It was easy for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 19th century to see parallels between the New Testament church and their own faith's experience with the American public, which ranged from exclusion to violent persecution. Historians can argue about who was to blame for all of that, but it’s undoubtedly true that to be a Latter-day Saint in those times was to be outside the mainstream, and deliberately so.

How much has changed in a century! Today, Mormons are everywhere. They are your neighbors, the teachers of your school children, your bankers and doctors. They may even be your senators and Congressmen. In that respect, Mormons long ago entered the American mainstream.

Yet this week’s question implies more than whether individual Mormons make good neighbors and citizens. The question behind the question is whether the American public is ready to accept the legitimacy of the Mormon faith as a belief system that should be afforded equal respect alongside more familiar faiths.

This is America. We don't ask Jews to be less Jewish, or Catholics to be less Catholic in order to be a respected part of our multi-faceted society. The differences between Mormons and other Christians are the reasons for our existence as a church. Our understanding of the purpose of life, the nature of God, our relationship to Jesus Christ, and much more, are central to the way Latter-day Saints define themselves, and that ought to be OK with everyone whether they agree or not with the doctrine. Just as there is no religious test for federal office, so there is no theological test for citizenship.

While disagreeing theologically, Mormons have no trouble about embracing Catholics, Baptists and Methodists as fellow Christians, or Jews and Buddhists as respected fellow citizens of faith. Mormons are entitled to the same respect afforded any other part of our society. It is un-American to treat them as one of the last groups about which blatantly intolerant comments are still seen as politically acceptable.

Repeatedly in the past few weeks, major newspapers have suggested that since Mormons are prominent on the political landscape this is a suitable time for a clearer definition of "Mormonism." Some writers have referred to a historical "Mormon moment" or "seminar moment for Mormons." That suggests moving beyond the superficiality with which the news and entertainment media usually treat religion, and more into the type of dialogue that could be fostered by the twin documentaries that aired on PBS earlier this week (American Experience and Frontline).

If there is going to be more open, honest, thoughtful and mutually respectful public discussion about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with serious people talking about a serious subject, then I believe Mormons generally will welcome it.