THE PLANK DECEMBER 13, 2007
-
Read Later
READ LATERAvailable only to subscribers. SUBSCRIBE TODAY
-
Listen
ARTICLE AUDIO
- Font Size
A kitschy cartoon (crudely) tracing the basics of Mormon theology has garnered hundreds of thousands of hits on YouTube of late. The Cliffs Notes:
Mormon god Elohim is a baller; Lucifer wears red; Jesus keeps his cool; 'endless celestial sex' features prominently. The low-res, Jetsons animation and 'period' views on 'the negro
race' suggest this video has been around for ages (producing a deep
nostalgic longing for this classic). The resurgence, of course, we owe to Mitt Romney.
After name-checking the "mainstream" Christian tradition (Adam and Eve, Mary Magdalene), the faintly absurd cartoon universe gives way (at 6:15) to a live-action conversation on the breakup of families caused by the rigidity of the Mormon church. Strange bedfellows...I don't know if disillusioned Latter-Day Saints created the video back in, oh, 1975, but the juxtaposition of wacky space travel and disgruntled former Mormons isn't a message Family Man Mitt wants circulating. At all.
The clip:
P.S. Look for the description of the valiant as "white and delightsome" at 2:36.
--Dayo Olopade
9 comments
This is indeed an old video - part of an anti-Mormon film called "The Godmakers." It was produced by one Ed Decker, a former Mormon who now runs his own Church called Saints Alive in Jesus.
The video, and the book it is based upon, has been widely criticized by theologians, evangelical leaders, and LDS scholars alike as being sensationalistic and rife with inaccuracies and conjecture. Much of the more sensational doctrines it cites are not official church doctrine, but rather opinions offered by LDS authorities at one time or another.
- drewqcannon
December 13, 2007 at 11:07am
Did you even research whether this video was accurate before you declared that it "traced the basics of Mormon theology?" It doesn't. There are many distortions and outright lies in this video, and, even the bits that are accurate are focused on the *esoterica* of Mormon theology, not the basics.
- cominginsecond
December 13, 2007 at 11:55am
Someone, please, accurately explain just how loony Mormonism is, without all the nonsense (except the inherent nonsense)! Then please accurately explain all the other religions too, without the nonsense (again, except the inherent nonsense). Good luck!
- rishy
December 13, 2007 at 12:02pm
Rishy: All (western) religions in a nutshell:
1. You are not alone
2. The universe has a purpose
3. The universe cares about what you do, think or feel
4. You will never die
Now invert these sentences into thier opposites and you have an actual description of human reality.
- newdex
December 13, 2007 at 12:48pm
Thanks dex. Well said.
- rishy
December 13, 2007 at 1:55pm
2 best parts:
Incredibly sinister blinking by Elohim before he has sex with Mary.
Shoutout to Battlestar Galactica - was it really culturally widespread enough to pop up in this context?
- japepper
December 13, 2007 at 7:00pm
drew and coming:
It's all well and good to say that this video is a distortion or that its creator has an agenda. But neither of you explain what exactly is wrong with video's account. Can you be more specific? Wouldn't the faithful jump at the chance to correct slanders to their church, rather than denounce them vaguely?
- jhildner
December 13, 2007 at 7:31pm
Jhildner,
If you're interested in specific answers, go to fairlds dot org or some other such site. Literally libraries have been written in rebuttal to LDS critics. It gets very tiring to repeat the answers to criticisms that were thoroughly answered decades ago, and frankly, I doubt very many people are interested in wading through all the twisted, esoteric arguments to get the straight answer(That's the basic strategy of the LDS critics, and it's pretty successful.)
Most LDS critiques are only marginally more intellectually honest than this video and others by Ed Decker, who produced this film. This is one of the reasons Decker is thoroughly hated by most critics of the LDS faith. At least they try to appear objective and fair-minded, cartoons like this remind people that maybe Mormonism isn't getting a fair shake.
Most of them cherry pick from the extreme borders of the LDS faith to make it look as bizarre as possible so people never take it seriously. That's all they want, and it's pretty effective.
- lorinmay
December 13, 2007 at 9:05pm
lorinmay:
Well, I started to read some links on the website, and frankly got confused. Once again, I was left more with the assertion that everyone is getting LDS wrong rather than a clear argument that that's the case. Maybe LDS needs its own cartoon! I do gather, however, that the "pre-existence" portrayed in the cartoon -- the spiritual world preceeding the creation of Earth and moral lives thereon -- is in fact an LDS belief, as is the "war in Heaven" between Jesus and Lucifer before Earth's creation. I also gather that Saints -- I'll call them "Saints" as I understand that "Mormon" can be considered offensive -- reject the consubstantial Trinity and view Jesus as a separate entity from God but also God-like, more like a co-God. My understanding is that LDS is a "restoration" church, meaning that Saints believe the Christian religion took a wrong turn early on, and that LDS seeks to restore the true word of God as revealed to Joseph Smith. I don't think LDS has much quarrel with its portrayal as American exceptionalist, with many beliefs focused on the importance of America both historically and in the messianic age after the Second Coming. Meanwhile, I hear that the doctrinal racism is a real thing -- though pretty much officially rejected in the '70's.
I'm just honestly curious as to what the movie got wrong or over-emphasized or whatever. Personally, I don't find it much crazier than most religious beliefs, even if the movie was accurate, although anything invented as recently as LDS will inevitably meet with more skepticism than older, more established creeds.
- jhildner
December 14, 2007 at 3:34pm