Learning all about the church from big love?

[Guest saintish]

I was listening to Neal Cavuto on satellite radio while driving home from work yesterday. He had a lady on discussing JFK and his catholic issue and the two Mormon Presidential candidates. She said that at the time people were afraid that Catholics had secret rituals, and the JFK wouldn’t do anything on Sunday and would be at the will of the Pope. She said that these are the same concerns that people have about a Mormon president. She said that the American people just need to learn more about the LDS and then she mentioned Big Love and The Book of Mormon Musical as examples that the people were learning more about Mormons.

My question is, is Big Love and The BOM musical where people need to be learning about the church?

[BenRaines]

I hope not. I have seen Big Love. Not any representation of current LDS life. I doubt even of pioneer LDS life.

What I do think is that people would rather sit and watch a tv program instead of opening a book and reading or going online and researching from an LDS source about what LDS believe. Oh well I can only influence people one at a time.

Ben Raines

[pam]

Saintish..you are LDS. What is YOUR opinion?

[Guest saintish]

I haven't seen the Book of Mormon Musical but from what I have heard, I don’t think it is a good or even a fair representation of what the LDS church really stands for. As far as Big Love is concerned, if that is what people think all Mormons are like it is no wonder why some are reluctant to elect a Mormon president. Which brings me to another question, why is there so much negative portrayals of Mormonism in popular media? why can there be a Positive / realistic portrayal of a Mormon on a TV show or Movie. Everything in the media portrays us as weird or highlights obscure facts about us.

[BenRaines]

Probably because truth doesn't make very good entertainment. Make a joke of someone and it does. This gets me on my other soapbox. Why is it today that every father figure in tv shows has to be a buffoon?

Where are the good, smart, wholesome Fathers.

Not the characters played by Tim Allen, Jim Belushi, George Lopez and I could go on and on.

BenRaines

[Guest Ivo_G]

hey don't say anything bad about Big Love - i love that show!

i stumbled upon Big Love shortly after i became interested in the church and although the show doesn't present the LDS church in a very good light - i have to say that (surprising as it may be) it actually increased my interest in the church :)

having said that - i agree that Big Love may not be the best place to learn about the church...but hey - it's a start! now, 8-9 months after i started watching the show - i've already read the BoM, the PoGP and am half way through D&C!

[NeuroTypical]

My wife encountered someone who "knows all about you mormons" by watching the movie Red Dawn (a horrible travesty of a movie about the horrible travesty of the Mountain Meadows Massacre). He was all ready to engage in a long argument about how horrible we are. My wife just looked at him and asked "And apart from that movie, have you done any research about us?" When he admitted he hadn't, she said "Then I really can't help you." and walked away.

People will believe what they want to. The information age started well over a decade ago. If people are going to hold that tenaciously onto something that 5 minutes in front of Google would put in it's place, there's really nothing we can do to help.

[Guest saintish]

hey don't say anything bad about Big Love - i love that show!

i stumbled upon Big Love shortly after i became interested in the church and although the show doesn't present the LDS church in a very good light - i have to say that (surprising as it may be) it actually increased my interest in the church :)

having said that - i agree that Big Love may not be the best place to learn about the church...but hey - it's a start! now, 8-9 months after i started watching the show - i've already read the BoM, the PoGP and am half way through D&C!

I have watched and enjoyed some of the drama in big love, by only beef with the show is that when it actually addresses the church it only focuses on controversial things and is sorta accurate and sorta wrong at the same time. Which makes me wonder how accurately it portrays polygamous life and the sects in Utah.

[Soulsearcher]

While I agree that the sources listed in the OP are not sources on should use to learn about the church, i can see certain reasons that they have been used. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Both Big Love and the BoM musical found such heated resistance that many think it's something members don't want them to see. A "What are they trying to hide" mentality has started to arise. People looking to learn the truth don't tend to go to the source because of the inability or perceived inability to be impartial. Most time if you want the dirt on something going directly to the source leads nowhere. Ask church members of an LDS candidate is going to be under the control of the prophet, while the answer they give might be true I'm not sure it's believable because it's the expected answer. a case of "well of course they are going to say that, but what is the real answer" On the upside it's happening on both sides of the political spectrum, many christian organizations don't go to the direct source either instead listening to groups that have no real clue about the other side of the debate or not believing the answers they get because they "know better"

[Backroads]

I have watched and enjoyed some of the drama in big love, by only beef with the show is that when it actually addresses the church it only focuses on controversial things and is sorta accurate and sorta wrong at the same time. Which makes me wonder how accurately it portrays polygamous life and the sects in Utah.

That's my concern. I suppose I have no problem with the show itself and I always figured it was about polygamous sects, not the official Church, but I would like to ask a polygamist his/her view of the show.

I think Big Love and the Book of Mormon musical are decent ways to get people interested in the Church, but in and of themselves give zero useful information.

[Maureen]

My wife encountered someone who "knows all about you mormons" by watching the movie Red Dawn (a horrible travesty of a movie about the horrible travesty of the Mountain Meadows Massacre)....

LM, do you mean September Dawn? I think Red Dawn is a war film.

M.

[Saintmichaeldefendthem1]

Yes. Red Dawn was an 80's movie about the invasion of America by Russian and Cuban troops. September Dawn with John Voit was staged on the Mountain Meadow Massecre.

