe.
ReplyDeleteGood for him, why should he hide it (if he was).
ReplyDeleteRQ - Some devout Mormons won't eat chocolate, but those are usually the ones in Utah.
ReplyDeleteI was raised Mormon (resigned almost three years ago -- their financial support of Prop 8 was the last straw), so I feel like every person who was ever a member knows every celebrity who's a member. Brandon Flowers being a Mormon is nothing knew to me or any other Mormon, for that matter.
You know who I was stunned to find a member? GLENN BECK! He apparently teaches/ taught Sunday school lessons to the adult classes. Trying to imagine him with the chalk board talking about the scriptures is mind-boggling!
Umm, Enty, the LDS church LOVES their members' money. The tithing is pretty hefty. It's the main reason why my dad stopped going. They even wanted my sisters and I to pay tithing on our allowance when we were kids. Yeah, no.
ReplyDeleteI think they're pushing this whole ad campaign nonsense, because of all the negative buzz about them lately (prop 8, "The Book of Mormon" musical). Not to mention two Republican hopefuls are Mormon. I heard their rep on NPR say they don't get involved in political matters. Then why did you donate so much money to Prop 8 and encourage your members to vote for it come election day? Yeah, the interviewer definitely missed the opportunity to follow up on that question.
Sorry, I'm not down with the Mormon faith - in its scriptures there is some hateful business about black folks. And being a black woman, I can not be down with it in any way. This is over and above their shameless flogging for Prop 8. From the root to the fruit, as they say...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karmen. And is marijuana ok but alcohol not? I find the whole thing rather confusing.
ReplyDeleteI'm so mixed in my feelings for Mormons and the LDS Church. Speaking as a former Mormon, I left because I simply could not believe the theology. But the people...no kidding, overall the best people I've ever known. And I do think that many of their practices are very good for keeping a good family together.
ReplyDeleteBut like E.DuBois said, the LDS history on Blacks in the church is poorly disguised racism. Certainly most are not racist, but the basic doctrine is racist. And sexist. And homophobic.
...but in that sense, it's not so different from Catholics either, in that many members belong but don't agree with all of the formal theology or policy.
...me, I can't pretend to agree or be cool with it if I'm not, so I left. But still, yeah, some great people and a few good ideas.
Being a new converted Mormon, I really enjoyed this video. And believe it or not, not ALL Mormons support the ban on gay marriage. At the end of the day it really is between you and God (or whomever you belive in).
ReplyDeleteThe LDS religion gets a lot of flack for some of the things they believe in, which is funny because don't we all teach our children to be honest, love one another and respect your self?
I'll never understand why it seems the only religion ever picked on, is the LDS religion. I'm proud to be a Mormon (oh and a Killers Fan!!)
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ReplyDeleteBeing that the Mormon church uses millions of dollars of its members money to suppress gay marriage, I can't understand why people who support gay marriage are Mormon. The Mormon church purports to be the 'One True Church', so if they're wrong on gay marriage, what else have they f*cked up? I know the answer to that one.
ReplyDelete"It may be true that not all Mormons are anti-gay, but the leadership of the Church is. And it gave beaucoup bucks to defeat marriage equality in CA. So, even if you are personally pro-marriage equality, if you tithe, you are supporting efforts to keep LGBT families from equality under the law. It's that simple."
ReplyDelete^^^THANK YOU BITTERQUEEN!
I think this says it all!
Love his music.
ReplyDeleteJust watched the video and Brandon looks very thin. I hope he isn't ill.
ReplyDeleteI've known that Brandon Flowers is a mormon for a very long time. I suspend my distaste for People of Made Up Religions(tm) for him (and, well, Will Smith if it ever becomes public knowledge that he's a Scientologist).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the fact that Flowers contributes to awesome music definitely helps me overlook the mormonism.
I'm also Mormon and the reason some members of the church have no issue with staying a member and not agreeing with the church's stance on gay marriage is because their issue with gay marriage is about whether it's right for the people to vote on the issue. I think that's where the confusion comes with the church. If the supreme court rules gay marriage is legal then that is one thing but if the people are to vote on the issue then any member of a religious group can decide to vote based on their religious beliefs. Just because you don't like their beliefs doesn't mean they can't do it. My concern with gay marriage has nothing to do with trying to stop people from marrying but more that I don't kno what ramifications may come from it. Will churches be forced to marry them and be sued if they refuse? And will it open the door to polygamy and other non-traditional marriages now have to become legal to keep things fair for everyone?
