American Experience (TV Series) The Mormons: Part II (2007) User Reviews

Like part one, this one is missing some very important information.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 29 September 2011]

"The Mormons: Part 2" is the second part of this well made but incomplete discussion of the Church of Latter Day Saints. This episode discusses the impact of Mormons on America and politics, black membership, missionary work, dissent within the church and baptism for the dead. My complaints for this film are mostly the ones that I have for part one. While I would agree that "The Mormons" is very well made, I found the films a bit frustrating as well. That's because it's hard to imagine but some VERY basic things about the Church of Latter Day Saints are never really explored in part 1 or part 2. What, exactly do church members believe? And, if some say that Mormons are NOT Christians....why? What makes the Mormon church different from mainstream Christian churches? You sure would think this would be in this four-hour film...but it isn't. How could a film discuss the Mormons without discussing their basic theology?! Allusions occur here and there and there is a lengthy discussion of dissent and those within the church who question official church policies and doctrine.

As a result of the incompleteness of the films, I give it a score of 7--despite the film's high quality of the production. It's well made but is frustrating to Mormons and non-Mormons as it's pretty shallow in regard to basic doctrine. Instead it focuses on so many issues that are not the fundamental precepts of the church but are still interesting. It does, oddly, however, talk about dissent within the church and how they deal with dissent--but exactly WHAT the dissent is isn't always clear. It also gives a wide variety of opinions about the religion--as well as how the official church history is, at times, at variance with church and non-church records. Interesting and important stuff...but again, where is the discussion of doctrine? As it was, it only discussed a bit of doctrine here and there--teasing glimpses only.

The Light and Dark of America's Home-Grown Christian Sect

[classicalsteve · 10/10 · 23 February 2008]

All Christian religious denominations have their positive and their negative aspects, and the Mormon Church is no exception. Frontline/American Experience have done a tremendous job to reveal both sides of a very complex religious phenomenon that cannot be pigeon-holed into the convenient labels of "good" or "bad". In Part II of the documentary series "The Mormons", the producers show a religious denomination that legitimized itself to the United States Government, overcame prejudices against non-whites, and lent a helping hand to those in need, particularly those devastated in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Simultaneously, the church goes to great lengths not only to silence dissenters but threaten those who question church authority with excommunication.

The beginning of Part II reveals a church struggling for legitimacy while simultaneously holding on to its distinctiveness in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a challenge that all churches, both east and west, often face. Its first task was to forbid the practice of polygamy, which had stigmatized much of the reputation of the church during the 19th century. The prominent figure from the era is Reed Smoot, first senator elected from Utah and the first Mormon to hold a United States national office. The documentary briefly relates his four-year struggle to be seated in the US Congress against opposition. One hundred years later, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs at US Presidential inaugurations. The Mormons had arrived.

During most of its 150+ history, the church had prejudices against non-white followers until 1978 in which the Church allowed aspiring Mormons of any color or creed to join as full members. The documentary also praises the LDS Church's humanitarian aid, particularly in the face of Katrina. One New Orleans resident describes his shift in perception of Mormons post-Kratina, and that he will always welcome them into his house. And an interesting chapter on missionary work describes the commitment of young missioners, typically 19-year-olds, who dedicate two years of their life to propagate the Mormon message around the world.

Simultaneously, the LDS Church has a darker side. According to the documentary, the LDS Church is quite probably the wealthiest church in the United States, and yet it withholds much of its financial records from public scrutiny, which is not true of most other churches in the United States. Church Elders, who are older white males, and their decisions are immune from scrutiny by lesser-ranking members with the threat of excommunication hanging over them. In other words, decisions by church elders are not to be questioned by church members, in particular women, with the rationale that such questioning could lead to doubt and undermine the church's goals. And the Church may condemn and excommunicate those who question and/or reveal information contrary to the official doctrine, history, and teachings of the LDS Church.

One such woman, Margaret Toscano, who had written articles questioning the church's position that women could not hold higher offices in the church legislator, recounts her experience of being summoned in front of a church tribunal. Her story recalls the kinds of tribunals in centuries past where the accused sat alone, without representation or defense, in front of a panel of judges who would decide his or her fate. The judges in Mormon disciplinary tribunals apparently serve also as jury, determining the religious fate of the accused. Although Toscano has spoken publicly about her experience, Mormon trial transcripts are kept from public scrutiny. Terryl Givens, a Mormon scholar, felt that he could not give an opinion about Toscano's case. Why? Because only half of the Toscano story (Toscano's interview) was revealed without the transcripts and interviews of the judges. The other side of the story will probably never be disclosed. A rather strange irony...

