Meet the Mormons is a documentary that chronicles the lives of six extraordinary members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The film debuts Friday nationwide.
In anticipation of the film’s release, I’ve watched all the preview material and read the press releases.
And, as ranking member of the Rooted Thinking team living in Utah, I feel it my duty to give our reading audience a little perspective.
First, films like this one betray a little-known point in the Mormon worldview—precise doctrinal expression simply isn’t that important to them. In fact, when evangelicals and Mormons talk about faith, it usually ends with the evangelical accusing the Mormon of dishonesty! Mormons aren’t usually lying about their faith (though some do), they’re speaking a different language altogether. Let me explain.
Meet the Mormons intends to challenge “the stereotypes that surround the Mormon faith.” And I sympathize; most Mormon stereotypes are silly. But here’s where things break down: Mormons don’t mean “faith” like evangelicals mean it. By faith, evangelicals mean the doctrinal content of one’s religion; Mormons mean the religious activities they do.
Understanding that divide is crucial to interpreting films like Meet the Mormons. Why? Because the creators of Meet the Mormons are trying to change the subject to reflect their definition of faith. Deliberate or not, it’s a sleight-of-hand tactic that can shake unprepared evangelicals.
Yes, Mormons do many amazing things—as the film chronicles. Evangelicals aren’t arguing about what Mormons do, but what they believe.
Please don’t think I’m jumping to conclusions based solely on the trailer. What I’m talking about is extremely common among Mormons. I’ve had conversations similar to this many, many times:
Evangelical: The claims of Joseph Smith are unbiblical and patently false.
Mormon: Look at how sacrificial, successful, and saintly Mormons are.
Evangelical: I’m not saying you’re the embodiment of evil, I’m saying your faith doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
Mormon: Faith is hard to understand; look at our good fruit.
The Mormon leaves feeling misunderstood and, perhaps even, persecuted. The evangelical walks away frustrated that the Mormon refuses to engage thoughtfully with the doctrinal content of his faith.
Second, since Mormons are highlighting their fruits, let’s examine all of them, not just six individual pieces (as the movie does). As a side note, I hear the Mormon meme “By their fruits ye shall know them” about as often as I hear “We’re Christians just like you.” It’s a hackneyed, untested aphorism that Mormons use to deflect criticism. You can see a good example of this practice here.
Yet, whenever I hear the phrase “By their fruits …” I pounce.
Tell me, which fruits are you talking about?
There’s a lot about Utah that Mormons don’t want you to know. Meet the Mormons would have you believe that Mormons are a happy, successful, family-oriented lot. And many are. But beneath that whitewashed exterior is a mass of Mormons that are broke, addicted, depressed, and externally obsessed.
That’s quite an accusation—let me prove it. In recent years, the state of Utah has led the nation in the following categories:
– Plastic Surgeons (This article explores the religious reasons of why Utah ranks so high for elective surgery in general; Utah also leads the nation in other elective surgeries unmentioned in this forum.)
– Charitable Giving (Here’s why—see question #10; full-tithe paying is a requirement for entrance to Temple Weddings, Baptisms, Sealings, etc.)
Utah, by the way, is about 65% Mormon. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints places such a huge emphasis on external righteousness, and teaches a gospel so contrary to biblical truth, that Mormons themselves are crumbling. That sublime exterior collapses when the soul aches for truth.
Third, the most important response to Meet the Mormons is the evangelical one. We can look down our noses at the internal turmoil illustrated above. Or we can choose compassion. We can grow smugly judgmental in our assessment of these dear folks who have been raised in a culture of lies. Or, we can see them like Jesus saw the Jewish masses—like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).
What was Jesus’s response to sheep that have no shepherd? Compassion first. Prayer second. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (9:38).
Utah is 7% evangelical. Utah County is 0.2% evangelical. A plentiful harvest, indeed.
