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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After telling that this church is the most rapidly growing in America, they didn't say why: In this mixed up world, people who are converted find the answers to their most pressing questions in the restored gospel and they find the peace the Savior promised, they find happiness, they learn the importance of the family, they find joy in the promise of eternal life.

After saying that tithing was spiritual taxation, they didn't say that members pay tithing not because we are forced but because we want to pay it and receive the Lord's promised blessings.

They indicated that young people are coerced to become missionaries and that they are totally controlled during the time they serve. That is largely an exaggeration and what they didn't say was that even though a few don't make it, the majority undergo a marvelous change for the better and they build the church in the process. My mission many years ago was an unforgettable experience, sometimes very challenging, but it shaped my life for good forever.

After spending far too much time enumerating the "pitfalls" of polygamy, they did not say that most of the strong missionaries and leaders of the church have come from polygamous families. It was God's way of building His kingdom through raising up extraordinary leaders in a loving family atmosphere. In the beginning this commandment of God was needed to build up the church, but it is not necessary now.

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They scrupulously avoided discussion of the contents of the Book of Mormon and did not say that most members, including myself and my wife and family, have received a sure knowledge of the truthfulness of this marvelous book of scripture through the power of the Holy Ghost. Our testimonies motivate us to live as Latter-day Saints and not as obedient robots as they intimated. The Book of Mormon truly is Another Testament of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind, but they didn't say that. — Reid Johnson, Holladay, Utah

If this is supposed to be a non-biased program, why present everything with music that is lethargic and in a minor key, dark pictures that are spooky, and leaving one with the feeling that you have just watched a Halloween movie? I feel like I have to turn on the lights while watching it just to get through it.

The feeling I get being a member of this church is directly opposite to the feeling I got when I watched this documentary. When applying the teaching of this gospel, I feel peace and happiness which are in direct juxtaposition to your portrayal. — Sarah, Pittsburgh, PA

I enjoyed a great deal of the Mormon documentary. I think they spent too much time and effort on interviewing those who were practicing polygamy. This was of no interest to me and my family and shouldn't have been such an issue to anyone else and had nothing to do with being a Mormon. — Sandra Porter

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