"Big Love" hype

I don't know how it is in the rest of the country, but in Utah, there has been a veritable Jules Verne-esque "War of the Worlds" going on here about the HBO series "Big Love," especially since the creators decided this past weekend to show an LDS temple endowment ceremony in the show. There are the outraged Mormons who, without having seen a single episode of the series, let alone the one in question, unequivocally denounce the show as essentially "casting pearls before swine." One misguided soul (unfortunately a columnist for the "Deseret News") even went to far as to stamp the show's presentation of the endowment ceremony as "religious pornography." Oh dear me. They're calling for a boycott of the show and of the network itself, again without having any knowledge whatsoever of the show's contents or its actual portrayal of the ceremony. There are two viewpoints on the other side of the argument: those who say it's about time the world at large (meaning those with cable TV) had a little more information about the "strange" rituals of the LDS church, and those who rightly but bitterly state that it's also about time the LDS church had their turn to be castigated by the media as every other religion has.

Where do I stand? Somewhere in the middle. No, I have not seen the episode in question, either; but from the summaries I have read of it, the series' creators presented the endowment ceremony in an uplifting and positive light; it was not a polygamous marriage ceremony, and it was necessary to show the struggles of one of the wives between her former religion and her current family. It was not the degrading, "Look how weird the Mormons are!" portrayal that many were expecting. On the other hand, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and having been through the endowment ceremony myself, I must say that it is a sacred ritual in which you gain knowledge and make covenants with God not available elsewhere. I have never felt closer to God and to my husband, who is also "endowed," than when I am in the temple. The stresses of life melt away and my vision becomes clearer. I am able to refocus my energies and attention on the important things in life and watch the superfluous melt away without regret. I make better decisions; I am kinder, more compassionate, more charitable; things that would normally bother me don't; and life simply goes better in general.

Although one of the covenants you make in the temple is to not reveal certain elements of the ceremony outside of it, the majority of what you learn and what is said in the temple can be found in the LDS Church's teachings and standard works. If you're curious as to what the interior of an LDS temple looks like, attend a temple open house. You can see all the rooms in the temple and ask questions to the well-informed tour guides there. Ask your LDS friends; they'll be eager to share what they believe and love. Contact the LDS missionaries, who will also be happy to answer your questions, even if you're not interested in joining the Church. The fundamentals of the temple are plainly declared in a children's song:

"I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday,
To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray.
For the temple is the house of God, a place of love and beauty,
I'll prepare myself while I am young; this is my sacred duty.

I love to see the temple, I'll go inside someday,
I'll covenant with my Father, I'll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place, where we are sealed together;
As a child of God, I've learned this truth: A family is forever."

So, to those of the LDS church who are still bothered by HBO's "Big Love," consider this from the Prophet Joseph Smith: "The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” Nothing HBO, or anybody else, for that matter, says or does will disrupt the work of God. Chill out. To those of you whose interest has been piqued by "Big Love," find a Mormon and ask them about the temple. And then do some research of your own. The Church website, www.lds.org, has a video about why we build temples as well as a statement on "Big Love." All will benefit from discovering that the practices and rituals of the LDS church are actually quite transparent and, in fact, invite inquiry of this kind.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_-TQivCx8