Tell us what you think.
Selected submissions will be posted here, so check back regularly.

12/26/03
Gilbert, Arizona

I wanted to write and express my displeasure and distaste for the program "Get the Fire! Young Mormon Missionaries Abroad" which was part of the Indepnedent Lens Series. For me my faith is something so precious and important. And it disturbs me that at this time of the year, which is an extra important time because of my beleifs as a christain that PBS would air such a negative show, which primary focus was to critisize and alienate the members of the Mormon faith. If you were doing a peice on Judaism or Islam, surely it would be unacceptable to air those who had distaste for these religions of piece and love. I felt that this show was hurtful and negative. It is very difficult for me to rationalize giving money to a station that airs such hateful retoric whith an ant-mormon feel wich alienates a large member of the stations viewers, and above all at Christmas. I am an active member of the LDS (mormon) community and have spoken with many who share these feelings. I have served a full time mission for the lds church, as well as my father and my grandfather. It was immediately obvious that this work was made by people who disaprove of our faith. The film was very inacurate and biased. My experience as a full-time missionary was nothing like what was portayed in this film. I feel that it dishonors my beleifs and my personal sacrifice to give up two years of my life for something I believe in. It is very sad for me to see this happen.

12/26/03
Lindon, Utah

It's apparent from the many responses you have received about this program that you have touched a nerve with faithful Mormons. Mormons only like exposing themselves and others to "faith promoting" things deemed appropriate from their church leaders that will help in getting conversions. I thought the program was very good and accurate. Having been born and raised in the LDS faith, I know Mormons have a hard time separating their beliefs from reality. The program showed the LDS faith to be what it is, weird and cultish, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. This program can only help to educate your viewers about the LDS religion. Thank you for airing the program.

12/26/03
Fishers, IN

I thought "Get the Fire" was an excellent film on the topic of LDS missionary work. I believe that balance was achieved by having current missionaries and former missionaries speak.

While the majority of former missionaries were not active LDS, ALL of the current missionaries were. There is little choice in that. If current missionaries had said anything considered negative they would have been sent home in a blizzard of disgrace(no marriage to LDS women, doubtful chance of going to BYU, possible disfellowship, a future possibly crushed...especially if that person is from Utah).

The film showed how dishonest the LDS missionary force can be. "We are conducting a survey." Can you be anymore dishonest than that? It sounded more like a cheesy door to door salesman trying to get a foot in the door.

The German gentleman did have an excellent comment after inviting them in. When the missionaries pushed him on feelings he said that feelings change from time to time and cannot be trusted(LDS always want one to go to their feelings when looking at their gospel). He used biblical principles to thwart the advancement of the missionaries and they were not able to return it except for..."you can't convert us either."

Thank you for an excellent film!

12/26/03
Al Christensen
Charlotte, NC

It's ironic that defenders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should complain about biases in "Get the Fire." The church has always been biased in telling its story to its members and to the public. In fact, Apostler Boyd K. Packer, in a 1981 address to the church's educators, said such bias is a virtue, even a duty. He said:

"There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of Church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not. Some things that are true are not very useful.

"In an effort to be objective impartial, and scholarly a writer or a teacher may unwittingly be giving equal time to the adversary.

"In the Church we are not neutral. We are one-sided. There is a war going on and we are engaged in it. It is the war between good and evil, and we are belligerents defending the good. We are therefore obliged to give preference to and protect all that is represented in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we have made covenants to do it."

(From "The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than The Intellect," a lecture delivered at the Fifth Annual Church Educational System Religious Educators' Symposium, 22 August, 1981, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. For an official transcript see Brigham Young University Studies , Summer 1981)

Elder Packer considers the withholding of unfavorable information a righteous endeavor, not a sin of omission, not a deception. Yet when others shape their stories in ways that are unflattering to his religion, they are branded as dishonest, or even worse, in league with the forces of evil.

Among other things, LDS missionaries (and I was one) are trained to be selective with the truth, to stick to a script that tells only a narrow, faith-promoting version of their religion. They are the same carefully correlated and vetted messages they've been taught all their lives. So no wonder they are discomfited by portraits of the religion that don't match their own, that aren't faith-promoting.

A partial truth is also a partial lie, no matter who tells it.

12/26/03
Bill Hanover

I believe you will find more "documentary reality" in the intentionally fictional film "The Singles Ward" than in the whole of this poorly executed and biased work.

The journey from 'boy to man' might have proven fascinating through an 'independent lens'. It is unfortunate it was lost in the examination, if not promotion, of the unrelated extremes.

Perhaps all we have gained from this film is a renewed appreciation for good filmmaking, which this is not.

PBS has brought so many great things to television that I suppose we should forgive them for this blunder and move on. We hope your standards are not succumbing to the trappings of the sensational or the need to fill "dead-air" time.

12/26/03
J. Kirk Richards
Brentwood, TN

Disappointing. I served a mission in Rome, Italy and had my questions; some of which are still not resolved. I'm sure I will take many of them to my grave. I believe that‚s a necessary part of life's experiences.

