From the top:

When I was first approached about the calendar (on myspace), I thought it was a joke. I didn't really know what to think of it. Yet, curiosity (like a cat) got the best of me.

I started to email and inquire about the calendar, and through my investigation, I was offered a part in it.

I had my concerns however. Would I be stripping off my clothes? Would I actually be nude? Would I be a half nude missionary? The answers to all these questions were no. And that was enough for me to say yes.

Ultimately, the decision for myself became a damned if I do, damned if I don't decision. Here was a great oppurtunity to not only contribute towards a charity, and as well to give myself a bit of a break into the entertainment biz (so I hope)... but most importantly, here was a great chance of breaking stereotypes about Mormons, some which are distrubingly ignorant and bigoted. It was in many ways a chance to do a second mission, although this would be far different. For my purposes this time are different, and I am not trying to convert people of it (nor are the rest of us involved).

Politically I'm not a Republican. I'm not a Democrat. I'm an Independent. I am so because it forces me to make wiser and more informed choices about my politics. Thus things are too with my religion. While I was born into the church, I made my own informed decisions about it as well.

According to my understanding, and my understanding runs pretty deep, there was nothing wrong with me posing for this calendar.

I am not posing as a missionary. I want to be clear about that. I am posing as myself, a returned missionary. If none of us had once been missionaries, there would be no calendar. It is what sets us 12 apart as unique in that we have served in various parts of the world, giving up two years of our lives to help save lives, rebuild communities, etc. This is the same exact thing as someone who was once a soldier posing in a calendar of soldiers. They were once soldiers, but they no longer are.

I've seen online many people accusing myself, the other 11, and Chad of not being good Mormons, not knowing what it is we're doing, that we're going to hell, that we should be ex'd, etc. The list goes on. I say now that that sort of talk is the talk of the self righteous, the ignorant (within the Church... yes, I'm calling you out guys), and is the sort of actions that caused Christ to become angry and cleanse the temple. You do not know me, nor will you ever know me.

Let me go further to say that this project is not capitalizing on the church. If you think it is, then don't watch The Singles Ward, The RM, God's Army, etc. Nor, can you ever wear the shirt which reads 'I can't, I'm Mormon.' We are simply members of the church, who are Mormon, who were all binded by a unique service we performed called a mission. Having this unique bond enabled us to put together this project which will benefit many across the world and allows us to bring hope and joy again to others.

I do have a testimony of this church, but that is a personal matter that does not concern this calendar. I do attend church, and I am not afraid to speak about it. Perhaps others should not be so afraid.

Finally, I say that what I am doing is not wrong. This project has a created a dialog that has not been seen before about our religion. Like I said, I'm not here to convert people, but I am here to stamp out many of the false perceptions about the religion I hold very dear to me.