About Us

We are 3 brothers, close in little else other than age, faith, and heart. We live about as far apart from each other as possible without leaving the U.S. Our career pursuits, our interests, and our talents differ in extreme ways. Yet we share a somewhat uncommon background that at least partially explains us. Together we have lived outside of the US for a total of 21 years, including 5 years together as a family in Australia and New Zealand when we were young. We received our high school educations at a small non-religious private school in Salt Lake City, Utah. We served missions in Japan (Tokyo and Sendai) and Finland. At this time we are all college students, at various levels in the pursuit of hopefully meaningful careers.

It probably goes without saying that we are not professional writers. Nor do we have degrees in English, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, or anything else that would really qualify us to be experts on Mormon culture. In fact, the only thing we are experts on is ourselves and our experiences. So take this web site for what it is - a collection of musings on Mormon culture from 3 brothers intrigued by the oddities, issues, seeming contradictions, and hilarities of Mormon culture.You can read some self-written details about us below:


Mark
Right now I'm living in California, set to graduate with a B.S. in June, having (somewhat) successfully withstood the low lows and moderate highs of the love-hate relationship between me and the aerospace engineering department at my university. As of my final exam yesterday, I have now also completed a psychology minor, something that took the edge off of all the engineering and may be to thank for the sanity I have left. I have always loved sports, from cross country and lacrosse in high school, to playing lacrosse for my university, to my current pursuits in breaking personal short-distance running records, kickboxing, and MMA fighting (to which I am fairly new). When time and energy allocation allow, I like to read everything interesting, whether it's a novel or a magazine article or a journal paper or a blog. In the past I've spent a lot of time reading about international politics (particularly regarding the middle east), aerospace politics, science, astronomy, social/political history, science fiction, and psychology. One of these days I'm going to read more classics. So that's me. Oh yeah, and I'm responsible for the maintenance and administration of the site, so if a link's broken, let me know.
March 2008


Denzil
Although I have lived in several other places including New Zealand, Australia, Tokyo and Las Vegas, I am a rarity in our family and am currently the only one over 20 that is still in Utah (aside from our parents). I am studying at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, working towards a double major in Japanese and Illustration (no, I do not like anime), with a minor in Asian Studies, and am (perhaps unrealistically) hoping to graduate sometime in 2009. I participated on the BYU Lacrosse team for 3 years (ending with a National Championship Title last year) and continue to participate in several sporting and athletic events including but not limited to running, boxing, skiing, paintball and scuba diving. As I have received awards and had my artwork in a number of shows, I consider myself to be a fairly successful artist. However, as of right now, I have no intention of becoming an artist by profession, and it remains a mystery what I am to do with my life. I served in the Japan Tokyo South Mission (Sep. 2004—Oct. 2006). After graduating from BYU, I am considering pursuing an MFA in Illustration and/or an MBA. A mission companion taught me the meaning of the saying, “laughter is the best medicine,” and I haven’t stopped laughing since. I strive to love the journey to its fullest and have recently developed the habit of smelling the roses as I run to the next rose bush. Amidst this chaotic existence that I have created for myself, I look forward to exploring the oddities of Mormon culture with you, and hope to provide some of “the best medicine” as I reveal why I think God has a perfect sense of humor (I’ll let you know when I’m trying to be serious). This is going to be fun.
March 2008


Dean
As of this year, I have spent as much time outside of Utah as I have within. The other places I've grown up include, like my brothers, New Zealand and Australia, but in addition I served a mission in Finland and currently study filmmaking with a side of photography in New England. I hope that these my studies will help me make a positive influence on my friends, family, and the world. My favorite films can be described as politically aware and artistically produced narratives, a niche I hope to break into in the near future. As a teen I was told that where much is given, much is required, and since then have tried to abide by this principle. Besides making a plethora of films, I play lacrosse, work two jobs, and teach both Elders' and Teachers' Quorums. When I have a spare moment, I work on my goal of watching the 100 greatest films ever made, try to turn a passing thought into a screenplay worth producing, or study about modern temples. I follow a pesco-vegan lifestyle as a small part in disciplining myself and developing a healthy lifestyle. In addition to paying attention to my body, I feel the same necessity in developing intellectually and spiritually - hence my participation in MormonCulture.org. I look to the future with mixed feelings of anxiety, bewilderment, and excitement, but whatever comes, I say bring it on.
March 2008

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