Organized religion is often criticized for cramming doctrine down people‚s throats. This documentary is guilty of doing the same. Ms. Du Plessis obviously had arrived at her own conclusions, and left viewers with no room to make their own.

She had an opportunity to educate both the LDS and the non-LDS alike˜to bridge divides. Instead, she chose to embrace the divisive. As I read her Q & A page, it became clear: this was just another subject to subsidize her travels with her cat.

12/26/03
Rob L.
Tucson , Arizona

I found this film to be a small slice of the honesty and truth behind a missionary. I noticed that all the returned missionaries were ex-members and no longer follow the Gospel. The film insinuated that by going on a mission that you will go in-active and leave your beliefs. It also brought into play that if you recieve higher leaning you will see the Church is not true. Having served for two years in Las Vegas I have few bad things to say about my mission. However I have hundreds of stories about the Spirit,The Lord, and all the beautiful conversions to The Gospel.

I guess what really bothers me is the premise of the film was the different conclusions that different Elders and Sisters arrive at upon the completion of their respctive missions. The film only spoke about these folks that were obviously bitter about countless things upon the completion of their mission.

I just hope that the poeple that were touched and converted by those Elders that have fallen away from the Gospel don't see the film.

12/26/03

There are, of course, missionaries (and members generally) who become disaffected from the Church. Humans being human, marriages fail and enthusiasms fade and loyalties are forgotten. But the unjustifiably high and thus unrepresentative proportion of disaffected former missionaries interviewed for this program creates a greatly skewed impression. I was not only deeply disappointed but shocked that so transparently one-sided a treatment would pass muster with the people who run PBS. I would be willing to bet that a very great majority of former missionaries (including even a preponderance of those no longer actively participating in the Church, most of whom are probably not ideologically opposed to its overall teachings) view their missionary service positively. (Nor are the proportions of favorable and unfavorable comments here likely to represent anything close to what one would learn from a disciplined survey: At least one bulletin board run by and for alienated ex-Mormons is currently calling on its readers to submit negative comments about the Church and its missionary work, clearly on the view that this "Talkback" area is simply one more battlefield on which to wage war against their former faith.)

I know that I am very far from alone in saying that my own mission (in German-speaking Switzerland) was among the greatest experiences of my life, a pivotal and formative time for me. A number of my closest friendships (still) date from my associations in Switzerland. I developed a love for another language and culture, and a passion for another country. The experience and confidence I gained in central Europe encouraged me, personally, to go yet further afield with a language and a culture more foreign still, and to become a professional specialist on an important non-Indo-European civilization.

Finally, for the record, I find that many of the criticisms of the Church and of its missionary program that were expressed in the film itself and and have been expressed here are completely foreign to my own experience. I continue to find the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints both reasonable and immensely satisfying.

12/26/03
John Roskelley
Phoenix, Arizona

One "negative" program, and many of you now will no longer financially support The Corporation for Public Broadcasting?

Of the THOUSANDS of programs aired annually, virtually all of them full of redeeming qualities and values (when compared to the heaps of trash on network and cable television), worthy of continued financial contributions, and because an amateur documentary filmmaker presents a biased program, PBS is no longer worthy of your contribution?

I guess I just don't understand this thinking. How about stopping your subscriptions to the Deseret News, or the Provo Herald newspapers? They allow the same sort of bias either in columns or in their editorial sections. Do you find the thousands of other good things about those newspapers unable to overcome a seemingly minor negative?

PBS is too important to your children and grandchildren to pull the plug on your funding, and I personally would find it hypocritical to stop financial support over one "distasteful" program, yet continue to let our kids or grandkids watch any of the number of excellent programs designed to teach and otherwise engage them in wholesome learning activities. What lesson is this teaching? PBS is no longer worthy of my financial support, but all the quality programming you watch is still good enough to watch for free? A lousy life lesson I think.

Additionally, if you pull your funding because you disagree with their (PBS) decision to air a "slanted" program, then the next time you want to watch Masterpiece Theater, or The Red Green Show, or Newshour with Jim Lehrer, or As Time Goes By, or anything with Bill Moyer, or Charlie Rose, or any of the hundreds of other top notch, sophisticated programs designed for mature and tasteful adults, don't!

People, don't cut off your nose to spite your face. Aren’t Mormons strengthened through "persecution" (if this is what you can call this)? Take the opportunity, like you did here, to voice your dissatisfaction with A SINGLE PROGRAM, proclaim your love of church and faith, and continue supporting The Corporation for Public Broadcasting. They need your support.

Regards, John Roskelley

12/26/03
Patrick Ip
Indianapolis and San Francisco

Being the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints are wonderful blessing. Although, I didn't go on the mission and I decided not to be the member of this church because of my family. I respect my family's perspective. Anyhow, Filmmaker du Plessis doesn't understand that they are missionaries, they want to keep their low profiles. They are not heroists or famous "movie stars" on the film. They are serving what the Heavenly Father wants them to do. In fact, there is no right or wrong about being missionaries, they want to learn more experiences about the Heavenly Father's works. I have met so many missionaries everywhere from San Francisco to Indianapolis and from Hong Kong to Vancouver. They are nice and respectful. To be honest, I would love to be part of the families. Anyhow, being the missionaries are not easy job, they take a lot of hardworking and patience. Life is hard and they pray to the Heavenly Father and guide them as many as he can. I really don't like to hear negative thing about ex-missionaries. It makes members of the church feel sad. I watched this show and I felt like totally different to me. At last, I am applauding to all respected missionaries around the world because they are not only hardworking and they are working with the Heavenly Father together. It is a wonderful blessing.

