Monday, March 9, 2009

My Ramblings, an invitation, (part of) my testimony, my soap box, then a Cut and Copy from the LDS Newsroom

(Free write with no pics, good luck getting through this if you care/dare.)

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of you know that. You may or may not know what that means. If not, ASK ME! I'm non-confrontational, but I'd like to extend an invitation to come with me to any church event or to our Sunday worship services. The whole family is invited! Having kids in our worship service can be a little distracting, but just to myself. Everybody is used to it and understands that kids are kids. Dylan would pretty much sit through the Sacrament Meeting being quiet and still because my Uncle George gave me some good advice. He told me that during that hour and fifteen minutes, he never let his kids' feet touch the floor. That means, that if they were not behaving and had to be taken out, they didn't get to run free in the halls or climb down under the pews etc. They would be conditioned to sit reverently because outside was no fun. Well I give in with Isaac b/c he's a bit more vocal/squirmy, so it's easy to give into Dylan now. They stand in front of me and play with their little toy cars on the soft pews. Isaac has a routine where we sit through taking the bread and water - the important part of the whole meeting, then I usually take him out to the mother's lounge where he falls asleep. I stroll him back into the meeting and I get to listen to the speakers. I tell you this so you know there's no reason to be intimidated. Let this be an open invitation to come sit through the meeting with me.

I'm a really accepting person, and really like other religions. Most of my friends don't belong to my church. They're amazing people and I learn tons from them. I love them, in fact, so don't get offended please:) I'm a people pleaser, as Chrissy labeled me. I'm a little less of one now, but still- I'm writing this whole blog mostly for myself, remember. My brother, Martin, is talking about our church a LOT in Mexico right now. He puts me to shame. I should be shouting from the house tops, because I really do believe that my church is the true church. I know the Bible is the word of God. I know that the Book of Mormon is also the word of God. I love how they go hand-in-hand when I'm really into studying the scriptures. I got the personal confirmation about the Book of Mormon when I was reading the story of Abinidi when I was a Freshman in High School in Oklahoma. I was reading it in the sunlight of our three big windows in the living room. I was behind the big blue chair, possibly with a blanket. I was so impressed by Abinidi's faith when he was brought before {wicked} King Noah. I could really picture the story, like a play was being acted out just for me. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet just like the prophets of old in the Torah and in the Bible. There is, in fact, a living prophet today because our Heavenly Father still loves his people. His name is Thomas S. Monson. I've ALWAYS loved hearing him speak. I get to watch him every 6 months at our church's General Conference that is broadcasted around the world. You can watch that on the Internet if you don't want to sit and watch the big screen at one of our churches. The next one is next month and there'll be a link at http://www.lds.org/. I have been watching it at home since I've had kids. The talks are so inspirational, and are usually right what I need to hear. Some are more memorable than others, but I'm anticipating this one more than others. I'm going to go listen at church while the kids stay somewhere else. That's my plan anyway.

So, if you'd like to know about my religion and my church, please get it from a good source. I just heard that HBO's "Big Love" is going to try to portray some aspects of my religion that are sacred. It is a fictional story that is not supposed to be related to our church at all. I've never watched it and never will I'm sure. Anyway, it bothers me that it would be so inconsiderate. I have written HBO and Time Warner and said that as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am offended and would like them to reconsider showing this episode. They're probably doing it for press and I'm giving it to them, but still. It bugs me. It'll actually possibly bring more people to ask about our church, so I'm sure a lot of good will come out of it. God has a plan for everything.

I'll get off of my soap box now and will just let you read what I cut and copied from our church's press website:

SALT LAKE CITY 9 March 2009 Like other large faith groups, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sometimes finds itself on the receiving end of attention from Hollywood or Broadway, television series or books, and the news media. Sometimes depictions of the Church and its people are quite accurate. Sometimes the images are false or play to stereotypes. Occasionally, they are in appallingly bad taste.

As Catholics, Jews and Muslims have known for centuries, such attention is inevitable once an institution or faith group reaches a size or prominence sufficient to attract notice. Yet Latter-day Saints – sometimes known as Mormons - still wonder whether and how they should respond when news or entertainment media insensitively trivialize or misrepresent sacred beliefs or practices.

