..........did anyone see the show on PBS last night?
I have several very dear friends who are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Last night, PBS aired the beginning of a series entitled, The Mormons, headlined under their series, The American Experience. Since I have developed friendships with members of the LDS church, I have done some research on my own into the faith and am interested to learn more. Before seeing the show last night, I wondered if it would be slanted in any fashion. I was disappointed to see the amount of time spent on plural marriage and the Mountain Meadows incident. I am more interested in the theology aspect of the LDS faith, and the organization of the leadership within the church. There were several people interviewed throughout the program which included President Gordon Hinckley (I hope I spelled his name correctly), and other theologians/teachers from the LDS church; as well as, other Christian denominations. I, personally, was not satisfied with the details PBS gave into the life of Joseph Smith. Here again, I felt there was a slant put onto the story of his life to depict him as craving power, etc. One Presbyterian theologian said he did not believe fully in the things that Joseph Smith claimed; but, also admitted that he could not, in good consience, fully dismiss the claims. I did learn more about the persecution of the LDS members and the exodus to the Salt Lake basin. Before the program, I had no knowledge of what transpired in Nauvoo; and that this is where Joseph Smith was killed. I hope I get this next fact correct - the Governor of Missouri actually issued an "extermination" order to be carried out aganist the LDS church members. This, clearly, was supported by President Buchannon (forgive the spelling again). We don't like to think of that kind of religious persecution actually going on within the borders of America; but it happened, and many lost their lives. The LDS church members, under the leadership of Brigham Young, fought back and defended themselves. The exodus to the Great Salt Lake region was beyond human challenge. According to the program, one of the objectives was to get outside of the US borders. Oddly enough, this happened in or around 1847. At the end of the Mexican War, the US acquired the region of Utah which was before held by Mexico. That was about it for the program last night. I'm hoping to catch the second part of the series next week. If you did not see the program last night, I'm sure there will be reruns on PBS through the weekend. I encourage you to watch and learn more about a faith that was born in America. I am a devout United Methodist, and I don't have any plans to change my faith; but, I am always eager to learn more about the faith of others. There are common threads in all the Christian faiths that bind us together.
posted by Scott @ 5:37 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
i watched the program. i thought they spent too much time on mountain meadows and polygamy, too. in general, i thought it was very well done. in 2 hours, there's only so much to tell. the program was more of a social or secular history with not as much given to the theology of the church.
i heard that some byu professors were upset about bad facts, but i think they're overreacting. mormons, as a group, generally expect persecution, so i expected a lot of members to view the documentary negatively. the statement on the church's website was very positive.
i also liked the interviews. there were church leaders, as well as former members. i figured the excommunicated members would be more bitter, but they were, in the words of a NY times review, sweet.
I was surprised that PBS ran the second part on the next day. I watched it as well. The second part talked more about doctrine, the temple, missions (they spent a good amount of time on missions - I felt like I already knew more about that from listening to you talk about your mission work), standards for church members, and the whole excommunication thing. I enjoyed the show. You're right about the first part being more secular and socially oriented. I enjoyed hearing more about the LDS Church and its development.
Post a Comment
<< Home