Calendar Shows Another Side of Mormons

Hardy thinks Mormons Exposed ( http://mormonsexposed.com), the Web site that's home to the project, has already sold more than 1,000 calendars. It's just the kind of success he was hoping for.

"You have people who normally don't talk about religion talking about religion. They're not just talking about the calendar," he said.

Finding the right men for the calendar was not an easy task. Hardy said they looked for men who had not only completed their missionary work but were also still affiliated with the church and in good shape. The men needed to support the message of the calendar as well.

Although Hardy said he thought that the calendar -- with its sexy but wholesome design -- would appeal to women, gay men have also shown some interest. Hardy said he wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

"The religion has a reputation for being homophobic. . . . I think they're torn. They don't know what to say. They think it's a trap or a trick," he said.

Hardy said other responses from Mormons have varied as well, and whatever people make of the calendar is up to them. "The church gives you guidelines. It's up to you how you interpret those guidelines," he said.

A spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City said that because the calendar was a commercial enterprise and not affiliated with the church, there would be no comment.

Keith Atkinson, speaking from the church's public affairs office in Los Angeles, said he doesn't "see any gross violation of anything. It's really a situation between them and their Lord."

Hardy said he's not surprised at the "no comment" from church headquarters but also trusts that people will appreciate that Mormons have an "absolute sense of humor about their religion. They realize people think it's crazy." If nothing else, Hardy said, there might be one additional message: "It's okay to be sexy and spiritual at the same time."