New movie "Meet the Mormons" coming out


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I just bought tickets online for the 7:00pm showing tonight (early release in my area).  Will write a report when I get home later this evening (PDT).  Many of the reviews I've seen compare Meet the Mormons to propaganda, which is a harsh word.  The movie sounds like friendly P.R. to me, and there's nothing wrong with that.

 

But I refuse to see "Left Behind."  I saw the trailer to this movie and cringed so severely that I woke up later on the floor knotted into a little ball.

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From what I've heard, the idea is to get enough buzz in the theatres for the documentary to end up on Netflix, where people regularly watch documentaries. Kids hearsay though.

Interesting. I thought anything can end up on NetFlix. That's what it looks like with 80% of it being garbage in my opinion. . 

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But I refuse to see "Left Behind."  I saw the trailer to this movie and cringed so severely that I woke up later on the floor knotted into a little ball.

 

Honestly, I'd rather go see Left Behind. Nothing better, or funnier, than a terrible Evangelical film starring Nicholas Cage.

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I just got home from seeing Meet the Mormons.  I thought it was terrific and enjoyed it very much.

 

This week I happen to be in California, and the movie was playing in a theater right on the boundary between two very large counties.  Total population of both counties is 1.5 million people, and as best as I can tell there are only about 20 or 25 LDS wards in both counties combined, and half of them are Spanish or Pacific Island language wards.  So I was a bit surprised that this movie would show here at all, let alone with an early release tonight.

 

The first thing I would say is that this is a stunningly professional movie.  The photography was top-notch throughout, and absolutely breathtaking at many points.  I think I would have enjoyed the movie almost as much if they turned the sound off.  It really should be a textbook example of how to film a documentary.  Really splendid.

 

Everyone knows that the movie spotlights 6 Mormons around the world, so nothing more to say there, and I won't give away any surprises or spoil any plots.  I think it's fair to say that the first one or two stories started slow, but you want to build the movie to a climax, so things got more and more interesting as the movie progressed.  I was almost moved to tears at two points, and I found myself smiling warmly many times through the movie.

 

It was just right.  The length was just right.  The people they picked were just right.  The emphasis on the Church was just right, there was a solid background flavor of LDS through all the stories, but it wasn't overpowering at all.  And it was a documentary in every sense of the word: factual accounts of real people describing themselves plainly with no interleaved "60 Minutes"-style narration or commentary.  I walked out the theater feeling uplifted and proud to be connected to the Church.

 

It's a good movie to bring investigators to.  Or anyone curious about the Church.  It deftly smashes a lot of stereotypes.  If I were a non-LDS person who saw the film, I'd walk out thinking how nice it would be if I had LDS neighbors, because they seem so normal and nice.  And if that was the goal of the movie, it succeeded.

 

The only weird part was the previews before the movie started.  The first preview ("Saving Christmas") was about putting Christ back into Christmas, which I found very jarring for secular California audiences.  The second preview ("Hillsong") was about a Christian rock band, and the third ("The Cokeville Miracle") was about the Cokeville School crisis in 1986 where children held hostage saw angels in the room.  By then I realized that the previews of course had been tuned for an LDS-friendly audience and probably weren't being shown before other movies.

 

Oh, and one man stumbled into the movie and sat down, and ten minutes later he got up and left in a huff.  I think he had bought a ticket to The Maze Runner, which was playing in the next theater down.

 

It was worth the $13 I paid to see this movie.  I enjoyed it.  If you see it, I hope you do, too.

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I watched Left Behind not knowing what it was about. Ugh...I mean, yeah, I get the message, but it could have been a powerful three minute commercial with a much better effect. 

 

All those Rapture movies are ludicrous, IMHO.  I remember seeing some really amateurish ones back in college and they momentarily tempted me to renounce Christianity.

