temples

Despite apologies, Tom Hanks and his show, Big Love, continue to show a deliberate insensitivity to Mormons. As outrageous and offensive as I find the description of Big Love’s upcoming episode, I suppose the best thing to do is what I’ve always done and not watch it. Vocal protests or boycotts seem counter-productive and probably just what the show’s producers would like.

The Church’s Newsroom’s response encapsulates the best way to approach this controversy and the many more that will follow in “The Publicity Dilemma.” Essentially: don’t take the bait.

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, Latter-day Saints in the public arena 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 . . .

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.

The commentary also lists recent controversies aimed at the Church (Lawrence O’Donnell, South Park, September Dawn) and its interesting to note how many of them have long been forgotten.

UPDATE: I had forgotten that HBO’s publicists had laid out boycott bait for Mormons when it announced Big Love back in 2005.

EVEN MORE: DKL make a good point that the Church’s statement seems as much for the benefit of members as it does for the media (“don’t go overboard”). In fact, the Church’s homepage now links to it.