amy and i finished the 'the mormons' last night. the second half was not my favorite. the overall tone of the documentary often gave the benefit of the doubt to mormons, but it spent a lot of time on issues that ordinary, faithful members never confront.
so much of the documentary was either new to me or were ideas i have learned reading in the bloggernacle and several joseph smith biographies over the last 4 years. a majority of the ideas set forth as the essence of mormonism did not touch my experience in 28 years as a mormon. powerful experiences in my youth included gospel study and prayer, firesides, dances, youth conferences and choir concerts--on many occasions receiving overwhelming confirmations of Gods reality. later mission struggles and successes, education at a school university, marital experiences, extended family bonding and blessing of children have all brought great joy and peace. these root, powerful experiences of faith were brushed over--if touched at all in the documentary. margaret toscano was given more time than all the apostles who spoke combined.
the characterization of the book of mormon focused on its 19th century roots (as if it were soley written by joseph) and not the orthodox view that the book is widely believed to be the word of God through his prophets. the main references to the book came from anti's and non-believers about their perception of external 'proof'. there were precious few expressions from believing mormons about why the book holds such power for them.
the history and perspective on how mormonism fits into american culture as defined by the new york times in the mid 1800's and early 1900's was trivia to me. it is not the essence of the lives lived by ordinary mormons. my life as a mormon has not been an angst ridden paradox of contradictions. it has largely been a powerful, enlightening, reaffirmation of God's love for his children. be that as it may, the documentary probably set straight some of the silly slanderous claims that are commonly held by the broader american public...
did the documentary speak to you? where you uncomfortable watching? did you feel relief while listening? did you feel enlightened and inspired?
10 comments:
The picture Paul included is the "Dream Mine" housed in the mountains above Spanish Fork. His own removed connection to one of the "mysteries" of church history... where church members were giving money to find gold that someone saw in a dream. I think. I had to ask Paul.
I didn't like the documentary. It was interesting to me as a church member... but I'm sad that it is out there for others to watch as "research" into the Mormon faith. There was a lot of good, and it could have been much worse. But, as Paul said, it talked so much about the controversial that it was out of touch with the reality of "The Mormons."
Disenchanted excommunicated mormons bug me.
Talking about the philosophies of men as "intellectualism" bugs me. It makes us sound like we are anti-education.
Using a home-schooling family with 11 kids to represent the "Mormon family" bugs me.
Family pictures in all white with cloudy skies in the background bug me.
Some of those freaky paintings of Joseph Smith, etc. bug me... as did the creepy music in minor keys.
I was sad they didn't say anything about Relief Society... the largest group of organized women in the world.
I loved how they talked about the Welfare Services.
I enjoyed the story about the rehabilitated mom.
I thought the emphasis on our beliefs about resurrection and sealing was nice.
Overall... I came away with a greater appreciation for the communication and public relation efforts of our church. They do such a good job of representing us to the public through the media and missionary efforts.
Thanks for explaining the Dream Mine picture. I was a little puzzled.
As for the documentary, I didn't even watch it. I knew it would be the same old rhetoric. It gets a little tiring to me. Some people make mistakes, even leaders. Some events can't really be proven or disproven. Pontificating "scholars" have a habit of holding us to standards that are ignored or even concealed by other religions.
The documentary was certainly a subject of our Testimony Mtg. (We were a week late due to Stake Conference last week.) One sister talked how she felt that the day was soon coming that women would be holding the priesthood. There were a few wide eyes on the stand and in the congregation.
We planted corn in our garden Mon. night for FHE. If it doesn't sprout, I hope my kid doen't lose their testimonies. I somehow mutated, and don't have that farming gene.
I agree with everything already stated. Especially loved the rehabilitated mother! What was up with the pink and gray demon that was supposed to represent the angel Moroni??
Actually, I walked away from both nights with such a peaceful feeling of being secure in my beliefs and knowing that I could talk to any of my friends that brought up any of the subjects touched on in the broadcast. Not that I could tell them specifics like a scholar, but I firmly believe that I could share a sincere testimony of the things I know to be true. So, the broadcast really did not bother me, it strengthened me.
