Last night from 9 to 11 p.m., I intently watched the first segment of the PBS film, The Mormons, produced by Helen Whitney.
This particular presentation is dramatically different than the DVD, Road to Zion: Travels in Church History (copyright 2005, BYU Broadcasting), I examined last week. In hosting the show, Shaunna Thompson, attractive, vibrant, upbeat, even tearful at times in her sincere, public reflections, didn’t even touch some of the stuff that Helen Whitney now enticingly invites the national public to be aware of and explore.
In displaying a cautious curiosity, perhaps you might be interested in some of my initial heart responses. Being up front with you, I tossed, turned, and prayed on my bed till 3:00 this morning. Helen’s documentary, more than the whole dramatic Work & Glory series, has my mind churning over past historical events and current religious tensions in the Intermountain West.
Introduction
The script takes you on a journey through LDS revelation, golden plates, persecution, exodus, Mountain Meadows massacre, and polygamy. It is a specialized, localized segment of our American religious history filling some of the landscape in the last 200 hundred years, though the narrator in hoping to bring it all to life for modern-day relevancy shares, “The Mormon sacred stories are so new they still smell of the earth.”
Contributors
In providing color to the backdrop of the Mormon trail, Helen has included a number of contributors, fascinating because of the variety, believable because of the years of life-long study, and intriguing because of the spiritual zeal of each in their own sense: (please pardon me if I misspell or misplace anyone) Sarah Gordon, Kathleen Flake, Edwin Firmage, Jr., Ken Verdola, William Morain, Daniel Peterson, Jeffrey Holland, Marlin Jensen, Terryl Givens, Greg Prince, Ken Clark, Richard Mouw, Simon Worrall, Alex Caldiero, Michael Cole, Harold Bloom, Simon Worral, Truman Madsen, Judith Freeman, Will Bagely, Richard Bushman, Jon Butler, Alex Baugh, Roger Hammer, Jana Richman, Glen Leonard, Randall Paul, Ken Clark, Phil Bolinger, Margaret Toscano, Valerie Nielson, Alyne Timpson, Ellie Timpson, David Timpson, and Robin Fox.
Among the group, some I respect, some I don’t understand, and for some of them, I vehemently deplore their theological assumptions. For instance, I can’t stand the scholarly arrogance of Harold Bloom. I have read too much of his stuff to be pleasant. He despises and mocks Christian fundamentalism. In the category of misunderstanding, I was puzzled when Richard Mouw in his musings over the motives of Joseph Smith remarks, “I live with the mystery.” This needs further explanation. Likewise, Margaret Toscano’s references to sexuality and spirituality are bizarre. Was she trying to communicate that early Christianity denied sexuality for the Lord’s Day? I am scratching my head this afternoon as I think back on last night. Where is the rewind button?
Others are worth noticing. Sarah Gordon wins the prize for being the most intense—maybe a better word is passionate. I have already read Richard Bushman’s latest book. I would have liked to hear more on Truman Madsen’s perspective. Jeffery Holland’s appearance brings LDS authority. Yet after watching the first segment of this two part series, I could find myself pursuing more historical questions with Judith Freeman, Terryl Givens, and Ken Verdola.
Top Dozen Notable Quotes (please buy the DVD for a word-for-word accuracy)
1.) Sarah Gordon – He [Joseph Smith] is the alpha and omega for the saints, the American Mohammed.
2.) Edwin Firmage, Jr. – He [Joseph Smith] inspired a lot of women to love him.
3.) Alex Caldiero – I hear Joseph Smith’s voice every time I read the Book of Mormon.
4.) Daniel Peterson – . . . a seer’s stone . . . a strange image for us.
5.) Terryl Givens – The resurrection is the scandal to Christianity. The golden plates are the scandal to the Mormon Church. It is inseparable from the heart and soul of Mormonism.
6.) Will Bagley – There is nothing else in Mormon history like the Mountain Meadows massacre. How could these decent men become mass murderers? It is an incomprehensible act of violence.
7.) Glen Leonard – [Brigham Young’s part in the massacre] He did not order it done, nor condone it.
8.) Judith Freeman – [on the topic of polygamy] . . . a divine principle . . . a high order . . . so much heartbreak.
