Prejudice is an evil we cannot indulge in

True religion, I've found, is always generous. No matter how hard some people try to make it narrow, pinched and exclusive, if it's real religion, it can't help but reach out to others.

I've seen that played out many times. I saw it again last week when I was invited to a preview of "Grounded," the new, five-part video series for local Protestant teens put together by the Salt Lake Theological Seminary.

The seminary almost closed down last year, you recall, but the kindness of friends — and strangers — generated enough money to keep it up and running. The "Grounded" series shows what the seminary has been up to. And it shows the donations have been well-spent.

The full name of the series is "Grounded: Relating to your Mormon Friends Through Truth and Love." The several segments look at various points of view about "truth," "differences," "friendship," "answers" and "sharing." "Grounded" will be shown around the area to Protestant kids from many denominations. David Pascoe — a former Catholic turned Evangelical Christian — was the driving force behind the effort. He should not only get an A for effort, but an A for achievement.

I was especially impressed with the interview sections of the series where two friends — one Protestant, one LDS — sit together to talk about their differences and their similarities. The genuine affection and respect were contagious. I'm convinced many people would like to reach across the chasm and get to know people of other faiths, they're simply not sure how to do it. But if "connecting" with others can be seen as a type of dance, the "Grounded" videos are a ballroom class.

They are a model for making connections.

Honesty is stressed. And listening. Dave Rowe, of the seminary, stresses sharing stories and experiences instead of playing "Bible Answer-man." Hitting people over the head with scriptures seldom leads to understanding.

One Protestant teen says he never realized how important the Garden of Gethsemane was in the thinking of his Mormon friends.

A Mormon girl talks about the high standards and moral fiber she admires in her Evangelical friends.

At one point, a former LDS missionary shows a classroom of Protestant teens just how little they really know about their own beliefs. At another, a woman — a former LDS member — tells of the narrow-minded attitudes that still haunt her.

In the end, a series like this could be tweaked for years in an attempt to get things just right. But the satisfying part is just how often it gets things right — the doctrines, the tone and, most of all, the concern.

By the end of the screening, I thought of something Rabbi Harold Kushner once told me. We can no longer afford to be Jews against Christians or Protestants against Catholics, he said. In today's world we must link arms as good people standing up against what is bad. "Grounded" serves as an excellent blueprint for constructing that wall.

For, in the end, the enemy of generous souls is never another caring soul. The enemies are indifference and callousness.

The Salt Lake Theological Seminary has struck a blow against those enemies.

For more information, call David Pascoe at 581-1900.

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E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com