A takeoff on calendars of firefighters and returned US servicemen, Hardy's project debuted with a 2008 calendar featuring 12 returned church missionaries in mostly modest poses, minus their trademark white shirts, ties, and black plastic name badges. It has sold nearly 10,000 copies.
"You see more in a JCPenney catalog," said Hardy, 31, who once worked for Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller and now has his own entertainment company. "I just feel like my right to free speech is being violated."
The calendar was designed to shake up Mormon stereotypes, Hardy said. The pages include photos of the men dressed in standard missionary garb. In biographical sketches each missionary talks about his beliefs.
"It's not tearing anybody down," Hardy said. "I wondered what would happen if we took that perfect Disneyland image that the church spends millions of dollars cultivating each year and shook it up a little bit."
Davie yesterday confirmed sending the letter and the plans for the meeting. He said the calendar was the primary concern.
"I prefer not to say anything else about it," he said. "There is more involved, and he and I will have our meeting."
The outcome of a council meeting could include excommunication, probation, "or exoneration," Davie said.
A returned missionary himself, Hardy acknowledged that he has not been an active member of the church since 2002. He said he's never been contacted by anyone from the church encouraging his return to the fold, and he suspects the current inquiry was driven by the church's Salt Lake City headquarters.
"I'm still a good Mormon boy in many ways," said Hardy. He said he bears no animosity toward Latter-day Saints, but never felt he fit in. "I still want to hold onto my heritage."
Blog entries on the social networking sites MySpace and Facebook show a range of reactions to Hardy's work. Some find it offensive, that it degrades the church by displaying missionaries as sex symbols and that it contradicts church teachings about modest dress for all members.
Others praise the effort for rattling perceptions that Mormons are stuffy. Some who identified themselves as younger Mormons said the calendar might make it easier for their non-Mormon friends to consider exploring the faith.
"It has created an interfaith dialogue," Hardy said. "People of all faiths have logged on and shared what they believe. They're talking about what's really important, not how bad it is that you took your shirt off."
Some of the missionaries in the calendar, many of whom were recruited by Hardy's friends at church events, have been asked by their church leaders about the project, but none has faced disciplinary action, Hardy said.