ReplyDeletemy bff is lds. i'm not interested in joining a religion, but if i were, it would be lds. they expect their embers to contribute to the church, the leaders don't get paid and when you need something they really provide for you. i know its popular to rip on them, but really they aren't that interesting (no offense to any lds folks on here).
ReplyDeleteand i don't mond folks coming to my door to share their beliefs. at least they are trying to do good (in their mind), i don't find a lot of people in this world that go out of their way to help their neighbor or be kind. and when they do ita usually on the news because ita so unexpected. what could be kinder than helping to get you into the kingdom of god?? (their belief, not mine.
my bff is lds. i'm not interested in joining a religion, but if i were, it would be lds. they expect their embers to contribute to the church, the leaders don't get paid and when you need something they really provide for you. i know its popular to rip on them, but really they aren't that interesting (no offense to any lds folks on here).
ReplyDeleteand i don't mond folks coming to my door to share their beliefs. at least they are trying to do good (in their mind), i don't find a lot of people in this world that go out of their way to help their neighbor or be kind. and when they do ita usually on the news because ita so unexpected. what could be kinder than helping to get you into the kingdom of god?? (their belief, not mine.
"Will churches be forced to marry them and be sued if they refuse?"
ReplyDeleteUm, no. Churches can choose not to marry people for all kinds of reasons. The Catholic Church won't marry people who are divorced, for example.
"...will it open the door to polygamy and other non-traditional marriages now have to become legal to keep things fair for everyone?"
By that argument, gay marriage should already be legal everywhere, because it is the fair thing to do. Obviously, our system doesn't work that way.
concern with gay marriage has nothing to do with trying to stop people from marrying but more that I don't kno what ramifications may come from it. Will churches be forced to marry them and be sued if they refuse? And will it open the door to polygamy and other non-traditional marriages now have to become legal to keep things fair for everyone?
ReplyDeleteMy two cents: Marriage is marriage. I've been married for 9 years, to another woman. So it angers me when someone implies that MY marriage (very traditional, very sedate) will somehow open the floodgates to the thousands of polygamists that are just itching to get married. Nothing much happened in 2008 when 18000 gays got married here. No rush of drooling polygamists stormed the doors of churches and synagogues, begging to marry their five true loves. I think we're safe from hordes of sexual deviants wanting to marry. The Mormon church is forever tainted by its rabid attack on prop 8 and its do passionless and cynical stance on love.
"The Mormon church is forever tainted by its rabid attack on prop 8 and its do passionless and cynical stance on love."
ReplyDelete^THIS^
I think what it comes down to in this case is love, freedom to exercise that expression one has for another, and freedom to be recognized by one's own government as being a part of a partnership if one chooses to be(and is lucky enough to find someone)- some people want to block this for a million reasons, they can deny their part in the prevention of this but when you affiliate yourself with organizations that oppose such a thing- it all comes down to the same thing.
I think preventing someone from expressing their love is one of the worst things one can do to another person.
Jesse D said...
ReplyDelete"Tithe" means "ten percent"
Thanks @JesseD, I did not know that! (obviously)
@iheartgoss: This is for you:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXPcBI4CJc8
I thought it was well known that Brandon's a Mormon? I haven't listened to them in a long time but I freakin' LOVED The Killers when they first came out and it was common knowledge that he's Mormon.
ReplyDeleteMooshki said...
ReplyDeleteBy that argument, gay marriage should already be legal everywhere, because it is the fair thing to do. Obviously, our system doesn't work that way.
Best thing I've read all day. I love it when basic common sense trumps an irrational argument.
GladysKravitz - I live in Canada where it's been legal for gays to marry for a number of years. Despite that, nothing much happened. The earth didn't open and suck everyone into hell, no one was having orgies in the streets, AND, what shocked me most of all, no one tried to marry their dog!*** Can you believe it?!?!
*** the number one argument bigots put forth against gay marriage, in my experience, is "What's next, people marrying their dogs?" As soon as someone says that I know they're an ignorant f*ck and the conversation is over. I don't understand what two people getting married has to do with beastiality, but such is the mind of a bigot, I suppose.
E.DuBois says it best.
ReplyDeleteI love the Killers but had no clue he was Mormon.
ReplyDelete