The documentary than follows a typical Mormon family and shows how and why members tend to be loyal to their church despite its oligarchical governing structure. The Mormon message of family, love and acceptance appear to trump other considerations regarding unquestioned loyalty to the church. The church and its members will love and support you, so long as you obey its prescribed guidelines. But questioning church precepts is greatly discouraged as it could lead members astray according to church elders.

Overall, an excellent portrayal of a religious sect that continues to not only be redefined and re-characterized by historians but redefined by itself. Mormons who are content with their religion, follow the precepts as dictated by the elders, dedicate their lives to helping others, and propagate the faith of the LDS Church need have no fear from church authority. But those who cross lines set by church governance may have their religious lives revoked. The only thing I can say is that I judge a religious group not by how they treat those who behave within proscribed limits, but how they treat those they judge as apostates.

PBS underscores again

[groggo · 3/10 · 22 July 2008]

Over the past 15 years or so, PBS has been infiltrated by more and more heavy-duty corporate sponsors, and much of the network's previously hard-hitting investigative 'bite' has either disappeared or been severely diluted.

This four-hour series on the Mormons is exhibit 'A': it's yet another frustrating exercise that purports to examine 'truth'. Little attention is afforded to the shady past of the religion's founder, Joseph Smith, a convicted swindler, impostor, thief, consummate liar and all-round superb con artist.

The series does point out that Smith was operating in an upstate New York region infested with lunatics who had received 'the light and the word' from god himself. Enter our Joseph, who was a fabulously talented storyteller. He was imaginative, glib, and charismatic (sound familiar?), much better than all the others at making people believe that he, and only he, was THE chosen messenger (a la Mohammad).

In the PBS series, we see documents allegedly translated by Smith (transcribed from two magic gold plates that he had conveniently found near his home). Yet historians who have seriously studied the Mormons claim that Smith was basically illiterate (again, like Mohammad), although he could apparently read.

According to these historians, Smith did not write the words on the gold plates, because, well, he couldn't write. He instead cajoled a friend into transcribing the plates, which were carefully hidden from the scribe's view for safety's sake. If he saw them, according to Smith, he would be struck dead immediately. Ya gotta love this guy.

Smith's 'translation' contains countless passages (about 30-40 thousand words) taken verbatim from the Old and New Testaments (a lot of rust on those gold plates). It would have been easy for Smith to simply read these passages to his clueless scribe, yet this little nugget is ignored in the PBS series.

Basically, The Church of Latter Day Saints is just another phony religion invented by a con artist par excellence who actually started to believe, with surpassing zeal, his own lies. He went on to transform and convert himself before he converted his followers. He became a super-evangelist before he was inconveniently murdered in a shoot-out. A dead martyr is better than a thousand live zealots; zap: we got ourselves a religion.

Smith was seriously delusional, not unlike other 'founders' of religions. That seems obvious to atheists, agnostics and 'outsiders,' but not to PBS, which infuses this series with a tone that is almost reverential. This sellout of truth by the people's network is understandable: to condemn the Mormon faith is to risk severe reprisals from powerful church members in politics and corporate America.

Mormonism (or whatever it's called) is apparently the fastest-growing religion in America and perhaps even the world. Coincidentally, it might also be, per capita, the richest. Odd how god, The Perfect One, gave the 'final word' to the Mormons yet also had a need to accumulate enormous wealth in the bargain. If god is 'perfect,' why would he need money? It shows, once again (and again and again), that the number of people who are willing to be duped is apparently infinite.

Another gross misrepresentation

[davea0511 · 1/10 · 31 October 2007]

Similar to the Part 1 in this series, those who watched this series are further removed from knowing who their Mormon neighbors are than they were before watching it. For example, let me just say that none of the Mormon people I know would intentionally plan to have another baby when the mother was 42 years of age and had gestational diabetes. The man who did that, I'm terribly sorry for his loss, but "another spirit waiting to come to our family" concept is not fully justified solely in official church doctrine. The program presented many other similar stories where the questionable (if not downright wrong) actions of a few Mormons were once again misrepresented as being reflective of the Mormon religion and people as a whole.

All I can say is please know that this series represented at best a very non-representative cross section of the body of the church, except for one family that they interviewed (out of dozens interviewed). If you want to know the truth then please get to know your Mormon neighbors and find out for yourselves what they are like. Personally I'm only further disappointed with the sensationalized focus the documentary placed on fringe members to have the audacity to call the documentary "The Mormons" and suggest that what they described was a fair cross-section of this religion and people.