The LDS Church has just released a full-length feature film, titled Meet The Mormons. While the word “Mormon” is not the preferred title of my faith, it’s the title most synonymous with the Leave It To Beaver-esque families and the well-groomed boys on bikes. Long-hand, our religion is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Yes, we know, it's a mouthful.
The documentary-styled film was originally intended to be shown at the Church-owned Legacy Theater at the Joseph Smith Visitors Center in Salt Lake City, for those who visited to learn about the Religion. But according to the filmmakers, it was so successful in dispelling commonplace misconceptions about the Church during pre-release viewings that, in tandem with Church Officials, they felt prompted to release it to a larger audience.
This resulted in a first-of-it’s-kind move from the LDS Church to aggressively chase away the misjudgment surrounding the Faith and it’s Members; they opted to use a traditional film release to penetrate every market and demographic possible. It was a bold move, admitted to even by one of our Apostles, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.
As fully anticipated, the film has been highly praised and heinously pummeled across the country since it’s release. Almost humorously, the large majority of the criticism toward the film has been that it’s “too-good”. As in, the film is a fabrication of what Mormons are really like. That no one is that resilient, upbeat and cheerful. This appears to pull the threads and reveal a very defeatist society. Calling something bad because it's too good seems pretty ironic.
Countless have murmured: Mormons aren't that sincere. And most certainly aren't that happy.
That perspective is somewhat understandable. If you’re going to tell a story, you’re going to tell the best version, right? The story of those who've triumphed. The few supermodels who make it look good. How can you be expected to believe this?
Of course it's the best version. But what if the best version is also the truth? No embellishment, no colorful artistic drama, and no secrets. Just raw reality. What if it's really like that to be a Mormon? Is it possible?
As an admittedly wholly-imperfect and incredibly stubborn member of the LDS faith, I can honestly attest that the bubbly, heartwarming and overly-happy examples shown on the film, are... (drumroll)... indeed, real examples of Mormons.
But just as I said when I pre-qualified my credibility; we aren’t perfect.
We of course strive for perfection, but we would be fools to claim we are. So, we don’t. If you think we do, then you've got another think coming; we most certainly don't feel that way.
In fact, it’s been proven that Mormons are exceptionally aware of their imperfections; it’s the fuel that drives the culture's uncanny knack for industry and financial success, and the same fuel that billows the flames of occasional self-depracation. We are painfully aware of our humanity; so much so we sometimes struggle to forgive ourselves, and battle with depression and other perfectionist-driven challenges.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the Church Presidency, spoke recently about this very reality, “If you define hypocrite as someone who fails to live up perfectly to what he or she believes, then we are all hypocrites. None of us is quite as Christlike as we know we should be.”
So, yes. We are very human. Our smiles might seem like our default mode, but they aren't permanent. We feel sadness and grief just assuredly as we bleed red. Even so, despite our shortcomings, millions of our Members could have just as easily been one of the 6 documented in the film. Pick a Mormon, any Mormon.
But, surprisingly, I’m not here to argue this particular point. I can't argue it. Not very effectively anyway. You can either believe me, or not. I'd like you to believe me, but you're entitled to feel about me, my fellow members, and the film, however you like. That's kind of what makes life so great.
Believe, disbelieve, love, hate, cry, shout… your choice my friend.
So if I’m not here to unravel/defend the truth behind plastic-people, what I have I been dancing toward?
Glad you asked.
I’ve found something common in the countless opposing reviews, that bothers me. Something that strikes my “Are you serious?” chord something fierce.
An objection that isn’t an opinion. But more of a fact. More of a literal, “Do you hear yourself?” There is a particular critism of the film that warrants the back of my hand.
Allow me then, to begin again:
Many of the negative reviewers are disappointed, angered, baffled and even sometimes pleasantly amused that the film doesn’t discuss the core tenets of the Faith. The doctrinal stakes and meat that the Church teaches. Some have even claimed that the Church is not only falsifying the nobility of it’s Members, but also whitewashing it’s core religion.
They propose that if we actually talked about what’s going on behind the closed doors of those Homes and Church building walls, you wouldn’t actually want to drink the Kool-Aid. They cry as a noble sentinel, "Don't fall for it. They haven't told you everything!"
And this, this is where I begin to scratch my head. And I ought not to; I’ve not got much hair left there.