Paul and Amy, thanks for your insights. My mind feels alive again whenever I visit.
Faith cannot be explained or "proven"... but it is revealed and felt... which gives a knowledge more sure than any other way of "seeing." I am grateful it is so personal--making it necessary to gain it for yourself. I would never ask anyone to believe in the gospel just because "I say so."
I was glad I watched it, just so that I would be able to intelligently speak about it if someone asked me about it. I'm glad I did.
i have been struggling with many of the issues presented in the doc. i think the average member has not confronted many of the issues and controversies that the documentary brought up simply because the church chooses to gloss over these. i think that is a mistake on the church's part. i think more time spent in meetings on the murky side of church history would be a profitable to members who have to learn about our history through an outside documentary. i thought the documentary was extremely balanced and very true to the essence of mormonism and how it fits into a broader historical context. i am glad they gave scholars and excommunicated members a chance to share their thoughts and feelings, and hopefully that will do something to open up the church's method of reaccepting these people.
i enjoyed your thoughts brother.
about struggling with the issues at hand. i think this gets at the reason i enjoyed the first two hours more than the last two. i had good active friends while in medical school who suggested donna hill's biography about joseph smith. i had already heard and grappled with the historical questions brought up in the first two hours. it felt good to have heard these ideas beforehand on my own terms with the time mull over contradictions. for this reason i partially agree with your idea that the church could do more to expose members to these issues.
however, dad r's comments on this idea are very useful as well. scholars--especially the anti-mormon variety--hold us to a different standard and blackball the church for what they find out of context to the broader cultural norms of the time period. i don't mind being held to a higher standard, but without qualification for historical norms the information is skewed.
the second half of the documentary was a mix of issues i have less well resolved in my mind and distasteful commenters (tal bachman equating his missionary zeal to a suicide bomber's? he should spend less time on his hair and more time thinking about what words he uses...)
about spending more time on church history in church...i'm not sure. dad r's thoughts on the fact that church leaders make mistakes is extremely important. church education could do a better job in seminary and institute of grappling and not hiding these issues, but church worship is not a history class. it is a time to focus on gospel principles and doctrine. many of these contentious issues deal more with cultural norms more than doctrinal moorings and gospel principles. what do you gain from worship services filled with hand-wringing and self-loathing for isolated, distasteful parts of church history?
we are in agreement that the documentary was well balanced and appropriate. there were those who were put out with helen whitney for creating a documentary that felt like a recruitment feature for mormons. i don't disagree that disaffected members are part and parcel with the church's effect on its members. there was a reason for the disaffection and those reasons are valid and important to understand. i like your thoughts on creating a more loving environment for disaffected members. it is understandable that disaffected members are a threat to an active member's intellectual/spiritual paradigm for happy living and salvation, but that threat can be dissipated with communication and understanding. i think there are many lingering opinions on disaffected members from the early days in the church when many disaffected members left to attack the church--intellectually and violently. a stand had to be taken to keep the group cohesive...
christene: thank for your thoughts. it was nice to come away from the documentary at peace with many of the issues presented.
dad r: as always, i love your insights into politics and religion. you have always put thoughtful time into your positions. i've learned a lot from you over the years.
amy: you've already heard me say most of this:)
make your own ringtones!
For me, the history of the church and those issues of the past are a part of the church on earth. The principles, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are part of the eternal kingdom of God. If the world is going to understand Mormons, it cannot be fully accomplished without understanding the gospel. And really, how could you fit that all into a documentary.
Comparing missionary zeal to a suicide bomber? Amazing. I missed out somehow. I know that my mission was when the Church was new, back in the '70s. Maybe things have changed since. I am going to be a lot more suspicious about those backpacks the missionaries carry around now!
Well, I will have to admit that at times I used my rolled up bulletin board to back off some attacking dogs.
I agree with Uncle Allan's statement of "Some people make mistakes, even leaders." Too often I think we are judged for what people do vs. what God wants us to do. I guess that means I need to be a better example.
Post a Comment