A look back at HBO baiting Mormons when Big Love was announced.

9 March 2009 @ 4:18 pm | 5 comments

A look back at HBO baiting Mormons when Big Love was announced.

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  1. Jeff’s avatar

    Jeff on 10 March 2009 at 1:12 pm

    David:

    Thought you might like to see a purported e-mail from a press consultant (who also worked on the “Yes On Proposition 8″ campaign) that counsels public affair representatives how to respond to the “Big Love” matter.


    “From: Sonja Eddings Brown /sebmedia/
    Date: Sunday, March 08, 2009 9:49 PM
    To: Chino Blanco
    Subject: We do not want to increase the exposure to Big Love by responding to HBO

    Public Affairs Representatives:

    Many of you will see or hear about the impending broadcast of LDS Temple ceremonies and exploitation of our sacred temple clothes by HBO “Big Love” this week. TV Guide will deliver an ad showing one of the “Big Love” polygamist wives dressed in full temple clothes. It is already circulating on the internet. As has been their practice, the creators of “Big Love” hijack our customs and sacred symbols and misrepresent them in settings of their own making. Please be aware that the executives of HBO made a commitment to the LDS Church at the outset of “Big Love” that they would never desecrate our sacred rites or clothing in promotion or in their drama.

    Our Church leaders are fully informed and are considering whether to dignify the show with a response.

    The head writer of “Big Love” this season, is Dustin Black, the recent Oscar-winner for “Milk.” Raised a Mormon, he is clearly versed in our culture.

    Brothers and Sisters, “Big Love” is not a ratings winner and we don’t wish to build their ratings for them. TV Guide does not experience the readership it once had. Some of your friends and neighbors will see the images in print and see our temple ceremonies acted out in the drama. Perhaps the greatest position of strength for us, is to stand by our beliefs and teach the gospel. No, HBO does not represent accurately the sacred dress or beliefs or ceremonies of the LDS Church. Yes, like the Catholics, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists and many other faiths, we do have some sacred ceremonial clothing for our Temples.

    Our Temples are places where we unite our families forever. They are places where we go to learn the highest principles of character, honor, and devotion to God. That’s what we can share with our neighbors and friends, and that kind of answer will no doubt….satisfy their questions.

    Unless otherwise directed, at this sensitive time, I suggest that Public Affairs leaders NOT urge response to the TV Guide ad, or to the HBO program…..and avoid increasing the show’s ratings or attention.

    According to industry sources, “Big Love” will end this season.

    Sincerely,
    Sonja Eddings Brown
    Media Specialist
    Southern California Public Affairs Council
    (818) 993-1409″

    David, as a non-Mormon, can you please shed light on how the depiction of Mormon sacred rites and clothing “desecrates” and “misrepresents” them? I understand that many of the ceremonies have never been seen by non-Mormons (since you apparently need to be a member in good standing to participate), but I don’t understand the strong reactions.

    Thanks in advance for your assistance.

    Jeff.

    hijack our customs and sacred symbols and misrepresent them in settings of their own making. Please be aware that the executives of HBO made a commitment to the LDS Church at the outset of “Big Love” that they would never desecrate our sacred rites or clothing in promotion or in their drama.

  2. David H. Sundwall’s avatar

    David H. Sundwall on 10 March 2009 at 1:57 pm

    Jeff,

    Thanks for the email and the sincere question. I had seen that email already on another blog (maybe the same one where you saw it). But it is interesting.

    I’m unsure how well I can articulate an adequate response because I probably haven’t thought this through as well as I should plus, touching on the nature of this issue, it is hard to discuss important matters of faith with those who don’t have that same understanding.

    As you said, temple ceremonies are considered sacred and much of what happens in there is not supposed to be discussed even among temple-going members outside of the temple. Often, I think we are overzealous in our discretion but as this recent incident shows, we are concerned that things we consider sacred can taken out of context by unsympathetic people.

    Although this move by Big Love is offensive and shocking in that it’s the first time the temple ceremony is said to be portrayed on TV, you can find all sorts of info already on the internet. But similar to Big Love (I think) the stuff on the internet is produced by anti-Mormons who have distorted the information to advance their own agenda and to hold it out for ridicule. I think it’s worth noting that TV Guide quotes a BL producer as saying they got an ex-Mormon to help them recreate the temple scene.

    What is taught in the temple is not outrageous or probably that remarkable for non-Mormons but it is supposed to be sacred and some matters of faith just shouldn’t just be discussed openly (a matter of another blog post I am musing).

    I’m sorry it’s not much of an answer but it’s all I have time for right now. I appreciate the question and will stew on it some more, hopefully with more to say.

    An excellent blog post to better understand the importance of the temple and what happens there is this post at Times and Seasons by Nate Oman, “A Letter to a Friend Going to the Temple for the First Time.”

  3. David B’s avatar

    David B on 11 March 2009 at 8:12 am

    I hope that you write that other blog post you’re musing–i for one have gotten tired of the “sacred but not secret” throwaway line we tend to use, since if you don’t talk about something it *is* secret, even if that’s not the core reason you’re not talking about it. (I may have to put that on *my* blog at some point–it’s the kind of one-liner i like.) Anyway, i’m curious about your insights on the subject.

  4. David H. Sundwall’s avatar

    David H. Sundwall on 11 March 2009 at 11:30 am

    David B –

    You’re not supposed to hold my feet to the fire like that! ;-)

    What I have in mind is probably not going to satisfy you. I do agree that “sacred not secret” is not a very helpful dismissal which is what my above response amounted to, I’m afraid. But that’s why I liked Nate Oman’s postso much b/c it is long but a nice and thorough explanation of the temple.

    The post I have been thinking about is that institutional privacy, discretion, and perhaps even secrecy can be important and not always as eeeeeevil as they are portrayed in society. Examples that come to mind are publishing the CHI on the internet, appeals for the Church to completely disclose its finances , and revealing the temple ceremony.

    So I’m thinking in the broader sense. I hope to see what you have in mind yourself over at the Snark.

  5. Jared’s avatar

    Jared on 5 July 2009 at 4:54 pm

    Kolob Kool-Aid

    The Mormons have a problem. They want to become the church with the largest number of members. Since they believe that all humans had a preexistence in spirit form on a far-off (and far-out) planet they call Kolob, they are obsessed with finding the “fastest and most pleasurable ways” of transforming those Kolob “spirit” beings into human babies. Yes, the “fastest and most pleasurable ways” of creating more babies – that is, in addition to the tremendous help obtained from raunchy films, raunchy music, and raunchy dancing. Any advice you can give may help the LDS church to greatly increase its membership!