Church members are about to face that question again. Before the first season of the HBO series Big Love aired more than two years ago, the show’s creators and HBO executives assured the Church that the series wouldn’t be about Mormons. However, Internet references to Big Love indicate that more and more Mormon themes are now being woven into the show and that the characters are often unsympathetic figures who come across as narrow and self-righteous. And according to TV Guide, it now seems the show’s writers are to depict what they understand to be sacred temple ceremonies.

Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding. Last week some Church members began e-mail chains calling for cancellations of subscriptions to AOL, which, like HBO, is owned by Time Warner. Certainly such a boycott by hundreds of thousands of computer-savvy Latter-day Saints could have an economic impact on the company. Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series. As Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Robert D. Hales of the Council of the Twelve Apostles have both said recently, when expressing themselves in the public arena, Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness.
Not only is this the model that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in his own life, but it also reflects the reality of the strength and maturity of Church members today. As someone recently said, “This isn’t 1830, and there aren’t just six of us anymore.” In other words, with a global membership of thirteen and a half million there is no need to feel defensive when the Church is moving forward so rapidly. The Church’s strength is in its faithful members in 170-plus countries, and there is no evidence that extreme misrepresentations in the media that appeal only to a narrow audience have any long-term negative effect on the Church.

Examples:
During the Mitt Romney election campaign for the presidency of the United States, commentator Lawrence O’Donnell hurled abuse at the Church in a television moment that became known among many Church members as “the O’Donnell rant.” Today, his statements are remembered only as a testament to intolerance and ignorance. They had no effect on the Church that can be measured.

When the comedy writers for South Park produced a gross portrayal of Church history, individual Church members no doubt felt uncomfortable. But once again it inflicted no perceptible or lasting damage to a church that is growing by at least a quarter of a million new members every year.

When an independent film company produced a grossly distorted version of the Mountain Meadows Massacre two years ago, the Church ignored it. Perhaps partly as a result of that refusal to engender the controversy that the producers hoped for, the movie flopped at the box office and lost millions.

In recent months, some gay activists have barraged the media with accusations about “hateful” attitudes of Latter-day Saints in supporting Proposition 8 in California, which maintained the traditional definition of marriage. They even organized a protest march around the Salt Lake Temple. Again, the Church has refused to be goaded into a Mormons versus gays battle and has simply stated its position in tones that are reasonable and respectful. Meanwhile, missionary work and Church members in California remain as robust and vibrant as ever, and support for the Church has come from many unexpected quarters — including some former critics and other churches.

Now comes another series of Big Love, and despite earlier assurances from HBO it once again blurs the distinctions between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the show’s fictional non-Mormon characters and their practices. Such things say much more about the insensitivities of writers, producers and TV executives than they say about Latter-day Saints.
If the Church allowed critics and opponents to choose the ground on which its battles are fought, it would risk being distracted from the focus and mission it has pursued successfully for nearly 180 years. Instead, the Church itself will determine its own course as it continues to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

---
Me, Tiffany, again,
here's the info from some email forwards I got today, FYI:
HBO is owned by Time Warner:
Time Warner Inc.
One Time Warner Center
New York, NY10019-8016
212.484.8000

http://www.hbo.com/apps/submitinfo/contactus/submit.do?title=GeneralInformation&questiontype=generalInformation&questiontype=general

2 comments:

by: Brian and Lacey McKay said...

Hi Tiff! Just wanted to say that I did not mean to copy you when I wrote the post about reading the Book of Mormon the other day. I don't remember you posting anything about that in the past. It sounds like we had a lot of the same ideas though! Great minds think alike!

Also, I've never heard of a show called "Big Love", but I don't have HBO and I'm not big on tv, so I guess that doesn't mean much. Is it a drama? In the email you sent earlier, it sounded more like a reality show. I'm so sick of those.

Lindsay said...

Hey...thanks! I almost teared up while reading your testimony. I am giving away a Book Of Mormon for the FIRST TIME ever...and I am nervous/excited.