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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Going into the film I was led to believe that one of the main purposes of the four hour series was to clear up public misconceptions about the church, on the contrary, I came away feeling that public misconceptions were reinforced, even to the point that the misconceptions were given an air of credibility. I felt the fringe elements of the church were brought forward with heavy emphasis on the misconceptions defectors or others with an axe to grind and while the church's response was edited in the style of a "60 Minutes" hit piece. Almost everything sacred was ridiculed or made light of. — Jeff Owen, Gardiner, Maine

They spent way too much time and energy focusing on negatives and who someone said we were, rather than who we are. — no name

There were a few bright spots in "The Mormons," but from the beginning with the eerie music playing as a backdrop to weirdly negative impressionistic art, the documentary failed to capture the reality of what the church is and instead focused heavily on negative comments from those who have left the faith, and controversial issues that hardly anyone — in or out of the church — can accurately speak about because no one is left who knows the whole story, if indeed anyone ever did (Mountain Meadows Massacre).

In a nutshell: If I wanted to know what Republicans believed, I would ask neither a Democrat or someone from another country. — no name

Who are these 'experts' in this video that are listed as "author or historian, etc."? Why are their true identities being cloaked? — Margaret Duven

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The documentary was inspirational and faith promoting with stories that put a human face the LDS faith and showed outsiders why we believe. At the same time there was a dose of healthy realism and criticism that addressed many of the controversies about the church in a fair way. Any program that offends the radicals on both sides of an issue at once has to be considered a success! — Jared Szymanski, Texas

I am disappointed that my hopes for a fair and balanced portrayal of the church and the people of the church were not brought to fruition. While expecting there would be attention given to polygamy, Mountain Meadows, gays, blacks holding the Priesthood, and excommunicated members, I also hoped that equal time and attention be paid to important areas such as Relief Society, taking care of our own, callings in which members faithfully serve, home and visiting teaching, and so much more that is positive. As a convert to the church, I am able to see clearly the differences in the LDS church and the Protestant church I was raised in. It would have been nice if the PBS series had given both views equal time so that viewers would have the opportunity to weigh differences fairly. This (the PBS series) is yet another hurdle for us to deal with here in the Bible belt. — Leigh

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