I haven't seen Big Love, but I get the idea from the commentary here that it's a movie that casts the LDS in an idealistic light. I don't think it's harmful for people to have a romanticized view of another faith by watching a movie that highlights its virtues. I wouldn't mind if people tried to get to know the Catholic Faith better by watching "Bells of St. Mary's". If only we could all be like those saintly nuns!

[Vort]

I haven't seen Big Love, but I get the idea from the commentary here that it's a movie that casts the LDS in an idealistic light.

I gather that Big Love casts the same idealistic light on Mormonism that The DaVinci Code casts on Catholicism.

[NeuroTypical]

That's right. September Dawn is the horrible dumb travesty of a film. Red Dawn was cool, because it had teenagers standing on rocks holding assault rifles yelling "Wolverines!" and stuff. :)

[mordorbund]

That's right. September Dawn is the horrible dumb travesty of a film. Red Dawn was cool, because it had teenagers standing on rocks holding assault rifles yelling "Wolverines!" and stuff. :)

If Red Dawn is the primary and sole source for information about Mormons (actually, any sort of source), that fool is to be pitied.

(I really wish I was talented enough to phrase that in a memorable way).

[Dravin]

If Red Dawn is the primary and sole source for information about Mormons (actually, any sort of source), that fool is to be pitied.

(I really wish I was talented enough to phrase that in a memorable way).

I pity the foo' fo' who Red Dawn is schoo'?

Edited June 23, 2011 by Dravin

[Guest saintish]

I gather that Big Love casts the same idealistic light on Mormonism that The DaVinci Code casts on Catholicism.

Vort’s right, big love doesn't cast Mormonism in any kind of a positive light (actually it focuses mainly on demonizing it by portraying it like a big corrupt business.) If you meant that it casts polygamy in an idealistic light you would be right.

[dahlia]

i stumbled upon Big Love shortly after i became interested in the church and although the show doesn't present the LDS church in a very good light - i have to say that (surprising as it may be) it actually increased my interest in the church :)

Pretty much the same here. I watched BL, fully realizing that it was not a true representation of the church. That said, there was enough information to whet my interest. A little example, I'd never seen people fold their arms when they pray. Did BL make me a Mormon? No. But it did make me think about the religion and go to the proper sources to learn more about it.

Personally, I don't care about polygamy and if adults want to do that, that's their thing. What Bill Hendrickson was trying to do - show that you can have polygamy without the child marriage, lost boys, and other abuses - wasn't wrong in my eyes. But he was a flawed person who made flawed choices. This made for good TV, but wouldn't have gone over well in real life.

[pam]

If Red Dawn is the primary and sole source for information about Mormons (actually, any sort of source), that fool is to be pitied.

(I really wish I was talented enough to phrase that in a memorable way).

You must be losing your touch.

[Maureen]

...Bill Hendrickson...

The BL character's name was really Bill Henrickson. I was always amazed when I would read a newspaper critique of BL and the writer always called the main character Hendrickson. I would question, did he actually watch the show or is he just deaf. :)

M.

[dahlia]

The BL character's name was really Bill Henrickson. I was always amazed when I would read a newspaper critique of BL and the writer always called the main character Hendrickson. I would question, did he actually watch the show or is he just deaf. :)

M.

I actually went back to Wikipedia when I wrote that to make sure I got the right name (which they have). I must hear 'Hendrickson' in my mind, 'cause that's how it came out. And no, I'm not deaf and I actually watched the show.

[LDSJewess]

I think the issue of why people have reluctant or negative thoughts about the LDS church is not because if the religion per se, but because there are sacred things that are not revealed to the general public; so they become focused on the "secrets" that they don't know.

It is no different than the feelings people have about the Masonic Lodge or the Shriners (my husband is a member of both). Although these two organizations do not call their rituals sacred, they do have rituals and customs that are done privately and not openly to the public. So the public sees them as a "secret" cult like organization.

If people do not seek truth then they do not know the truth. And if they don't know the truth, then indeed it is hidden or "secret" from them. Perhaps for very good reason, as if people do not seek to understand and don't understand, then they are simply not ready for higher knowledge.

When they are ready and they seek truths with an open mind and pure heart, then things will be revealed to them.

Unfortunately there are thse that prefer to take the easy road and not commit to gaining knowledge and understanding, and instead they just come up with their own stories. If they are still in a state of fear and apprehension then they are simply not ready to seek and know what is true.

[Echo2002]

I've never seen either Big Love or the musical, but from what I hear they are not good representations of what the church believes. It amazes me when I try to correct some of the false "facts" that people pass around about the church they figure I'm lying or I'm only saying what I've been taught to say to cover up some big conspiracy. I don't understand why people do this. When I want to find out more about a religion I ask someone of that religion, I don't go searching the web for supposed truths about that religion.

[lizzy16]

Probably because truth doesn't make very good entertainment. Make a joke of someone and it does. This gets me on my other soapbox. Why is it today that every father figure in tv shows has to be a buffoon?

Where are the good, smart, wholesome Fathers.

Not the characters played by Tim Allen, Jim Belushi, George Lopez and I could go on and on.

BenRaines

Sidenote: Ben, on fathers day the lady who gave the talk said a very similar thing. Our role models on tv are crap. So, what do you expect people to subconsciously think about fatherhood?

[mnn727]

I like Big Love as a story, but every time they portray the Church its in a negative way, usually very negative. Luckily, they don't mention the Church very often.