OK, a 2 year old thread... I'll bite.
After living with and around them now for 2.5 years, I can see the good and bad side of their religion. It provides structure and order in an otherwise disorganized location of the country (Southwestern gunslinging cowboy mentality still rules many parts out there). If you look at the difference between some of the settlements they created vs the settlements the non-Mormons created in this part of the world, it's the difference between night and day.
It may be unfair to call them a group of ethnocentric bigots, but, hey... if the shoe fits! That's how they carved out their territory and kept outsiders at bay in the past. It carries over into modern times as well. I was born in a Puerto Rican neighborhood, 3rd generation Polish Irish American though. Despite that, moving out to Utah still made me fell like I wasn't quite "white" enough for the locals.
On the other hand, like any major religion, the people living in the large cities are rather lax about their religious views. Salt Lake City, for instance, has more "normal" Mormons than many of the towns outside of it.
Individually, I think Mormons are great people. They're friendly, courteous, have manners, etc. As a collective, I think the sooner they all get "beamed up" to whatever planet they're going to, the better off their neighbors will be!
