A number of emails have circulated and various Facebook groups have been created in protest of the upcoming episode of "Big Love" to be aired on HBO. TV Guide supposedly reported that this Sunday's episode will involve what the writers understand to be Latter-day Saint temple ceremonies.
I will give my opinion about the matter, but the point of this post is to direct your attention to the Church's official statement regarding the show. This is the official stance of the Church regarding this and other related issues and any conflicting views by members of the Church are simply their opinions.
Here is my view. In short, I strongly disagree with HBO's decision to air the episode. The events that transpire in the temple are sacred and holy and to have men set them at naught is offensive.
I do not know the source of their information, but that which HBO will air is sacred to us and to the Lord. Therefore, the person or persons from whom HBO received their information must be former, unhappy members of the Church who are no longer friendly with the Church and its teachings. Given the circumstances and the sources, I am positive that their version of these sacred ceremonies will not be altogether accurate and will certainly not be portrayed in the correct manner for a number of reasons. One, it's showbiz, the "inspired by a true story" and other types of related shows are always doctored up to entertain in order to make money. Events are exaggerated, attitudes altered, and drama either overemphasized or comletely invented in order to make the story sell. Therefore, I'm sure the episode this Sunday will contain exaggerated and schemed-up events in order to play on viewers' emotions, just as TV shows and movies are supposed to do. Two, given the sources, viewers cannot guarantee that what they see is completely correct and unbiased. The best source for information about something is the thing itself. The best source of information about an organization is the organization; about a person, the person or authorized biographies of the person; of a place, the government of the place, etc.; not second- or third-party sources, especially sources who are bitter or have a reason to misrepresent the entity.
In our day and age, we want to know mysteries and we want to know about "weird" things that are going on in our world. The natural man thrives on knowing and criticizing things that are foreign or things that he does not understand. Temples are sacred, the things that go on inside of them are not public, and people are intrigued to know what kind of "strange things" might be happening. When any entity finds out that what goes on in the temple doesn't reflect any rumors they've heard, the entity will make up things in order to satisfy and not disappoint the audience.
The Church invites all to come to the temple, see what is inside, make the covenants with the Lord, and receive all that the Father hath. Please, come to the temple. I spent two years of my life and my money in Ukraine inviting people to come unto Christ and to the temple. No worthy person who has taken the necessary steps and made the necessary covenants with the Lord is denied entry to the temple. The Lord would be beyond happy if all His children came to the temple.
Temples are not secret, the ceremonies are not secret, they are sacred. Therefore the necessity exists to protect the sacred nature of the temple. Visiting the temple is the highlight of my week, the temple is so peaceful and the Spirit is so strong. By preserving the sacredness of the temple the Church is able to provide a bit of heaven on earth, a place that we may go and be apart from the stresses and pressures and temptations of the world.
Jeremy
I will give my opinion about the matter, but the point of this post is to direct your attention to the Church's official statement regarding the show. This is the official stance of the Church regarding this and other related issues and any conflicting views by members of the Church are simply their opinions.
Here is my view. In short, I strongly disagree with HBO's decision to air the episode. The events that transpire in the temple are sacred and holy and to have men set them at naught is offensive.
I do not know the source of their information, but that which HBO will air is sacred to us and to the Lord. Therefore, the person or persons from whom HBO received their information must be former, unhappy members of the Church who are no longer friendly with the Church and its teachings. Given the circumstances and the sources, I am positive that their version of these sacred ceremonies will not be altogether accurate and will certainly not be portrayed in the correct manner for a number of reasons. One, it's showbiz, the "inspired by a true story" and other types of related shows are always doctored up to entertain in order to make money. Events are exaggerated, attitudes altered, and drama either overemphasized or comletely invented in order to make the story sell. Therefore, I'm sure the episode this Sunday will contain exaggerated and schemed-up events in order to play on viewers' emotions, just as TV shows and movies are supposed to do. Two, given the sources, viewers cannot guarantee that what they see is completely correct and unbiased. The best source for information about something is the thing itself. The best source of information about an organization is the organization; about a person, the person or authorized biographies of the person; of a place, the government of the place, etc.; not second- or third-party sources, especially sources who are bitter or have a reason to misrepresent the entity.
In our day and age, we want to know mysteries and we want to know about "weird" things that are going on in our world. The natural man thrives on knowing and criticizing things that are foreign or things that he does not understand. Temples are sacred, the things that go on inside of them are not public, and people are intrigued to know what kind of "strange things" might be happening. When any entity finds out that what goes on in the temple doesn't reflect any rumors they've heard, the entity will make up things in order to satisfy and not disappoint the audience.
The Church invites all to come to the temple, see what is inside, make the covenants with the Lord, and receive all that the Father hath. Please, come to the temple. I spent two years of my life and my money in Ukraine inviting people to come unto Christ and to the temple. No worthy person who has taken the necessary steps and made the necessary covenants with the Lord is denied entry to the temple. The Lord would be beyond happy if all His children came to the temple.
Temples are not secret, the ceremonies are not secret, they are sacred. Therefore the necessity exists to protect the sacred nature of the temple. Visiting the temple is the highlight of my week, the temple is so peaceful and the Spirit is so strong. By preserving the sacredness of the temple the Church is able to provide a bit of heaven on earth, a place that we may go and be apart from the stresses and pressures and temptations of the world.
Jeremy
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