Two years ago at Gay Pride here in San Francisco, I saw two young Mormon guys peddling their goods near the Faery Village tent. One of them was extremely cute, so I decided to give him a hard time. He also seemed gay. Probably wishful thinking on my part.

The cute one became flustered when I asked him for proof that Jesus had actually lived. I mentioned that the one-paragraph reference in the historian Josephus’ work was believed to have been added centuries later by overzealous Christians intent on writing their savior into at least one history book.

I also informed him of the lawsuit filed in the European Court by an ex-priest against the Catholic Church, charging the Vatican with promulgating a lie for 2,000 years. Church leaders, he claims, have always known that Jesus was based on John of Gamala, a Jewish freedom fighter crucified in 33 AD for leading an attempted overthrow of the Romans. Forget son of god, the guy was just trying to free his people.

Cutie wouldn’t hear of it, and walked away to continue with his missionary work. Which at that moment didn’t involve the missionary position. It crossed my mind that his photo would look good on my wall, especially if he discarded the unattractive garb Mormons wore when they were out proselytizing.

Of course, the idea of Mormon men posing nude for a poster that provokes lust in the hearts (and other parts of the body) of men and women everywhere was far-fetched. Until now.

Chad Hardy, an “entertainment entrepreneur,” as the news reports describe him, was recently excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, as it is called, for producing (and putting on the web) a calendar of Mormon missionaries in their traditional pants, but sans the white shirt and the tie. Entitled “Men on a Mission,” it’s already sold 10,000 copies.

And no wonder. Some of these guys look like they’re on a mission, but not the kind their elders sent them on. Blonde model Brandon (there are two with the same name) might have provoked Mae West to ask: “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just excited to see me?” James looks like he’s in a Biblical mood to do some of that begatting the Old Testament brags so much about. Kenny might well be the new kid in town on Gossip Girls.

In the end, the calendar is nothing revolutionary. It amuses me that it's shaken up the Mormon church so much. Unfortunately, it’s not going to stop people from believing in the Bible or religion. It won’t eradicate the “opiate of the masses.”

It might make folks look twice at those missionaries who knock on their doors when they’re making breakfast in the morning. “Uh, didn’t I see you in a calendar? You want a cup of coffee...or maybe something else?”

Tommi Avicolli Mecca is a southern Italian atheist queer performer and writer with a website: www.avicollimecca.com