She's So Hiiiiiigh Above Me!

So, Theresa and I just watched that PBS documentary about the Mormons, and I must say I am disappointed. Not it the program mind you--I thought that it was very well done--but with the reactions I have been experiencing from my fellow church members, both in person and on the internet. The documentary paints an even-handed portrait of the church that, granted, does spend a lot of time on controversial subjects, such as the mountain meadow massacre, but face it, those things are part of our history--you cant just hide from it. And the coverage wasn't even that bad. For example, when they were discussing polygamy, a potentially touching subject, I found myself viewing the government as unsympathetic and repressive entity who really picked on those poor early members who were just trying to practice their faith as they understood it.

I am especially annoyed at those members of the church who were upset that the film did not label the interviewees who were either not members or were excommunicated. Oh sure, if there were "Mormon" "Non-Mormon" labels, it would have been easier for for them. Easier, that is, for them to automatically discredit anything a Non-Mormon says.

Over all, I think that the Mormons who thought is was an unfair portrayal of their faith only did because they are too used to the one-sided accounts they get in church. I have no doubt that Joseph Smith and other early saints made mistakes, they were humans too, and although I recognize the importance of the uplifting stories told in church, I for one, was thankful for a chance to view church history from a more objective perspective.

One guy that did annoy me on the movie was that missionary who was like "You go, you go, you go, you go, you go... you go!" I mean, get this guy a Reader's digest, we need to improve his vocabulary before he makes the whole church look bad.

On the flip side of the coin, I was delighted to see Tal Bachman on the show. They must have pulled all sorts of strings to get a big star like that on the show. It has only been, what, 8 years since his one (and only) hit was playing on Canadian radio for a week or two. (What was the name of that song again?) And his comment comparing missionaries to suicide bombers? Stay classy Tal, stay classy.