 

One wonders how much the Rapture mentality pervades American Christianity.  I remember listening often to an "Ask the Pastor" radio show in Texas.  Every week the show would get the same four questions: "Is cremation Biblical?" and "Where did Jesus go between the crucifixion and the resurrection?" and "Do pets go to Heaven?" and "When the Rapture occurs, what will happen to X?" where X is some random noun.  I remember one question that literally had me staring at the radio with my jaw hanging in disbelief.  The caller asked a hypothetical question about a Christian who dies and donates his/her organs to somone else who is not a Christian.  "When the Rapture occurs," asked the caller solemnly, "will the Christian organs in the non-Christian's body be ripped out and taken up into the air?"

 

I'm so glad LDS movies focus on better things.

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http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/theatrical-release-of-meet-the-mormons--has-exceeded-all-expectations-

 

SALT LAKE CITY — 

Response to the theatrical release of "Meet the Mormons" has significantly exceeded expectations, a Church spokesman said today.

In the opening 24 hours, the documentary-style movie that portrays the personal stories of six diverse Latter-day Saints and their families was shown in 317 theaters across the nation and attracted capacity audiences, ranking No. 10 nationwide in total box office sales. 

"Meet the Mormons" was the number one film in over 100 locations, with sold out showings reported across the country, including New York City, Detroit, Miami, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Dallas, Phoenix, and various locations in California.

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http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/theatrical-release-of-meet-the-mormons--has-exceeded-all-expectations-

SALT LAKE CITY —

Response to the theatrical release of "Meet the Mormons" has significantly exceeded expectations, a Church spokesman said today.

In the opening 24 hours, the documentary-style movie that portrays the personal stories of six diverse Latter-day Saints and their families was shown in 317 theaters across the nation and attracted capacity audiences, ranking No. 10 nationwide in total box office sales.

"Meet the Mormons" was the number one film in over 100 locations, with sold out showings reported across the country, including New York City, Detroit, Miami, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Dallas, Phoenix, and various locations in California.

Wow, this is awesome!

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All those Rapture movies are ludicrous, IMHO.  I remember seeing some really amateurish ones back in college and they momentarily tempted me to renounce Christianity.

 

One wonders how much the Rapture mentality pervades American Christianity.  I remember listening often to an "Ask the Pastor" radio show in Texas.  Every week the show would get the same four questions: "Is cremation Biblical?" and "Where did Jesus go between the crucifixion and the resurrection?" and "Do pets go to Heaven?" and "When the Rapture occurs, what will happen to X?" where X is some random noun.  I remember one question that literally had me staring at the radio with my jaw hanging in disbelief.  The caller asked a hypothetical question about a Christian who dies and donates his/her organs to somone else who is not a Christian.  "When the Rapture occurs," asked the caller solemnly, "will the Christian organs in the non-Christian's body be ripped out and taken up into the air?"

 

I'm so glad LDS movies focus on better things.

 

PolarVortex, are you saying that it's impossible for LDS to ask silly questions about things that they believe in?

 

M.

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PolarVortex, are you saying that it's impossible for LDS to ask silly questions about things that they believe in?

 

Certainly not.  All kinds of people ask questions all the time that other people find silly.  I'm just expressing gratitude that when Church leaders decided to make a movie, they picked a really good topic: how the Gospel affects six interesting people around the globe.  Think how horrified we would be if the Church (or Hollywood) had decided to make a movie about something really silly, like a man who remarries after his first wife dies and how the two quarrelling wives get into eternal food fights in the celestial kingdom.

 

I've heard LDS people ask silly questions, and I rolled my eyes just as vigorously as I did when I heard the question about organ transplants and the Rapture.  But you're right, we should patiently lead people out of silliness and not ridicule them, so I apologize for the mocking tone of my previous post.  Part of me thinks that the Rapture question I heard was a phony snare from a troll designed to ridicule Christianity itself.

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Wow, this is awesome!

 

I've been reading more reviews of this movie.  Some reviews claim the movie only propagandizes the LDS Church, and other reviews claim the movie fails because it describes nice people who would be nice even if they weren't Mormon.  These two schools of thought sort of cancel each other out, don't they?

