It’s time for the Oscars again, and we are anxiously awaiting the nominations. In the category “nice sentiment, bad execution” the mormon church scored particularly high. They published a video that encourages doing the right thing: when you see a friend with problems, you should try to help. So far, so good.

But in their ‘Wounded On The Battlefield’ video, the mormon church chose, of all things, addiction to pornography as the affliction that needed immediate attention. Now, addiction to anything is indeed bad – but pornography? There are far worse addictions, with far grater consequences that are much, much more common: alcohol, tobacco, drugs. The message, even if well-intentioned, gets muddled by the presentation. Like so many Christian-derived religions, Mormonism is obsessively preoccupied with sex, and this neurotic obsession completely overshadows any deeper meaning. All that remains after watching the video is the impression that Mormons are an uptight, sexually dysfunctional bunch that want you to go to church instead of watching porn. Which is probably not the message they wanted to get across.

And then there is a glaring disconnect with reality: far more people are addicted to religion, with much direr consequences to their families and themselves than those who are addicted to watching porn. It’s obvious that the video’s creators didn’t think of that.

The Mormons, it seems, can’t get out of the woods because they don’t know they are in it.