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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During our fairly brief chat, I told her that I did struggle to enjoy social and cultural aspects of Mormonism but that once I embraced the doctrine and the faith I have never struggled with my basic belief — I just can't even conceive of the purpose and meaning and nature of life in any other terms than Mormon. I remember she kind of squinted at me in an appraising way and said something that reflected what I can best describe as envy of my lack of doubt and skepticism, my ability to believe, my lack of inner turmoil about difficult aspects of Mormon doctrine or history. (It's almost as challenging to have social/emotional/cultural problems with Mormonism as it is to have historical/doctrinal/policy problems, but as long as you're strong in one of those clusters you can usually grit your teeth through the other.)

I never heard from Whitney again, which is fine — I don't enjoy being involved with anything AV. But I think the doc is great, and I have a hard time respecting church members who are negative or defensive about it — "Pull your head out," I want to say. Anyway, I hope this show enjoys a long life and much continuing influence. I wonder if it will affect the Mitt Romney campaign at all? — Christopher Bigelow

I thought this was a very well done and fair view of the Mormon Church. I am an active member of the church and I was not in the least offended by the things that were said or shown. I think they did spend extra time on The Mountain Meadows Massacre and polygamy, but those are very big points of interest outside of the church. I think it was very important to get out a good description and give people an understanding of these things and I think that was done fairly and openly.

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I applaud Helen Whitney for her openness to a fair and honest film, it would have been extremely easy to produce this documentary with only discussion from outside the church and with people who oppose the church. She not only used a wide variety of sources for discussion but she used people within the church as well as people with opposing views, and she did not use any radicals. There was never anyone who came out and directly stated a hatred or dislike to any of the church's teachings, nor was there anyone on the other hand that said "I don't care what has happened in the church it is true no matter what." It was fair and impartial giving the viewers the opportunity to take the facts and the open discussion into their own hearts and minds and make their own conclusion.

This was done with class and honesty and I will watch it multiple times to get as much out of this as possible.

Thank you, — Chris Jepsen

The negatives were given a disproportionate length of time; the positives were given rather short shrift. The amount of time and weight given to the apostate Toscano nearly ruined the entire Tuesday night segment and the stark portrayal of the "Church Court" both graphically and by her words was an abomination. — John A. Mc Hardy, Missouri

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