mormon's in america

last night you may or may not have watched nbc's rock center which dedicated their entire hour to a special titled "mormons in america". since i am a mormon in america, naturally i tuned in to see how they did. overall, i would give them an A. they presented accurate information in a generally positive light, which can sometimes be a difficult thing for nbc to achieve... of course there were a few things i wish had been different, like the amount of air time abby huntsman, an "ex" mormon (as she put it), was given. but overall, it's certainly worth a watch.

so now i would like to share a few specific thoughts on the show. first of all, i'm glad they did include abby huntsman in it, not her specifically but an "ex" mormon (i've never really heard it referred to that way until last night, hence the ""). i'm glad they included successful members, typical members, non-typical members (like the biracial couple) and even someone who has struggled but returned. i, shockingly, enjoyed the yale professor's comments and i wish they had shown him more. mainly i'm glad they showed as we see ourselves- happy, service oriented, and striving to live the closest to Christ as we can.

i loved the first segment with the jet blue founder. he was such a positive example of how the church can and does shape lives. i loved the segment on the church welfare program and even i learned a little something from that. (i always knew the church owned farms and such but i guess i never really knew what they actually them). i loved that they pronounced moroni correctly! i loved that they talked about the success of many members of the church. i loved that they beautifully explained the benefits of serving a mission. and they were right about children saving from when they are young- we put $25 a month into a saving account for evan's mission.

here are some things i didn't love so much: i didn't love abby huntsman saying that she hopes someday the church will allow more people into the temple. clearly she has no understanding of the sacredness of the temple and why you must be a member to enter. i do not wish to be privy to the more private parts of any other group that i do not subscribe to and i would hope people could have the same respect for our temples. i did not love the active member saying she had had one coke in her life like it was a bad thing. there is NO church doctrine about caffeine. we are told to stay away from anything addictive or harmful, and some people have independently interpreted that as caffeine. i have a coke zero nearly every single day and i am a worthy member of the church- no harm there. i was confused about the member gay man marching for gay marriage. and i was very, very saddened by the story of the last man, who is gay and has so clearly struggled with the decision of how to live his life. i feel so sad for anyone who has to make a choice regarding a serious temptation in their life and i cannot imagine the pain associated with any decision made. i said a special prayer for him last night, that he may find peace in his life.

it was only an hour long, so obviously they didn't cover everything. but i think they did a more than fair job of showing what they could, all sides included, in that hour. if you want to know more, all i ask is that you go to the source. you may visit www.mormon.org for direct answers to questions or you may visit www.lds.org for more independent study. and you are always welcome to view my mormon.org page (see the link on the right side of my blog).

i hope through all of this attention in the media, that people may learn to accept mormon's for who we are- members of a church who believe in Christ and try very literally to emulate Him in our words and deeds. by no means do i ask for everyone to accept what we believe as their own (not that i would mind that... :) but i do ask that you accept that it is what i hold to be the nearest, dearest, and the most absolutely true part of my life.