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In hindsight, the rapture movies of the late 70s/early 80s were low-budget.  However, "ludicrous?"  Why?  Rapture theology is widely accepted by most evangelicals.  It's based on a pretty literal understanding of some key Bible passages.  Perhaps the reaction is because these kinds of movies are quite direct, even "in your face."  In contrast, LDS movies tend to be "soft-sell," and thus can appear more sophisticated. 

 

See this earlier LDS.net string for an good discussion on the rapture:  http://lds.net/forums/topic/51179-end-times-final-conflict-of-religions-travelers-question-to-pc/?hl=rapture#entry743548

 

All those Rapture movies are ludicrous, IMHO.  I remember seeing some really amateurish ones back in college and they momentarily tempted me to renounce Christianity.

 

One wonders how much the Rapture mentality pervades American Christianity. 

Edited by prisonchaplain
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In hindsight, the rapture movies of the late 70s/early 80s were low-budget.  However, "ludicrous?"  Why?  Rapture theology is widely accepted by most evangelicals.  It's based on a pretty literal understanding of some key Bible passages.  Perhaps the reaction is because these kinds of movies are quite direct, even "in your face."  In contrast, LDS movies tend to be "soft-sell," and thus can appear more sophisticated. 

 

See this earlier LDS.net string for an good discussion on the rapture:  http://lds.net/forums/topic/51179-end-times-final-conflict-of-religions-travelers-question-to-pc/?hl=rapture#entry743548

 

Great comment, prisonchaplain.  Right on.

 

Why ludicrous?  Because I cannot imagine God yanking airline pilots up into the air and causing aircraft to crash, or drivers in cars to be yanked up into the air and causing vehicles to crash, or surgeons to be yanked up into the air while patients' skulls or chests are wide open.  I don't know where that imagery originated, but it's Ludicrous with a capital L in my book, even if you believe in a Great Translation that literally lifts believers into the air.  :)

 

I've been listening to and reading a lot of NT Wright these days, and I think his view on the Rapture (see link below) makes a lot of sense.  (By the way, Mormon Discussion Podcast just posted 4 lectures by NT Wright, and I found them utterly fascinating.  Highly recommended.)

 

http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_BR_Farewell_Rapture.htm

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Great comment, prisonchaplain.  Right on.

 

Why ludicrous?  Because I cannot imagine God yanking airline pilots up into the air and causing aircraft to crash, or drivers in cars to be yanked up into the air and causing vehicles to crash, or surgeons to be yanked up into the air while patients' skulls or chests are wide open.  I don't know where that imagery originated, but it's Ludicrous with a capital L in my book, even if you believe in a Great Translation that literally lifts believers into the air.  :)

 

I've been listening to and reading a lot of NT Wright these days, and I think his view on the Rapture (see link below) makes a lot of sense.  (By the way, Mormon Discussion Podcast just posted 4 lectures by NT Wright, and I found them utterly fascinating.  Highly recommended.)

 

http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_BR_Farewell_Rapture.htm

 

Yet that is what many Christians believe whether we believe it or not.  I'm sure many think things we believe are quite ludicrous as well.

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The suddeness of the Rapture will indeed cause these awkwards scenes.  Why the surprise?  God uses donkeys to prophesy to prophets, he uses an arrogant, impulsive strongman (Samson) to literally bring down the house on the Philistines, and he uses strange tongues to usher in the age of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2).  I could go on with the seeminly odd things that God does in the Bible...but is this not enough to say that rapturing believers in the midst of life-saving, or otherwise desperate situation is not only likely, but given, should the Rapture prove to be true.

 

Great comment, prisonchaplain.  Right on.

 

Why ludicrous?  Because I cannot imagine God yanking airline pilots up into the air and causing aircraft to crash, or drivers in cars to be yanked up into the air and causing vehicles to crash, or surgeons to be yanked up into the air while patients' skulls or chests are wide open.  I don't know where that imagery originated, but it's Ludicrous with a capital L in my book, even if you believe in a Great Translation that literally lifts believers into the air.  :)

 

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Is it just me or are other people feeling the same way about seeing this movie.  In sacrament meeting\stake conference\sunday school\relief society and elders qourum we got pounded about seeing this movie.  Our stake president even said it was our duty(a commandment from the brethern) to see this movie. 

