I remember in years past that a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said, “Let our voices be heard.” Then went on and said something to the effect that if there is something that doesn’t correlate with our beliefs, then write a letter or RESPECTFULLY place your opinion. Many I see have voiced theirs.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma
Here is mine:
Dear HBO,
The show “Big Love” concerns me in many ways. After hearing that it was about “Polygamists,” it perked my interest, so I watched it. I was disgusted to find out that they are portraying themselves as Mormons, but they are NOT Mormons and they don’t live the way members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live. They should in NO WAY be affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are the real Mormons. If they were Mormon, they would not be living this way. We don’t practice Polygamy.
Come to find out, you are airing a show about what happens in a “Mormon Temple.” This is outrageous and wrong. First off, consider your source. Someone who USED to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must have some ulterior motive to telling you anything about this Church. Even if what he says is “almost right” or “good enough,” there is a reason that the temple is so sacred. It is not secret. It is sacred. And it is for those who will truly appreciate the blessings received there and are willing to obey the commandments given there and are READY to understand the true knowledge given there. Granted, they will never be able to depict the temple as it really is because many things learned there cannot be scripted.
I hope and pray that you will make the right choice and not air this show. It saddens me that you are even considering it. There really are so many people who agree with me and the good members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would ask out of kindness and firmness. Not do it for some ulterior motive. Keep what we have sacred just that. Sacred and Holy.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Monique Chapman
This is my opinion and I am not bashing anyone else’s opinion. I like and agree with many opinions and see their side, but all in all this will not thwart our growth as a Church nor will it hinder our progress in helping others know the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (13 1/2 million members in over 170 countries.) If any of you want to know what we really believe, go to www.lds.org.
And if you are interested in this drama and can take it for what it is worth: not much, then so be it. God bless us all. Phew! We need whatever we can get! 
My friend just told me that the secrets of the temple are out there if you want to find them. My rebuttal:
ReplyDeleteSo just because the temple endowment is ‘known’ makes it okay to be seen again?
So just because PORN has been out, it’s okay just to show it whenever and wherever? (Whether you like it or not, it’s a great analogy.) Some of us try to keep sex sacred as well.
So people can’t say “Merry Christmas” anymore becuase (heaven forbid) someone get offended. But go ahead and disregard what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints merely requests nicely. And no, most of us will not be offended, but like you said, it would make us a little sad.
It’s just not right. And yes. There is a right and there is a wrong. The justification that there is an “it’s okay becuase everyone else is doing it” baffles me.
It’s hard to understand the tone of someone’s writing, but my Garments are not in a bunch. I am as calm as can be. And I am not offended. I like the title of this post, "Just find out the truth before watching the false." Or better yet: just not watch at all. :)
Sadly, they don't have to watch a TV show to see what 'happens' in a temple. It's all over the internet. People have actually brought cameras into a ceremony and have uploaded them for the wide world web to see.
ReplyDeleteI think/feel that HBO won't really care about it. They had tons of letters written to them when the show first aired about how inaccurate they were portraying 'Mormons', when everyone worth their salt knows that anyone who practices polygamy isn't from the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
So, i admire what you did, but i honestly don't have faith in any TV station doing the right thing. Hence, we don't have HBO!
I haven't watched the show myself so I can't claim to know things, but the idea bothers me. Mainly because there are so many great stories about Mormons you could do, without misleading, defaming, and belittling.
ReplyDeleteDid you send HBO your letter?
While I'm not thrilled that they're going to portray a temple ceremony, I have to disagree with you that the show portrays them as Mormons. I have watched the first two seasons and they make it abundantly clear that they are not like the Mormons. The characters themselves know this and talk about this often. They used to be "mainstream" LDS and then stopped when they decided to become polygamists. This is the reason they live secretly.
ReplyDeleteThat may be true, but then why is she projected to be "excommunicated" in the next show and the "walk of shame" out of the temple?
ReplyDeleteI think this stems from Tom Hanks and his feelings toward the Church. Since he is the producer of this show and he actually said that the Mormons were "un-American" after taking the stance on Amendment 8, then giving his un-apology later. I think he's trying to take a jab once again at the LDS faith with his show. Is it wrong? Yes. Is he allowed to do it? Yes. Will I let him think it's okay? Absolutely not. That's why I chose to write the letter to HBO. And here is what the leaders of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said about it:
"Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding. Last week some Church members began e-mail chains calling for cancellations of subscriptions to AOL, which, like HBO, is owned by Time Warner. Certainly such a boycott by hundreds of thousands of computer-savvy Latter-day Saints could have an economic impact on the company. Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series. As Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Robert D. Hales of the Council of the Twelve Apostles have both said recently, when expressing themselves in the public arena, Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness."
So this along with the "Make your voices heard" talk, I know it is our choice to speak up in a dignified manner. They did not call the boycott or get us to do this, but good for us to get our voices heard "expressing ourselves in the public arena" with "thoughtfulness."
Good luck!