From Deseret News archives:

Reader responses regarding "The Mormons" PBS series

Published: Thursday, May 3, 2007 12:10 a.m. MDT
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I thought it was great. Clear and concise, moved well and gave me a lot more information that any other source, a well rounded, pull no punches film. I thoroughly enjoyed the four hours. Many thanks for all of your hard work. — no name

Interesting watch, but turned-off after the 3rd hour. I felt that there was too much time and/or emphasis on polygamy and interviews with those excommunicated, who obviously still have some bitterness.

There were very positive aspects of the church, which much of the country probably did not know.

I will not watch again if televised again. And, I will not buy the DVD, if one is sold. — John, Tucson, Arizona

I give it a C+. Perhaps they should rename it: "How To Spend Significant Resources Making a Religious Documentary and Still Miss The Point". — no name

I thought I would let you know that I quite enjoyed the showing of The Mormons. I thought it was respectful and pretty well balanced. It went after questions and answered questions the public has at large. There were a few parts I thought, "That could have been left out," but overall I appreciated the candor and forthright nature of the show. — Paul Ross, Richmond, Virginia

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The morning after the airing of Part 1 of "The Mormons" on PBS, I was discussing the documentary with a business associate who lives in my ward. He was quite troubled by the first segment and said that during the airing of the program some younger members of his family were also troubled, enough so that they had to leave the room He was also very concerned that the program would have a negative impact on Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.

I watched both parts of the documentary with my family, including my son in-law, who is not a member of the church. I tried not to make comments during the program so that I could get an unbiased reading of my son in-law's reaction. Following Part 2, I asked him how he felt about it and if he had any questions. He said, "Yes, I have lots of questions, but they are basically the same questions I had before." Then our discussion turned to prayer and his willingness to ask God for answers to those questions.

I felt that the documentary was extremely well produced. However, I did feel that, compared to the total scope of topics covered, an inordinate amount of time was spent on polygamy and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I felt that the people who were interviewed were articulate and interesting. However — again — too much time (e.g., credence) was given to those who had either left the church or been asked to leave, in comparison to those who either speak for the church or are in good standing.

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