 

I plan on waiting till its free on the church website to see it.  Too many members are like you'll be gauranteed a spot in the celestial kingdom for watching it. 

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 I'm sure many think things we believe are quite ludicrous as well.

 

Probably, but when my atheist friends attack Christianity, I feel weakest and most vulnerable when the topic wanders into the "Left Behind" models of the Rapture.  It's in a class by itself, in my opinion.  But if someone else believes it sincerely, of course I would honor and respect that.  Your comment and prisonchaplain's comments have made me think, so thanks.

 

Back to original topic: Scovy, I agree with you.  But having been a member of several different denominations and churches before I became LDS, I can say that this happens a lot in other churches as well.  Signing petitions against abortion, marching against capital punishment, participating in Martin Luther King memorial services... mostly good things that I was basically ordered to do by one church or another.  As I recall, the abortion petition was actually circulated in Sunday School and people who refused to sign had to do so publicly.  Yikes.

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Is it just me or are other people feeling the same way about seeing this movie. In sacrament meeting\stake conference\sunday school\relief society and elders qourum we got pounded about seeing this movie. Our stake president even said it was our duty(a commandment from the brethern) to see this movie.

I plan on waiting till its free on the church website to see it. Too many members are like you'll be gauranteed a spot in the celestial kingdom for watching it.

Scovy, the pressure is on here, too. As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, our Stake Presidency sent out an email to everyone with a schedule of what days and times each organization should go.

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I plan on waiting till its free on the church website to see it.  Too many members are like you'll be gauranteed a spot in the celestial kingdom for watching it. 

 

I'd be curious to see if this does ever appear on the church website since this was a commercial venture.

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Kirby didn't like the movie.

 

Kirby: Now meet the real Mormons

The film is more of a showcase of Mormon wholesomeness than a candid look at the real us. While it’s nice to have my people portrayed as so blissfully positive, I came away wondering if I had been raised in a completely different church.

 

I can relate.  

 

Flashback Tuesday: I was Gospel Doctrine teacher. The lesson was on eternal families. The class: A never-married guy in his late 30's. A surly teen counting the days til her 18th birthday and blissful inactivity. A guy going through a painful divorce complete with accusations of child abuse. A very energetic recent convert married lady full of opinions, many of which came from her weird upbringing. 

The first thing I did was draw a picture of "the perfect mormon family" up on the board. Grandma and Grandpa in the middle, surrounded by kids, inlaws, and grandkids, organized by family. Everyone had perfect hair and perfect smiles. The kids were all returned missionaries, everyone paid tithing, the grandkids all happily engaged in wholesome recreational activities. Everyone was sealed in the temple. Not a single gang sign being flashed, not a single instance of drug abuse or divorce or social workers or jail time.

Then I asked my class why God wants to torture us with such things, when such pictures are so far removed from reality that they seem like satire meant to cause us pain, or an unachievable situation meant to rob us of hope.

Our church does actually have an answer to that, and I think the answer actually went over pretty well to this diverse bunch. (Well, not the surly teen. I don't think she was listening. But the rest of them said it was a good answer.)

 

"Now, I hope this helps you understand why we talk about the pattern, the ideal, of marriage and family when we know full well that not everyone now lives in that ideal circumstance. It is precisely because many don’t have, or perhaps have never even seen, that ideal and because some cultural forces steadily move us away from that ideal, that we speak about what our Father in Heaven wishes for us in His eternal plan for His children.
"Individual adaptations have to be made as marital status and family circumstances differ. But all of us can agree on the pattern as it comes from God, and we can strive for its realization the best way we can.
 
"We who are General Authorities and general officers are called to teach His general rules. You and we then lead specific lives and must seek the Lord’s guidance regarding specific circumstances. But there would be mass confusion and loss of gospel promises if no general ideal and no doctrinal standard were established and, in our case today, repeated. We take great strength in knowing the Lord has spoken on these matters, and we accept His counsel even when it might not be popular."
- Elder Jefferey R. Holland
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