Now I've done it - I'm posting a religious question. But I really want to know what people think on this board and I invite BYU posters to jump in as well.

Many of you have read our good friend - Red Apples' post today. By his opinions he and every LDS person believes Majerus dislikes/disrespects the LDS Church.

In my few interactions with LDS members of the team and everything I've read in the press, I don't recall Rick disparaging the LDS faith. Poke fun at some of the practices or challenges it creates for recruiting - yes. But that's very different from disparage or dislike. In fact, Rick is on record a hundred times (at least) complimenting the returned missionaries on his team.

Now is Rick a realist - Yes! Has he said a mission may have cost Alex Jensen an NBA career and maybe even an NCAA title for the Utes - Yes! But that's the truth. I've heard him mention both of these things as a testament to Jensen's character. He's done the same talking of Britton Johnsen's choice to serve a mission. I know he advised Britton to stay. At the same time, Rick emphasized to Britton that he was speaking as a basketball coach and he encouraged Britton to consider advice from the other key influencers in his life - his father/mother and ecclesiastical leaders. When Britton chose a mission, Rick supported the decision. Is this a man who is anti-LDS?

Rick jokes about the Mormon Church. Think of that - so do I and I'm a card-carrying member. I don't know what is offensive to Red Apples about the quote he posted. It doesn't offend me in the least. Once again, some of Rick's jokes may push the envelope a little - some of his comments about the State of Utah have been hard for some to take. But an ability to see the humor in yourself and the people around you often helps us relate better as humans because we see our humanity clearer.

An old Bishop ofe mine used to say the 11th commandment is "Thou shalt not take thyself too damn seriously." I try to adhere to that one as much as the others.

There it is folks. Your thoughts? Fans living outside of Utah that may or may not be LDS Church members - Is Rick friend or foe of the Church? Has he done more to improve your perception of Mormonism or not? A response here is - he shouldn't have to. He's not Mormon and it's not his job to be a PR guy for Mormons.

Nonetheless, I think he has. He speaks to the character of his LDS RM's often to both the local and national press sometimes in between jokes about the faith. For me, that's a good thing. He's a friend.

'biq

Rick has never said anything bad about the LDS church. He has many good LDS friends including Jon Huntsman. I saw Majerus speak at the Marriott Library last fall and he was talking about using Huntsmans plane. He said he hates to ask for it too much because if the Utes are using it the plane would not be available to LDS humanitarian efforts or to the leadership of the church who use it quite frequently. Rick said he was confident he could get it anytime he asked and that Huntsman had never turned down a request.

Further I think a lot of the problem stems from the BYU factor. BYU fans like to view criticisms of BYU as criticisms of the church. They are different as many of my LDS friends who do not like the Y point out. I also suspect the bitterness of people like Red Apple comes from being on the losing end of so many butt-whoopings.

Everyone sites certain things that he says about the Mormons...I'm a strong member and they make me laugh...I joke about us. We consider us a peculiar people and we are...compared to the rest of the world, we are strange. So what? Rick jokes about us...if you can't laugh at it, then that's your fault for being so sensitive. Rick also compliments us a lot. Good.

Rick jokes about fat people. If you lose the logic that his jokes about the Mormons shows how much he hates Mormons, then his jokes show how much he hates fat people. Himself. He jokes about everyone and I have to admit that he is pretty dang (that's not a swear word in the Mormon book. . .) funny.

Second question, why do we care...so Y fans dislike Majerus...what a revelation! We know Majerus is a good person...even without my Ute goggles on. I am glad to have Rick here...a Coach with a sense of humor who may make easy jokes about us, but a coach who also respects the religion. Go Utes!
 

Rick is the best thing to happen to University of Utah Basketball. I could care less what he thinks of religion. I do know he a good friend of high ranking morman officials, Orin Hatch, Jon Huntsman. Rick is Rick he is hired by the University of Utah (not a mormon school), a State-funded University, to win basketball games. It's this kind of discussion that keeps non-Mormon players from coming to Utah, because it really does not matter. Utah is a great school with a pretty diverse population of students, but the perception outside of Utah is that it is a Mormon school. Religion is a personal thing and it really does not matter if someone thinks differently. They can still be good people, just different. Rick is not Mormon so the (in-State) Mormon's mentality is to say he is anti-mormon. I live in Arizona and I can truly say this would not be an issue at any other school but Utah or BYU. I may be wrong but it's just my idea on this subject.

