Speaking as a (now-ex) mormon, this is a very flattering characterization that unfortunately skips over a couple important points.<p>For one, mormonism is a <i>very</i> conservative religion. From blacks voting to gays marrying, the church's stance is "morality peaked in the early 1800s, and everything since then has been backsliding". It is also a very America-centric religion, implicitly and explicitly teaching manifest destiny: that America's founding was ordained by god specifically to facilitate the church's "restoration" (mormonism maintains that it is the "original christianity" practiced by ancient hebrews, don't think about that too hard), that Columbus and the founding fathers were all moral paragons, divinely inspired to that end. It's very insular; you can scarcely go a sunday without some warning about Lastly, it is a religion with a very top-down command structure; "obeying your leaders, even if they're wrong, will bring blessings from god" is an explicit teaching.<p>So it should come as no surprise that Utah suffers from some of the highest rates of affinity fraud in the nation; mormonism is good at making hard workers who obey orders; it's not so great at producing independent thinkers or whistleblowers who'll hold their bosses accountable, nor who will think twice about maintaining the status quo. Those who <i>do</i> break that mold are unlikely to fit in with their mormon peers, assuming they don't just leave on their own (which about 2/3rds of then do).<p>Naturally, if you're running a federal agency with a questionable history, tasked with maintaining the state of the union, that's exactly what you're looking for: a rule follower and order obey-er, not some "free spirit" who could blow the lid off of whatever scheme you're cooking up that week.
Having at one point been Mormon myself...<p>The things that make Mormons great FBI agents also can be a double-edged sword. The stronger the devotion to the Church, the greater leverage for blackmail; anything that could preclude one from a temple recommend (or, even more severely, result in excommunication) can be used against a follower - be the naughty deeds actual or fabricated. This is less effective against higher-ranking members in the church (bishops, let alone <i>their</i> superiors up to the Quorum and the President, are well-positioned to be able to brush scandals under the rug), but could be absolutely devastating to your average Sister or Elder who could suddenly find oneself shunned by one's community and even one's own family. If I were a spy trying to compromise a Mormon FBI agent, that's exactly where I'd start: get some dirt, threaten to send it to the agent's bishop or disseminate it throughout one's Ward, and get cooperation.
> Mormons end up in these agencies for perfectly logical reasons. The disproportionate number of Mormons is usually chalked up to three factors: Mormon people often have strong foreign language skills, from missions overseas; a relatively easy time getting security clearances, given their abstention from drugs and alcohol; and a willingness to serve.<p>Sounds like a no-brainer indeed.
having lived with a very nice family of Mormons for about 9 months once... this seems to fit.<p>the problem is they are quite simply <i>disconnected</i> from reality, and all the culture they subscribe to only re-enforces that disconnection.
They see themselves as being in a world but not of it. the gentle well meaning and polite arrogance is astounding to be immersed in.<p>I would be second guessing everything they say and report back on.
Having worked with Mormons and attended a high school next to a tabernacle, this makes sense: they are often the squarest, most boring, and helpful people around. (They often do think they're better than everyone else though.) My only problem is that hiring too many people from a magical thinking belief system maybe expedient, but it creates a monoculture and is lunacy.