Why Mormons Build Temples

[zerinus]

On the Church’s official website, on the opening page, a YouTube video clip is shown entitled “Why Mormons Build Temples”. My guess is that this is the Church’s response to the parodying of the Mormon Temple ceremony in HBO’s Big Love series, which has received quite a bit of media attention lately. To my knowledge, this is the first time that the LDS Church has presented a YouTube video clip (or any other kind of video clip) on the homepage of its website. My guess is that the Church is taking good advantage of the media attention to inform people of its basic beliefs; and it looks like it has had the desired effect. I looked at the original YouTube channel, and found that this particular clip has received 305,013 hits during the few days that it has been put up, which is far in excess of the other clips that the Church has had on there for a longer time. Do you think that the attempt by the enemies of the Church to undermine it in that way actually backfires, and generates more positive publicity for the Church in the end?

There is little doubt that the producers of that TV series are basically opposed to the Church, and these are their attempts to attack or undermine it. Lawrence O’Donnell, who is one of the actors in the series, is a well-known anti-Mormon whose rants against the Church are well documented. Tom Hanks, the executive producer of Big Love, is another anti-Mormon who made negative comments about the LDS Church in the wake of the Prop 8 campaign—although he afterwards had to apologize for it and retract his remarks when he realized that it has backfired. My question is, do you think that this kind of negative publicity by the enemies of Mormonism actually produces the kind of result they expect, or does it have the opposite effect? The great majority of those who watch Big Love are not born anti-Mormons. They are just ordinary folks who know little about Mormonism, but at the same time are intelligent enough to know that Big Love is not the right place to learn about it. So they become curious and visit the Church’s website, and learn the truth about the Church. So, in your opinion, do you think that this kind of stuff actually hurts the LDS Church, or do you think that it works indirectly to promote it?

The big mistake that anti-Mormons seem to make is that they think that everybody else thinks in the same way as they do. Unfortunately for them, they don’t. Anti-Mormonism is only attractive to those who have the anti-Mormon mentality; and most people don’t. This kind of stuff only makes them curious to find out more, and it generates in the end more positive publicity for Mormonism. What do you think?

zerinus

 

[PaulDupre]

Big Love did not “parody” the endowment. The portrayed two brief portions of it accurately and sympathetically. I don’t think they got the sashes quite right, but that was a very minor detail.

 

[JLFuller]

The bigger the squawk the greater the interest. It is like Ann Coulter books. She parades them in front of a hostile media and sells them by the millions. The Church is in that kind of situation too. We have to take a little beating up occassinally but that only draws more attenion. Its like the hard core Mormon haters whp post here and elsewhere. For every 1 of them there are 10 others who are drawn to the dust up just to see what it is all about. In that 10 are some serious people who really want to know. Some are impressed with the mudslingers but there is always the man or woman who recognizes that there is something else too. Something that tugs at them from the Mormon message that makes them want to hear more.

 

[zerinus]

The Church’s YouTube channel has been updated with another video about the Temple called The Blessings of the Temple. This video was put up just four hours ago at the time of this posting. The LDS Church seems to be pretty good at knowing how to take advantage the “adverse” publicity created by its enemies and turn them into its own advantage. That means they are smart, right?

zerinus

 

[LDSGuy]

YES, i just saw that as well and thought it was beautiful.

 

[tundramom]

The LDS Church seems to be pretty good at knowing how to take advantage the “adverse” publicity created by its enemies and turn them into its own advantage. That means they are smart, right?

zerinus

Yes. The LDS PR department is very good at what it does.

in Christ
Steph

 

[JLFuller]

Excellent. It was very moving. Thanks for the link.

 

[zerinus]

The original clip on the Church’s website has now been replaced with the newer one that I had linked to on post #4. The original one, called “Why Mormons Build Temples,” can still be viewed here.

zerinus

 

[sweetnay]

Again, get out of missionary mode-you are once again pathetically attempting to evangelize while couching it in a “question” --we all know what monson said re: how to deal w this latest “attack” on the ldschurch/corporation–he said to take advantage of all the technology you can and post clips from official lds sites as well as other “reputable” ones to steer this sudden “interest”. It won’t work-the scene depicted was accurate (other than the color of the apron)–bottom line-mormons think men can become gods-polygamy exists in the celestial kingdom-god was once a man— what blasphemy!!

 

[PaulDupre]

Again, get out of missionary mode-you are once again pathetically attempting to evangelize while couching it in a “question” --we all know what monson said re: how to deal w this latest “attack” on the ldschurch/corporation–he said to take advantage of all the technology you can and post clips from official lds sites as well as other “reputable” ones to steer this sudden “interest”. It won’t work-the scene depicted was accurate (other than the color of the apron)–bottom line-mormons think men can become gods-polygamy exists in the celestial kingdom-god was once a man— what blasphemy!!

I’m color-blind. What color were the aprons? Not green?

 

[sweetnay]

Hilarious!! Yes they were blue oddly enough–I suppose that qualifies as another “anti mormon inaccuracy”

Snip this thread!!

 

[William_M]

Maybe there is no such thing as bad publicity. When people hear about the Church, some get curious, and some of those find the truth and are baptized. In that vein, the Church is clearly wise to take whatever advantage it can of Hollywood’s attempt to hurt the Church by confusing the public into thinking that Mormons are polygamists.

At the same time, maybe Hollywood is netting an advantage in its anti-Mormon campaign. Maybe blurring, indeed obliterating, the distinction between polygamists and Mormons in the minds of non-Mormons is working. To Mormons, it seems ridiculous, but maybe Mormons just do not realize all the things that uninformed non-Mormons might take seriously.