9.) Valerie Nielsen – God lived polygamy. We have to do it.
10.) Gordon Hinckley – There is no such thing as a Mormon fundamentalist. This is a contradiction of terms.
11.) Ellie Timpson – [First wife] It is difficult. It is a refiner’s fire.
12.) David Timpson – How I can become like God?
Conclusion
Well, we will just have to wait till tonight. Stay tuned, friends.
Jesus in Idaho Falls 
Todd,
Not sure if you remember me but I was a student caller at Bob Jones when you were on staff. Anyway, I have been doing some real soul-searching after watching these episodes on the Mormon church. Not because I am doubting my faith in the Bible but because the practices, testimonies and moral beliefs of the Mormon people on this show seem so similar to those of many people I associate with in the Fundamentalist circle.
It makes me realize that I need to be all the more engrossed in the Bible and what it says about cults, false prophets, etc. I am losing my interests in all these spiritual yet shallow testimonies that seem to pervade our churches. I want to proclaim the Bible – holding it high while all these other religious systems crash at its feet.
Not sure if any of this makes sense but wanted to post my thoughts while they are still fresh.
Your brother through Jesus Christ alone,
Eric Stratton
Eric, keep studying the written Word to taste, see, and love more of the living Word. Christ is everything.
Hey Eric,
I hope you get this message. Have you read Jonathan Edwards, THE RELIGIOUS AFFECTIONS? If not, I strongly urge you to read it and ponder its main points. It’s not an easy read, but don’t give up.
Edwards cuts through all shows of genuine piety and claims of experiences with God, and details the genuine evidences of saving grace in the life of a believer. It’s frankly one of the best–and most searching–books that I’ve ever read.
You’re correct: every religion has it adherents with glowing testimonies and claims of experiences with God. That will never change. But true Christian GRACE produces identifiable marks in those who possess it–and nothing can truly imitate those marks.
Scott Weber
Todd,
As an active Mormon, I think the most offensive thing said in the PBS documentary (of which I loved 99% of) was that Joseph Smith is the alpha and omega of Mormonism. My body cringed as I heard that. I knew that Non-LDS Christians would most likely pick up on that and it would reinforce in their minds that we either worship Joesph Smith or think he is equal to Christ. Neither is true. The only Alpha and Omega of Christianity is Christ not Joesph Smith. There were a couple of other minor things, but overall it was accurate. I really apprieciated the coverage they gave to the mountain meadows massacre. I had never really understood what a horrible event that was.
When Sarah said this, I imagined the cringing of many of my Mormon friends in front of their televisions.
I’m not sure if my comments belong here, but I just thought that these thoughts should be revealed to you. I am a Christian, and I thought you should understand the difference between Mormonism and Christianity, as there are many differences. This is not to attack you, mind, but just to sincerely show you why many Christians (along with myself) do not consider Mormons to be Christians.
I have studied Mormonism for quite some time now, about a year and a half, and I have read a lot of what the Mormon prophets have said and what the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants says as well. Some things really trouble me for the salvation of your souls, because if you compare them with the Bible, they bring up many contradictions.
This will seem lengthy, but please just read it through once and bear with me…
First of all, in respose to one of the responses above, we Christians (or at least the ones who study Mormonism) know that you do not worship Joseph Smith. However, we do believe that he is one of the false prophets that the Bible speaks of in Revelation.
The first and formost belief that seperates Bible Christianity from Mormonism is the belief that God is an eternal being. Brigham Young said in his Journal of Discourses, Volume VI, page 3:
“I will go back to the beginning, before the world was, to show what kind of a being God is. What sort of a being was God in the beginning ? Open your ears and hear, all ye ends of the earth ; for I am going to prove it to you by the Bible, and to tell you the designs of God in relation to the human race, and why he interferes with the affairs of man.
God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret. If the vail was rent to-day, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible, —I say, if you were to see him to-day, you would see him like a man in form — like yourselves, in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image, and likeness o God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked, and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another.
In order to understand the subject of the dead, for the consolation of those who mourn for the loss of their friends, it is necessary that we should understand the character and being of God, and how he came to be so; for I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity, I will refute that idea, and will take away and do away the vail, so that you may see.”
