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Summary
- Bryce Harper is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was raised in the church in Las Vegas.
- Sports Illustrated reported in 2009 that the 16-year-old attended “religious education classes nearly every morning”; as an amateur he had “Luke 1:37” printed on his bats.
- He did not serve a full-time mission, which the church strongly encourages for men aged 18 to 25 but does not require, and said he hoped instead to be “a walking Book of Mormon.”
- He married Kayla Varner in the San Diego California Temple in December 2016; Latter-day Saints believe a temple sealing lasts beyond death.
- Elder Gary E. Stevenson quoted him at the church’s April 2019 general conference: “I thought fame, fortune, and an MVP award would make me happy. Something was missing.”
- His 2012 “clown question, bro” reply came after a reporter asked the 19-year-old about celebrating with a beer; the Word of Wisdom, recorded in 1833, tells members to avoid alcohol.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Jerry Earl Johnston, “Bryce Harper is breaking down Mormon stereotypes,” Deseret News, May 14, 2015. https://www.deseret.com/2015/5/14/20564683/bryce-harper-is-breaking-down-mormon-stereotypes/
- Brandon Parker, “MLB draft could throw a curve into Mormon baseball players’ mission,” The Washington Post, April 19, 2016 (read in the Internet Archive copy). https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/mlb-draft-could-throw-a-curve-into-mormon-baseball-players-mission/2016/04/19/9d9b1d84-00b5-11e6-9d36-33d198ea26c5_story.html
- “Bryce Harper and longtime girlfriend, former BYU soccer player Kayla Varner, marry in San Diego LDS Temple,” Deseret News, December 18, 2016. https://www.deseret.com/2016/12/18/20602590/bryce-harper-and-longtime-girlfriend-former-byu-soccer-player-kayla-varner-marry-in-san-diego-lds-te/
- Gary E. Stevenson, “Your Priesthood Playbook,” general conference, April 2019, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/31stevenson?lang=eng
- “Harper’s ‘clown question’ retort goes viral,” ESPN.com news services, with reporting from The Associated Press, June 13, 2012. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/8047918/washington-nationals-bryce-harper-clown-question-retort-takes-off
- “Word of Wisdom,” Gospel Topics, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/word-of-wisdom?lang=eng
- “Missionary Program,” Church Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/topic/missionary-program
- “Latter-day Saints and Marriage: How, Why, and Where,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. https://ph.churchofjesuschrist.org/how-mormon-marriage
- “Bryce Harper,” Wikipedia (draft selection, birth, trademark application). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryce_Harper
- Bible quotation: Luke 1:37 (King James Version). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1:37&version=KJV
