By Samantha Strong
Back in 2006 when HBO first aired ?Big Love,? the show?s producers insisted it wasn?t going to be about Mormons. They were out to portray modern polygamy, a twist on traditional family relationships. They would show the tension, jealousy, bond and work that comes with every family, even a polygamist one.
In response to Church concerns about the show?s polygamist elements connecting to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (as they almost always do somehow), HBO included a disclaimer on the first episode of the show disconnecting any content from the LDS Church. The statement acknowledged that the mainstream Mormon Church condemns the practice of polygamy, despite supporting it in the early years of the Church. Along with the statement, producers assured the Church the show would not take a Mormon direction.
But despite these early promises, this Sunday?s episode of ?Big Love? will depict LDS temple sealing and endowment, complete with tours of the temple rooms. In TV Guide?s article about the episode, the show?s producers acknowledged how seriously Latter-day Saints consider these rituals, and insisted their ?research? (done through ex-Mormons) would do it justice. A statement by HBO said the ?endowment ceremony is a crucial part of the ?Big Love? story line.? Looks like the Mormon stuff not only got written in, it became ?crucial? to the overall polygamist story.
Here?s the problem: a ?just? portrayal in a television drama of these sacred events is impossible. They are taking the ordinances outside the holy temple walls and plastering them on a screen via a channel that also transmits vulgarity and obscenity in other shows. To do this is to rob those events of their spirituality, their essence, their importance and their seriousness. Accuracy in this situation is impossible. Accuracy is inexpressible. Obviously, Latter-day Saints find a portrayal of any kind of temple ceremonies unspeakably offensive. Various statements by the show?s producers and HBO prove they understand that. But they?re going to carry on anyway and show ?for the first time on TV? the secrets of what happens behind closed doors in a Mormon temple.
The emphasis of the temple isn?t on being secret, it?s on being sacred. Numerous books show pictures of the various rooms of the temple and provide simple explanations of the purpose of each room. Anyone can enter temples during the open ouse, before it?s dedicated. Much in the temple is quoted directly out of scripture, the same scriptures everyone on earth has access to. Clearly, the emphasis isn?t on secrecy.
So why does it bother us when temple rituals are portrayed? Because doing so takes them completely out of context ? context that?s crucial to creating the sacred side of the ceremonies. That context is so important that Latter-day Saints aren?t even allowed to enter the temple until they?ve had sufficient preparation to ensure they understand everything as completely as possible. Without preliminary lessons and preparation, the context of the temple ordinances is destroyed; they go from sacred to convoluted.
Portraying temple rituals on ?Big Love,? no matter how well ?researched? or performed, will not provide the context necessary for appreciation. It will dramatize them into part of a twisted soap opera, only made original by multiplying the heroines. If HBO?s goal in portraying LDS temple ordinances is to draw viewers, they do so selfishly by sacrificing something the Church considers private and sacred. The parallels have grown too close. If the show?s producers are including the temple scenes as part of some vindictive agenda or message, we pity them. How sad that things have come to this to get some hateful point across.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has already made a brilliantly well-spoken statement, encouraging no Church-wide boycotts while calling on members to ?conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness.? They took the high road and turned the other cheek. After all, wrestling with a pig in the mud just gets everyone dirty and the pig likes it. In the end, ?Big Love? won?t halt the Church or its message. It will just leave viewers momentarily entertained and grossly misinformed. So good luck showing what no ex-Mormon or dramatic portrayal could ever possibly capture, and if you ever want to really know what happens in the temple and why, take a pass-a-long card.
This editorial represents the opinion of The Daily Universe editorial board. Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of BYU, its administration or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.