The Mormons (Frontline documentary)

[pomology]

I am fascinated by Mormons. When I was in third grade we had to pick a city to do a project on and for some reason I chose Salt Lake City. About a year later my family went on vacation to the mountain west (mostly to places like Yellowstone and Glacier) and we flew into Salt Lake City. We visited Temple Square and my mother told me that I should be wary of the fact that people might try and convert me (which I found really, really strange because I don't think I had a clue what missionaries were as we Jews tend not to have such things). Ever since the information I have learned about Mormonism has seemed utterly preposterous and just so mysterious that that I just want to understand what is going on. More than anything else, it strikes me as so amazing that so many members of what looks on the outside to be a cult are productive and otherwise normal members of society.

 

So while trying to find information about Mormons online I stumbled across this Frontline documentary about Mormons. It's possible to view the whole thing online and I was raised with the liberal value of fondness towards public radio and television. So I decided to watch it. Being a huge history nerd, I was particularly enthralled with the first half which is about the history of Mormons up through the end of the nineteenth century. Generally, I thought it was a very interesting, well-done, and fair documentary. I'd recommend it.

 

I was wondering if anybody else here had seen the documentary and what they thought. Particularly Mormons or former-Mormons.

 

TL;DR: You should see this documentary and if you have, what do you think?

 

http://www.pbs.org/mormons/view/

[0KidsAndHappy]

I recently watched one of those documentaries with Lisa Ling about fundamentalist Mormons (not the Warren Jeffs, child marrying fundies). The FLDS women were having meetings with members of the gay community about seeking rights (as second, third, etc... wives). It was really interesting to see them coming to the realization that homosexuality isn't at all what they had been raised to believe. While there was A LOT left out of that documentary and a lot of sugar-coating, I was glad to see that part of it.

[ZTwist]

My daughter converted to the LDS church when she finished high school, she went to BYU, graduated and now is married to a really lovely young man who is also Mormon. His family is wonderful, and treat my daughter as one of their kids. He is doing graduate work at BYU so they live in Provo. She is truly happy.

At first I was worried and thought of it as a cult, but it really isn't, I don't agree with some of their tenets, especially the patriarchal nature of the religion, but they are generally good, decent people. And I know my daughter has an equal part in the household decisions; after all, I had her for her first 18 years!

Haven't seen the documentary, but I will try to watch it.