I have 3 issues with negative reviews I've seen:
- Firstly, the Church made very clear from day-one, this would not be a proselyting film. This wasn't spoken clearly so that people would easily fall in the would-be kindest bear-trap ever; they said this because it isn’t. It’s not about our Faith. At all. It’s about the Members. That’s why it’s called “Meet the Mormons”. Do you see the consistency? The Church intended this movie to be void of preaching. No sneaky indoctrination. No colored-sugar in your water.
Just a movie about the lives of 6 regular people. Who are also Mormon.
- Secondly, the doors aren’t closed. The opposite couldn’t be more true. Many members live quite transparently and are happy to talk about their joys and sorrows. And, our Sunday services are open to the public, every single sunday. Provided you are dressed with conservatively more clothing than bare skin, you are free to attend.
The inside of an LDS Temple is the only place not open to the public, and I should make clear, it isn't even open to all Members; you have to have a current "recommend". Essentially a piece of paper indicating that you are morally worthy to enter.
Think of it as the Lord's clean-room -- only those that are spiritually equipped with the suit can enter. All are actually welcome, but there are specific morality requirements. And the most effective way to screen the visitors, is if they already work for the "CDC". Terrible analogy. Please forgive it. But I think it halfway makes the point.
Want to see everything inside? The rules God gave are simple. Go ask a Missionary.
Which ties into my third reason; my biggest and most frustrated vexation; the reason I even took the time to resurrect this dusty blog: it's been claimed we've left stuff out, as if the happiness comes at a price and there's more to the story. Folks, really?
We’ve tried over and over to tell you all about our religion.
We even tell you, you have ask God if it's really true. No sales pitches here. None. In fact, it'd be pretty stupid for us to sell a counterfeit and send you to the real deal to confirm our legitimacy.
We've tried to tell you millions of times. Probably even Hundreds of Millions, across the country.
The LDS Church boasts the healthiest and most effective Missionary force in existence on the planet. This has been true for a long time, and I can assure you, won’t let up anytime soon.
The secret? All members that go on a Mission, are there completely, entirely and unequivocally on their own accord. Trust me; if you don’t want to go, you don’t.
It’s hard. It’s very, very hard to get ready to go spiritually and physically and emotionally, let alone stay there for the entirety of the mission.
And, it’s expensive: nearly all of these missionaries have financed themselves with roughly $10,000 of their own savings to support their lives during this service. What do you think a 18 year old wants to do with their money? Subject themselves to perpetual Sunday-School and live in the slums while working his/her brains out?
That was on the top on my Christmas list for years.
But despite all this, they go. And, they stay. That’s how much it means to them. Elder David A. Bednar said this recently, and it absolutely describes what I’m trying to say, “…our eagerness to declare this message is not merely the result of a sense of spiritual duty. Rather, our desire to share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ with you is a reflection of how important these truths are to us.”
They do it because they want to. We have thousands (83,035 as of this post) of youthful, eager and willing Mormons, who walk the planet with the sole purpose of telling people about their religion.
We want you to know about our Religion. We want to talk to you about it.
We really, really want to talk about it.
Have I made this clear yet?
So let me put my entire point as concisely as possible. And, sorry to those who had wished I’d saved my proverbial breath, and said this at the beginning:
You told that humble and authentically selfless Missionary on your front porch, who was willing to spend hours with you telling you anything you wanted to know about his/her religion, “No” (or some variation of that), but now suddenly you’ve been impregnated with interest and you want to learn about it?
You're telling us, you are upset that we didn’t “shove it down your throat” as you so often analogize, with this film?
We must be really terrible at reading between the lines…
So, just so we don’t misunderstand each other in the future, let me ask again:
You were offered it for free, and now you want to pay to hear it?
Well, good heavens. If we had only known…
Friends and Foes. Please, for goodness sake, I need you to do us Mormons a solid.
Make up your mind.
Your Mormon neighbor,
Brady Tapp
P.S. It’s not too late. And it's still free if you’ve decided you want the Missionaries to come back by. We'd be honored.
But please, don’t harass the film because it’s exactly what it claims to be.
Or because you have an issue with the Mormons at large; clearly your review will be a little tainted by this. You probably shouldn't have gone to review a film you'd already previously written a review for in your head. Good advice, I think.
In any case, I'd encourage you to stop looking for reasons to open your umbrella.
