Comments on: Big Love to Show Temple Ceremony

By: D

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:49:21 +0000

Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (666)

By: rick

rick — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:45:11 +0000

"Mormons (implicating the mainstream) are teaching false doctrine"

Newsflash: Even without the show. faiths are claiming that all the other faiths are preaching false doctrine. With mutually contradictory doctrines, you're going to run into this sooner or later. I hardly think the TV show was the the source of the preacher's misgivings about Mormon doctrine versus his own.

By: Lucy

Lucy — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:53:53 +0000

Here is something really sad: A local Southern Baptist preacher used the episode to form his sermon this past Sunday. A friend told me that he went on and on about the episode and how the Mormons (implicating the mainstream) are teaching false doctrine and will not be given salvation by Jesus Christ. Sad.

By: Mary Siever

Mary Siever — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:09:18 +0000

If you mean, Jeff, about Lot and his daughters...well, ew, yes, but that wasn't Lot, that was his daughters (which really confuses me to this day).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:51:00 +0000

As a follower of your blog, life long member of the LDS church life, originally from Sandy, Utah (now living in BC, Canada) and an avid watcher of Big Love I have to say you guys hit it on the nose in your comments 18-27 above.

Bill and Barb were originally married in the temple and were active members of the church before Bill decided to take on additional wives - Barb referred to that fact that she is from a 6 generation LDS family and that the principals of the church (outside of polygamy) were still a big part of her and her family's life (spiritually and otherwise) - There were flashbacks in this episode - Big Love's target audience is NOT people of the LDS faith - The writers are trying to show Barb's inner confliction between the church she loves and was raised in and her love for her polygamist family - In the end she was ex'd because she wasn't willing to change her lifestyle.

I hope that helps :)

By: rick

rick — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:12:43 +0000

"I don't have much to say about the horrific story of Lot"

Lot's story is stomach turning but the story of Coriantumr and Shiz is even worse. Yikes!

By: Jeff Milner

Jeff Milner — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:26:58 +0000

"I think it was important, from a complete outsider's view of the LDS, to show that being ex'd by her previous bishop was still a big deal."

I agree. I guess I take it for granted that it's obviously a big deal. An outsider wouldn't necessarily see it as such, since she's been inactive for so long, so yes, I guess I have to admit it was important for the character development to show why this was such a big deal.

In trying to think of other approaches that could have been taken to achieve the same thing, I guess I'm also forced to admit that this was likely the easiest route to show those strong emotions. (Or perhaps it just resonated with me because of my own background).

By: Jeff Milner

Jeff Milner — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:32:41 +0000

Not to take things too far off topic, but since Trevor's already gone there... here we go.

The so called "mark of the beast"? Please, provide us some canonical backing to show it even exists with any kind of reference to the number 666.

Could this be prophecy fulfilled? No. It could not. It would not. It will not. Not in a house, not with a mouse.

"A point duly illustrated in the story of Lot's wife turning to a pillar of salt."

I don't have much to say about the horrific story of Lot, but have you even read that story? Lot's wife turned around (turned back?) but Lot is supposed to be the good guy and you know what HE did?

By: Trevor

Trevor — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:13:41 +0000

As far as the bar-code is concerned, not too many years ago, and even to this day, the bar-code is synonymous with the mark of the beast, 666. I challenge all to find a product, credit card, check, or document of legal or financial transaction (excluding legal tender) without a bar-code these days. Could this be prophecy fulfilled?
I find it interesting that the church would go against its own council of “avoiding the very appearance of evil” by integrating such a mark into the members most treasured and sacred document.
I feel very strongly about the integration of man’s ways into Father’s Kingdom. It brings to mind a scripture that goes something like this- “come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, that ye receive not of her plagues.” The Lord was talking about modern-day Babylon, or the kingdoms of the world, and their adopted and false systems.
Brigham young once said that it is easy to take a person out of Babylon, but not so easy to take Babylon out of the person. A point duly illustrated in the story of Lot’s wife turning to a pillar of salt. Have we not been told that Modern Babylon would fall in the space of an hour. Then why adopt its ways?

By: Kim Siever

Kim Siever — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:53:32 +0000

Good point. And maybe it was trying to do double duty by showing members that just because one believes one thing against church teachings doesn't mean one disbelieves everything or believes only apostate teachings. In other words, you can be excommunicated for teaching one wrong thing even though you may teach 10,000 right things.