I'm afraid your post is not going to produce much intelligent conversation, because very few people can even pretend to know what Rick Majerus really thinks or feels. In my lifetime, BYU fans (which I once was, while growing up) have always tended to see the Utah football or basketball coach as an evil, anti-Church force. It just happens, and I can say with some certainty that most of that opinion comes from ignorance, insecurity, and excessively thin skins. Nothing we post here is likely to change that.

With that in mind, here is a very personal perspective. I've been lucky enough to have several one-on-one conversations with Rick at times when he didn't have to posture. Most of these talks were over dinner. He has alway spoken his mind, bluntly and candidly as always. The early conversations were 10-11 years ago, before he was famous; and they've stretched up to the present. He has stayed the same the whole time.

Based on my conversations with him, I am convinced he does not have an anti-LDS bone in his body. He doesn't have an anti-religion bone in his body. He was raised Catholic with a solid Jesuit education, and although he is a lapsed Catholic, he still oozes respect for dedicated Catholics, and for committed religious people generally. Once, when someone (non-LDS, non-Utah, from the news media) asked him how it felt to be surrounded by Mormons, Rick laughed and said, "Oh, they're the best g-dd--n people in the world. You wouldn't believe these people. You think they're pretending because they're so friendly all the time. Their biggest problem is that they're too nice, and sometimes people take advantage of them." I remember the conversation as clearly as my name.

I'm an active LDS, and many of my conversations with Rick have centered on him bouncing his impressions of LDS people and doctrine off me, not in a critical way, but in a genuinely curious way. (You do have to admit, LDS people and culture are unusual to outsiders.) By the way, Rick is very smart, very curious about nearly everything, and a thinker. His rough-hewn exterior is not the real him at all. He's actually quite shy, believe it or not. And he's an absolute pleasure to spend time with.

In L.A., where I live, the average fan that follows basketball and the coaching/news media community see him as an apologist for Mormons, not as a critic of them. (I'm talking about friends and acquaintances who are fans, high school coaches who know him, and some in the TV sports business.) Kind of ironic, huh? The evil "Majerkus" actually enhancing the image of Mormons?

I could go on and on, but not time now. Let me just say that all the people who post here, ranting and raving about what a jerk he is, simply don't know what they're talking about. And that's all there is to it, as far as I am concerned.

Having said all that, I sure wish we had more than this to talk about! Football season can't come too soon.

L.A., I always enjoy reading your posts, because they are so well thought out, and objective. So, why did you feel the need to paint all BYU fans with the same brush? I'm a BYU fan, and know all kinds of others (including three sons at the school) and know even more Ute fans (check the archives under my name for some backround and flames, its pretty funny IMO). I just don't get the impression that very many BYU fans carry any hatred for Majerus, except for the fact that his teams have beat us like a drum for the better part of a decade.

My Zoob perspective? I think he really likes LDS people. He's never looked at our faith in a condescending way IIRC, and has many close LDS friends, including Lavell and Rex Lee. You know what sticks out in my mind was in the final four, when that NC kid accused Britton Johnson of using a racial slur. Rick didn't need to interview Johnson about it, he just laid it on the line. "If Britton said that, I'll turn in my resignation right now, cause I know he didn't." he went on to say he knew this young man, his family, and this kind of thing just wasn't possible." Geeze, that was a thing of beauty! I don't give a hoot if Majerus is rude to some local media type, or notes some Mormon peculiarity (guess what, we are peculiar ... duh). I think he's a helluva guy, and if any of my kids had great bball talent, I'd feel just fine if they played for him.

Bottom line. Every single time I've heard him talk seriously about missions and\or the church, it has been in a possitive manner. As state by bYupride, he may not completly understand, but he certainly does not knock it.

My favorite quote Rick stated about the church was at an awards banquet Josh Grant's senior year. Present was Thomas Monson of the church's first presidency. Rick was going on about how good of a guy Josh was and then looked right at Brother Monson and stated. "If anyone could talk me into giving up 10% of my income and three hours each week (for the church), it would be Josh." Then, still looking at Monson, said "but don't count on it." Everyone in the room, including Brother Monson busted out laughing.

Go Utes!

best I have seen on the board, on any topic, during my brief tenure here: objective, w/o rancor, very cogent. What a pleasure to read. My own pathetic contribution: Rick is not a massochist (a hedonist, maybe, but, hey...), and he is far from being a fool, so he must feel very comfortable, eleven-years' comfortable in his "alien" environment.

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