Reader responses regarding "The Mormons" PBS series

Overall, my husband and I were very impressed with the program and felt it was well-balanced. The sections on the Massacre and polygamy were too long, but needed to be addressed. I was especially impressed with Ken Verdoia. Although I believe he is not a member of the LDS Church, his portrayal was articulate, accurate, sensitive and came from a perspective of not only study, but from over 30 years of living and working here in Utah. Elder Jensen also represented the church very well. — Debra Barlow Radack, Sandy, Utah

I thought it was interesting but did not like the first part as much as it spent too much time on the Mountain Meadows massacre and polygamy if they did one on the Catholic Church would it spend time on the crusades and the bishops who molested? — no name

I don't think the issues that the documentary brought up are new issues or issues that most members of the church have not given serious thought to. They are issues that all Latter-day Saints must come to some peace with if they are going to stay strong members of the church. My only wish was that they had given some background on the different experts who were giving their opinions. Knowing more about where they were coming from and what their experiences were could have giving some understanding to their comments. — Kristen, Utah, USA

I'm a member of the church and watched the show with my non-member husband. While I appreciated that they did interview some members and historians from the church, I felt it was inappropriate to interview former members who had antagonistic views, which is even worse than the opinions of those who have never been members. I was especially shocked by the musician who spoke of when he was a missionary and said that if his mission president had asked him to strap a bomb to himself and be a suicide bomber, he would have. My husband and I felt that would make others think that the missionaries today were that 'fanatic' and might pose a threat. Overall, I have mixed feelings about the show; the parts showing the truth should be enlightening but the falsehoods by those not of the church (especially apostates) were misleading and continue the misunderstandings of those who are not of the church. — Donna W., Montana

I watched the Mormons program with interest. I appreciate the effort that went into producing the program and think it was educational for both Mormons and non-Mormons. It's good for us to see ourselves through others' eyes, imperfect as that may be. It is a natural temptation for any production to seek controversy as a method to generate interest and critical examination, but I wish the program had been more demographically balanced between practicing Mormons and ex-Mormons. As I listened to the negative comments of ex-Mormons, I recognized personal lapses rather than deficiencies they blamed on the church organization. In every case, I think they would be happier people if they spent more time reading the scriptures and on their knees in prayer. Our loving Father in Heaven wants all of his children to be happy and successful. Ex-Mormons are not a happy group. — Bob Wall, Layton Utah