10 Popular Trends Mormons Saw Coming

I know humility is a virtue all Mormons want to cultivate, but I'd like to pause for a moment and recognize that we Mormons do some pretty incredible and freakin' awesome things. No wonder we're often ahead of the times when it comes to popular trends. Sure, maybe not all of the unusual things Mormons do as a "peculiar people" catch on, but here are just a few things Mormons not only loved, but perfected, before they were ever a "thing." Share the ones we may have missed in the comments below!

Before the days of "live long and prosper" and "beam me up Scotty," there were the days of "Come, come ye saints" and "this is the place." Before space became the "final frontier," Mormons were venturing into another frontier—one full of just as many challenges and dangers. So, when someone starts to go all Star Trek on you and quote the Wrath of Khan, give them a dose of their own medicine, being sure to explain who the original "trekkies" were and how this quote could be applied to our amazing pioneer ancestry:

For more hilarious LDS bumper stickers, click here.

Okay, okay, so maybe we can't lay claim to the cat meme, but we can sure say we were producing some of the best memes around, way before people even had access to the internet. That's right, since the 1970s Mormons have been creating these great things called Mormon Ads, which are replete with everything that makes a good meme--cheesy puns, catchy images, and yes, even cute, fluffy animals.

And check out these 30 retro Mormon Ads that will make you laugh and thinkwhile you are at it!

All images from LDS.org.

Now I'm pretty sure that Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff never heard of Novembeard in their lifetime, but both men mastered the style all year round.

Images from Wikimedia Commons

Not only are Mormons masters at Pinterest, I'm convinced that whoever came up with the idea for this social media site attended a Mormon church, took one look at the Relief Society bulletin board—you know the one I'm talking about, the one with all of the cute bows and announcements framed with perfect scrapbooking paper—and said, "this is a great idea. I'll turn it into an online hit!"

Hand in hand with the Mormon Pinterest ability is our tendency toward "do it yourself" projects. Again, I cite the last Relief Society activity or lesson you attended. Better yet, think back to the last LDS wedding you witnessed. I'm sure there were oodles of things there that were all DIY.

Just like online dating transformed 21st-century dating, LDS online directories transformed the single Mormon dating scene. Yes, we Mormons do have a lot of online dating sites, but before many of those even took off, we had ward directories where you could scope out all of the most essential information about that special someone in your ward.

Images from LDS.org.

A capella groupies know all about groups like Vocal Point, Voice Male, and Noteworthy. Heck, even the Tabernacle Choir does their fair share of a capella arrangements. But even before these groups, I'm pretty sure there was a lot of a capella jamming that went down during the early days of the Church. I mean, aren't we taught from Primary that "pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked aaaaaannnnnddddd walked"? And I'm pretty sure they didn't have a piano playing along with them.

The creation of YouTube and Vimeo has transformed the world of movie making. Now, anyone at anytime from anywhere can create their own video and show it to the world, for free! But before this influx of short videos, the LDS Church was producing a number of cinematic gems, from Johnny Lingo to The Phone Call to Cipher in the Snow. So while Mahana might have been ugly, the Church's cinematic vision surely was not.

And while you're at it, check out the cutest as well as the most tear-jerkingChurch commercials, along with a few that are so '80s.

It seems like I can't have a conversation with my college friends anymore without one of us descending into a story about that "time I lived in Paris studying French" or that "time I traveled to Botswana to help orphans." It's much like being in an LDS singles ward and trying to get through one Sunday School lesson without "when I was on my mission" coming up on a regular basis. And for good reason. These moments are life-shaping events. But, before study or service programs abroad were even a possibility, Latter-day Saints have been traveling all over the world learning new languages and seeing new cultures while serving the Lord and studying the best topic out there: the gospel.

I'm not sure who came up with the brand name Maxi Skirt, but I think they might as well have called them Mormon skirts, because that style had been trending in LDS wards for ages. Whenever there are modest, cute, comfortable, and sensible fashion trends, you are sure to find sister missionaries and young Mormon girls at the forefront. Now if only bonnets and aprons would come back into style then we'd really have a claim to fame!