resident mormons: "Big Love"?

inkling

I recently starting watching the HBO drama "Big Love" and was wondering
if anyone here who is a mormon or used to be one or is connected to mormons
somehow has seen the show, and what you think of it.

[inkling]

AWAKE&WATCHING

Never been a Mormon but I lived in Utah for a couple of years. Polygamy was illegal but there was always some drama regarding it on T.V. or in the paper. I love "Big Love". *&^$@@#% writer's strike.

saywhat29

I Love Big Love! Now that's a really good show.

Qcmbr

I'll be honest - I found it boring after a while - even with all the nuances that meant something to me. Not a bad show though covered some very real problems.

SusanHere

It's not a show I regularly watch, but every so often the topic of the week, or the current script thread, will prompt me to watch. Often I get phone calls along the line of "they said such and such on the show.... it that true???" I try to say, "Hey, get real. It's a tv show and they want ratings. Of course they're going for shocking, outlandish, unreasonably biased story lines."

Truthfully, it makes me annoyed that I have to explain things the show chooses to portray. My parents and other non-LDS family members love to find things to criticize about anything remotely LDS. Like so many viewers, they cannot seem to grasp the difference between Fundamentalist Mormons (i.e. the show) and Latter-day Saints (my family and I). My life is easier when the show is on hiatus! LOL

On one episode an LDS neighbor was begging to be given the unborn baby of one of the multiple wives, who was claiming to be a surrogate mother. Hope that isn't too convoluted. Anyway, the LDS woman cried and begged to be given the baby because, as she tearfully put it, her husband was going to leave her because she couldn't provide him with spiritual children and without them she and her husband couldn't go to the Celestial Kingdom.

I had barely picked myself up off the floor where I was rolling around laughing, when the phone rang and I -- once again -- got to explain to shocked relatives that NO, having children is NOT a requirement for Celestial entrance. (I would put in an eye rolling emoticon here, but don't know how, so just imagine a really big eye roll!)

Too bad, too, as the acting on the show is pretty good, but really, couldn't they spend an extra few dollars a week to have an actual LDS person fact-check this type of trash before writing it into the storyline? Or maybe just stick to the Fundamentalist/Polygamy line and leave the Latter-day Saints out of it? Either way would be fine with me. It would save me a lot of explaining over nothing but a writer's overactive imagination coupled with gross ignorance.

SusanHere

Oh, to make matters worse with the "surrogate" storyline, my husband and I have children of our own and also raised adopted children. When this story aired, one dearly beloved relative said, in all seriousness, "Now I know why you chose to have so many children and even had to adopt more. What IS the required number for the Celestial Kingdom?"

Did I need this conversation? NO.

I do not need our motives for wanting children being pidgeonholed into some stupid category so totally unrelated to why we actually had them. Most of the calls demanding explanations are just annoying, but that one really made me sad.

SusanHere

oldflame

SusanHere,

I got to ask you this question, I know it is off topic a bit but I need to know.

How does a Mormon say they believe in the bible but yet do not believe in Hell ? Do the Mormons only believe some of the bible like the JW's do or do are they brainwashed to believe anything they hear ? This is asked with all due respect too.

Double Edge

My LDS friend's Mormon grandfather (in his 90's) tells the story of his father being asked by ignorant people, in all seriousness, if he would take off his hat so they could see his horns. Apparently, back at the turn of the last century, rumour had it that Mormons still wore hats to cover up their horns. My other LDS friend added that she has been in several conversations where people were surprised that she wore makeup and was allowed to dance.... "h-e-l-l-o"

FormerMormon

I don't watch HBO. If you want to know whether something they say is really "Mormon", let me know.

Oldflame asked about Mormons believing the Bible and the Hell the bible described... I'm surprised you asked... being a former member and all.

Mormon hell is poorly defined and contradictory. Major mormon themes like the three degrees of heaven, eternal marriage, baptism for the dead, word of wisdom and temple work WERE NOT MENTIONED in the Book of Mormon. Supposedly the BOM was a "restoration" of Mormonism, but failed to include these major mormon themes. (because these ideas hadn't been made up by Joseph's Myth yet). The Bible/book of mormon describe a bipolar heaven/hell. Later "scriptures" revelealed by sMyth detailed a multi layered heaven. And thus, the confusion of hell within mormon scripture.

seven006

FormerMormon,

I just wanted to thank you for your comments about Mormons and the LDS church on this board. I have done a lot of research on the majority of “Minority Religions” and cult like high control groups over the past several years and I find what you have to say is more in line with what I have discovered.

I have only commented once on one of the Mormon topic threads that have popped up on this board in the last few months. I asked a couple of questions. One was about the Hill Cumorah, the Joseph Smith’s fairytale war and lack of archeological evidence and the other was about college choices of Mormons. You were the only one of the three Mormon/ex-Mormons who post on this board that bothered to make an attempt at responding to my questions. Thank you for that.

One of our Mormon contributors on this board seems to be here just to promote and defend Mormonism. She seems to use the age old cult tactic of trying to discredit you to try and fool those who don’t know the difference and read your comments into thinking everything you say is wrong and only what she says is right concerning the subject. She has come to the wrong place to do that. Everyone on this board has seen the watchtower printing company use the same bullshit tactic to try and discredit every exJW and label everything they say as apostate lies. Through my years of researching cult like religions like the JW’s, Mormons Scientologist, Moonies etc, they all use the same bullshit tactics.

In their attempt to set themselves apart and show that they are “the one and only ”truth”” They have all proven to be exactly the same.

Just as we get the occasional active JW who comes here and posts in a lame attempt to defend their religion’s bullshit, we seem to have attracted an active Mormon or two that are trying to do the same thing. Just like the JW’s who come here and post, the only ones they are fooling are themselves.

I wanted to make these comments to you on another Mormon type thread that was more relevant to my comments but did not get a chance. So when this one popped up I said what I had to say. On subject relevance, I do watch HBO and I think the show Big Love is as interesting as it is comical. Just like the religion.

Again, thanks for your honest comments without the Mormon bullshit infomercial slant attached to them.

Take care,
Dave

resident mormons: "Big Love"?

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