However, when we look at what the Bible says in Psalm 90:2, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” When God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, He told Moses to tell Pharoah that the great I AM sent him. God never said that He was for a time, He is, or He will be in the future, but instead said “I AM”, “I am the Alpha and Omega”, and many other things. My friends, God has been, and always will be God. He has eternally been God, as no one created Him. If God was a man at one time, and now is an exalted man, who created Him? Isn’t that worshiping the creation, rather than the creator?
Mormons believe (and please correct me if I’m wrong) that man, under the Aaronic or Melchizidec priesthood, can become gods of their own planets in the resurrection, given that they are married in the temple, and they also believe that God (Elohim) was once a man that lived on another planet and became God through personal worthiness and by following “the gospel”, and that He was at the head of the “council of the gods” in the beginning of our world. This comes against the scripture in the Bible as, my friends, this is not accurate at all. God says in Isaiah 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” He also says this in Isaiah 44:8 “Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” My friends, God himself said this to the prophet Isaiah, “there is no God beside Me”…
2 Nephi 25:23 says “…for ye are saved by grace, AFTER all ye can do.” But Ephesians 2:8 says “for it is by grace you are saved, and not of works, lest any man should boast.” The Bible says that grace is a FREE gift, and that we cannot possibly do anything to deserve it. Many Mormons are constantly doing work and work and more work, hoping to be worthy enough to recieve grace from God. But Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price, and He extends his grace freely to anyone who is willing to receive it.
My friends, hopefully you have not blown this off as an attack, but as an invitation to meet the real Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t you like to get to know Him personally, the One who loved you enough to die for your sins? I pray that God will reveal himself to you. My purpose here was not to debate fundamental beliefs of Mormonism and Christianity, but to show you what the Bible, the inspired Word of God, truly says. Jesus said “Come unto me, all who are weary, and I will GIVE you rest”. He is not waiting for you to work your way to recieve His love and grace. Instead, He is here with outstretched arms, waiting for you take His cup and waiting to fill you up with so much love and joy.
Thank you for your time,
Jim Tennant
Umm… Jim… You do realize that Todd – the guy who runs this blog – is a Berean Baptist Minister, right?
Seth, is this a new trend: visit non-LDS sites and call the non-LDS authors out of Mormonism? Are you seeing this elsewhere, or are this and Jack’s blog anomalies?
I’ve seen this before. Put “LDS” or “Mormon” in the title and the Evangelical militia are bound to show up eventually.
evangelical militia…..oh geeeze…I’d better do some crunches or something 🙂 I’m in trouble…..
hey Jim: hopefully you’ve figured this out, but there is something of a variety here at Heart Issues, both LDS and ‘others”. Guess I’m an other. Glad to hear from you, why did you pick this post ??
I don’t really get how they miss it at my site. I have a picture of a cross necklace in the header, you know, those things Mormons don’t wear because it burns their skin? Plus I referenced being an evangelical several times on that thread before that person started trying to witness me out of Mormonism. I guess it just goes to show the truthfulness of Gary Novak’s Rule No. 1: When you become an anti-Mormon, expect your IQ to drop at least 85 points.
The incredible part is, no one has yet attacked me for being married to a Mormon. They’ll accuse me of being Mormon, but the fact that I’m sleeping with a Mormon? That’s apparently okay with them.
Don’t give me attitude germit!
Now, drop down and give me 20!
When you become an anti-Mormon, expect your IQ to drop at least 85 points.
THANKS Jack, this puts me in the negative realm…..so I’m too sloppy for the militia, and stupider than a bag of hammers………. good thing I can cook.
have you been to Deerfield yet ???
I have been and I loved it, Germit. If I had limitless finances and no family considerations to take in mind, I would definitely go there. See my blog if you want to read about my visit.
I’m still gonna check out Multnomah, but we’ll see if we can make Trinity work.
JACK: IF you head to TEDS, make time to get downtown at least a couple of times; and a CUBS game;
may GOD lead and empower you, and your husband, daily
GERMIT
PS to Seth: I’ve got the “drop” thing down……now about the 20…….