I think that Proposition 8 has intensified Hollywood’s hatred of Mormons to such a degree that renewal of Big Love for another season is a foregone conclusion regardless of ratings and that the new season will feature an order of magnitude increase in villification and ridicule of Mormons. Every effort will be made to tag Mormons as polygamists in the next season.

Zerinus, you better wake up from your naive view. Homosexual activists and the other liberal atheists (such as Episcopals) would like nothing better than to make all Mormons into social outcasts and marginalize the Church to the point of social impotence. For different reasons, the Catholics/Protestants want the same thing, and Big Love suits their purposes ideally by attacking only Mormons and exempting all other religion. With Mormons gone from the scene, Catholic/Protestant consciences will be unruffled by the truth of the Restoration, and they can be serene in their apostacy. Maybe it is just that Catholics/Protestants are too consumed with their own fear of the Restoration to realize that, when Hollywood is finished with the Mormons, they are next, but I do not think so. Rather, I think that they are a lot more afraid of Mormons than they are of homosexual activists and liberal atheists, and that is a perfectly rational calculation.

 

[RebeccaJ]

I think that Proposition 8 has intensified Hollywood’s hatred of Mormons to such a degree that renewal of Big Love for another season is a foregone conclusion regardless of ratings and that the new season will feature an order of magnitude increase in villification and ridicule of Mormons. Every effort will be made to tag Mormons as polygamists in the next season.

You are way off topic here, but I’ll just say, Hollywood runs on money. And lots of it. Making it. Making more of it. It is a culture of greed.

If Mormons feel bad, and money is lost, you better believe a show will be canceled without a thought as to how it has been making Mormons feel.

 

[William_M]

RebeccaJ:

Few things trump greed. But hatred, fear and the thirst for revenge are among those few things that do trump greed. “How many barrels of whale oil will your revenge fetch on the Nantucket market Captain Ahab?.” (The quote is not really a quote. Just my vague recollection of the idea.)

Besides, the attack on Mormons may be a ratings success and give a purely economic justification for renewal of Big Love. The real issue is just how far the show will go in its attempt to impose on viewers an adverse impression of Mormons.

No. I am not the slightest bit off topic. It is exactly on topic to point out that Zerinus’ suggestion that all is working out for the best is dubious.

Cut out the stuff about “how Mormons feel.” Tom Hanks et al are not stupid or trivial. You are not stupid or trivial. Satan is not stupid or trivial. Their goals are not to hurt Mormons’ feelings. They have far more rational worldy goals of hindering the Restoration.

William

“If the Church were not true, our enemies would be bored rather than threatened, and acquiescent rather than anxious. Hell is moved only when things move heavenword.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (deceased)
Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

 

[RebeccaJ]

Well, you seem to be suffering from delusions of persecution. And have fallen for something that doesn’t exist (restoration). And a narcissistic complex to boot.

Hint: HBO doesn’t revolve around Mormonism.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

I dont think it will backfire. The media reaches millions more than a youtube video on the lds page. Plus most of the views would be by Mormons.

Im not exactly up to date here, but I heard HBO or something was going to bradcast a very secret lds ceremony soon. While I admit Id be interested in just what goes on in such a ceremony, I think it is very low class to broadcast it like that.

 

[reff]

I think it’s important to keep in mind that HBO’s Big Love did NOT parody the Mormon temple ritual. They accurately depicted it, as a previous poster stated. As far as parodying a Mormon ceremony, it’s important to note that has not happened. Yes it offended the Mormon faith, and understandably. However, they did not in any way falsely depict the ceremony, and it’s important for PR within the Mormon Church to keep that in mind when responding to this situation.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

I think it’s important to keep in mind that HBO’s Big Love did NOT parody the Mormon temple ritual. They accurately depicted it, as a previous poster stated. As far as parodying a Mormon ceremony, it’s important to note that has not happened. Yes it offended the Mormon faith, and understandably. However, they did not in any way falsely depict the ceremony, and it’s important for PR within the Mormon Church to keep that in mind when responding to this situation.

So that secret ceremony thing has already been shown? I must be behind on the news.

 

[LDSGuy]

So that secret ceremony thing has already been shown? I must be behind on the news.

yeah they showed that episode already. HBO takes down all clips from youtube, but you might be able to find the full episode somewhere online. Honestly the ceremony was unnecessary for the plot of the episode, but, as much as I would have rather it not have been shown, I liked that they didn’t try to disrespect our temple beliefs (though they did get some concepts, like temple recommends, wrong).

 

[Catholic_Dude]

Oh my goodness! I’m at a loss for words after just now seeing that “Why Mormons Build Temples” video.

There goes another shamefully deceptive marketing and PR tactics by the devil. The second half of that officially sponsored LDS movie has a liberal Protestant dressed up in religious garb portrayed as a respectable priest/bishop which most people would unknowingly assume is Anglican or Catholic, and they have him (he’s actually a Lutheran) speaking of how glorious and Christian the Mormon religion and temple is. The intention is clear, to give off the impression to the weak minded that mainline Christianity recognizes Mormonism as a genuine believer of basic Christian doctrine. It is a filthy demonic sales pitch by the Mormon church, shameful!! It is the Mormon sales department’s recent method (over the last few years) of trying to make itself outwardly seem mainstream Protestant Christian,** when they know dang well it’s a deceptive lie because they believe only the LDS are true and every other Christian branch is corrupt at the core**.

It is pure deception and un-Christian for an organization like that to market that way in the hopes of luring in an unsuspecting Protestant or Catholic.