Mormons organizing to try to cancel "Big Love"

by undercover 5 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  undercover

  Devout Mormons are forwarding this email to one another in an effort to get HBO to cancel "Big Love"

  Here's one version: (hope the formatting works)

  HBO's new series, "Big Love", is about a polygamous family and is set in a Salt Lake City suburb. About the likely impact of this sexually driven show, the New York Times said, "We may never look at Utah and think white bread again."
  
  Parodies of beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occur- belief in priesthood by a man blessing his hunting rifle, belief in personal revelation from the Holy Ghost by dramatic visions that the polygamous leader discusses casually with a friend. Talk of "celestial kingdom", "free agency", and the "Choose the Right" slogan are included. There is a brief disclaimer stating that the polygamists don't have an active connection with the LDS Church. But if the writers don't intend for viewers to make the connection, one wonders why they set the show in Salt Lake City, the Church's world headquarters, and why they included distortions of LDS beliefs.
  
  NBC recently cancelled a show about a dysfunctional Episcopal priest who saw a "Jesus", after almost 700,000 people emailed and complained.
  
  Couldn't we do the same for this show? If you agree, will you:- forward this email to at least 8 people - email a polite protest
  to HBO:
  
  Go to www.hbo.com, scroll to bottom of page, click Contact Us,click on The Sopranos (unless Big Love is listed when you do so), scroll to the light blue box near page bottom, on the line just under Submit an Email, click on Contact Us.Then enter your information, specify it's about Big Love, and leave a message asking them to cancel this offensive show.
  
  One or two sentences is all it takes. Or feel free to copy or edit this message:

  I am offended that you would produce the series "Big Love". It demeans and distorts sacred beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By setting the show in Salt Lake City, it blurs the line between the Church and the long renounced practice of polygamy. Additionally, it is morally reprehensible to showcase an abusive family situation as entertainment. Please cancel "Big Love" immediately.
  
  For "extra mile" effort and effect, call HBO's operator at 212 512 1208 from 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri EST and ask to leave a message asking them to cancel Big Love.
  
  ...don't let the perfect be the enemy to the good.
• 

  candidlynuts

  dangit!! book of daniel was canceled. .hope this one doesnt .. so far its pretty good.
• 

  rebel8

  Parodies of beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints occur- belief in priesthood by a man blessing his hunting rifle, belief in personal revelation from the Holy Ghost by dramatic visions that the polygamous leader discusses casually with a friend. Talk of "celestial kingdom", "free agency", and the "Choose the Right" slogan are included. There is a brief disclaimer stating that the polygamists don't have an active connection with the LDS Church. But if the writers don't intend for viewers to make the connection, one wonders why they set the show in Salt Lake City, the Church's world headquarters, and why they included distortions of LDS beliefs.

  That is complete nonsense. The show repeatedly portrays the characters as a radical offshoot of the main LDS church and mentions many times that the characters have not been affiliated with the LDS since 1890. Last night, the Prophet character gave a press conference (in the show) and spoke about the LDS with disdain (apostate lol).

  If anyone could watch that show and think the characters are supposed to depict mainstream Mormons, they need to have their head examined.

  There is one girl in the show that is a mainstream Mormon, but so far her role has been too minimal to portray the kind of distortions the email claims.

  I for one really hope the show stays on the air. It shows how emotionally abusive and controlling cults can be.
• 

  Abaddon

  Mmmmm...

  Personally I'd go for;

  Dear Sirs,

  Whilst the practises of polygamous followers of Joe Smith are not representative of members of the LDS (of Utah, Inc., ™, ®, ©, Pat. Pend., Intel Absent, MMX, Reynolds 531, and don't forget the ickle spirit babies) as regards marriage (or equality of black people come to mention it), both the (unrepresentative of the LDS) polygamous fundies and the (representative of the LDS) common-or-garden Mormon are, at the end of the day, in the deepest sympathy, and with the utmost regret and no desire to offend, whacked out cult follwers of yet-another-bloke-with-a-beard-who-says-he-talked-to-god-or-is-otherwise-a-channel-of-devine-wisdom, a rather long list including Noah, Abraham, Enoch, Moses, Jesus, Saul of Ephesus, John of Patmos (mushrooms anyone?) Mohammed, all the Seikh gurus (apart from the book), Zoraster, the founder of the Ba-hai, Charlels Taze Russell, Charles Manson, the Beatle's guru, that guy at Waco, and for all we know AGuest, ad nausium, for ever and ever, Darwin..

  Their religious hierachy uses certain identifiable techniques to control the actions of its members including control of information and shunning. They are high control groups.

  Please feel free to parody, lampoon, satarise and humiliate them. They have perpetual open season on their literalistic credulous asses. Even if one person who would have otherwise listened to a Mormon Missionary sends them away with a flea in their ear, even if one child raised a Mormon exercises their rights of self-determination, it will be well worth the offended dignity and boo-hoos of those your program rightly targets.

  How about targeting Jehovah's Witnesses next? They don't have the salacious sexual aspect of niches of Mormonism, but they will let babies die for want of a simple medical procedure. Maybe following a Hospital Liaison Committee that serve a major hospital for a few months is a good idea. They are specially trained Elders in the group who help fellow believers die because of an inconsistent and impossibly chronologically flawed piece of literalism and second-guessing. It's got everything; sick babies, machines that go bleep (least, you hope they do), dashing doctors, spunky nurses, officious fools, confused and distraught parents. Add in the dysfuntional homelife you'll witness if you follow them home, and the 'Stepford Wives' angle and you will be shitting yourself with delight when you get to edit down your footahe.

  Keep up the good work!

  Yours faithfully

  I don't know if I get my feelings across, what do you think?
• 

  simplesally

  Too bad, I liked the Book of Daniel!! I really like Big Love so maybe I better send HBO a fan letter for Bill Paxton!
• 

  Swan

  The difference is the Book of Daniel was a network show with advertisers. Big Love is subscription based HBO. If you don't like it, cancel your subscription (if you even have one, I have heard that there are a lot of conservative groups who don't subscribe at all). The rest of us can then continue to pay for Big Love and other shows like it that make us think.

  And even if these whiners do get HBO, they can just change the channel. After all, that's why God invented the remote control.

  BTW, don't you think that HBO kind of saw this coming. I would be real surprised if they didn't expect this hullabaloo. I don't expect it to change their decision to broadcast this show.

  Tammy