12/26/03
James C. Miller
Peoria, Arizona

As a returned LDS missionary, I found the documentary surprisingly fair and objective. Ms. du Plessis' portrayal of what happens on LDS missions was dead on.

I thought Ms. du Plessis was remarkably gentle with the LDS Church. From experience, I can tell you that there are far worse things the missionaries do than lie at the door, as Ms. du Plessis showed, misrepresenting that they are there merely to fill out a questionare.

The LDS Church members who objected in this feedback section to the documentary have been brainwashed by their authoritarian Church leadership to be highly uncomfortable when confronted with uncomplementary parts of their religion. They are explicitly taught that only positive things about their religion may be presented and all the dark and disturbing parts must be hidden. Hence their angry responses.

I look forward to other excellent independant documentaries in this PBS series.

12/26/03
Kerry Hales
Clearfield, UT

As a former LDS missionary, I enjoyed the piece aired by PBS. It showed pretty much exactly how it all works. The drills and brain-washing are scary to look at, aren't they. Mormons complaining that it was biased are just trying to defend the cult that mormonism is.

With high-failure rates, inactivity rising, and the internet, no wonder that only uneducated countries enjoy an increase in numbers.

Excellent job covering the truth about mormon missionaries.

12/26/03
Matt
Waynesville, OH

I loved the program. I know this will make many of you angry but I think it did give a realistic view to the mormon church. It showed the young men in a mission doing what they do and then it showed the effect it had on some of the young men. You can't awalys show that mormon families are perfect and you can't always show the other side of the coin where all mormons are phyco kidnapping, many wives type of people. You are real people who have love thier God and have faith in thier own religion. I personally don't believe that it is the truth as many of you have said but then again that's my opinion, isn't? I really enjoyed this documentary and would love to but a copy of it so please send me info on how I might be able to do purchase a copy of this documentary.

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12/26/03
Denise
Clearfield, UT

First of all, let me say that I found the documentary quite interesting. As a former (born and raised) mormon female, I was encouraged to get married and have babies rather than serving a mission (yes, this happens, despite someone's assertion to the contrary). Therefore I don't have the personal experience these young men had, and can only imagine it. The comments of most of the active mormons in response to this film remind me of the reaction to the film "God's Army." My sister refused to see it, as it was "blasphemous." My now LDS bishop brother, on the other hand, said it was about time people saw the reality of a missionary's experience. It isn't all miraculous conversions, holiness and light. Why are Mormons so afraid of being portrayed in a realistic light? You're just as human as the rest of us, face it.

12/26/03
Brent Van Alfen
Bountiful, Utah

What I learned from this film, more than anything else, is that PBS is not really a source of independent, unbiased thought and journalism. This film should have been labeled right up front as editorial comment or something of that type as it made no serious attempt to be interview any of the millions of returned missionaries who have lived their entire lives looking back on "one of the best experiences of their lives". Going on missions have changed millions of lives for the better but you would never know that from this film. Until I read the missionary interviews on the website, I did not know any of the returned missionaries were positive about their experiences. Only the negative ones were on the program. This is a disgraceful piece and if the rest of your work is like this...goodby PBS.

12/26/03
Bob
Layton, Utah

Boy...you had me back there in Germany on my mission in 1974-76. It was tough and I prayed and worked harder than ever. I was there to bring the Gospel to people. I did. I always felt such a love in the church before my mission and knew I must serve Him. I wasn't very learned or eloquent. I Iooked at those young Elders and saw myself. Thanks for taking me back there for a moment! I'm still strong in the Faith. The negative agenda of the piece is something I knew and expected from PBS.

12/26/03
Lon Morgan
Mesa, AZ

I found the film "Get the Fire" fascinating, in no small part because I too served a mormon mission in Germany. The film brought back a flood of mixed memories.

I treasured the exposure to a wonderful people, language and culture. The missionary experience itself, as clearly demonstrated in the film, was an exercise in guilt-tripping, pressure-ridden, game-playing tactics to try and lure the German people into the lair of mormonism. The endless tracting, the street meetings, the blatant attempts at self-induced brainwashing would maybe result in one baptism per missionary per year. Most of those baptisms promptly went inactive. In the meantime other faiths, Jehovah Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists were scoring big growth wins and leaving the mormons in the dust. (See Cumorah.com) So much for "inspired leadership"!

I found it comical how True Believing Mormons have posted such negative reviews of the film. They can't seem to stomach the idea that the outside world, the REAL world, finds the doctrines of the mormons to be an exercise in delusion. Apparently the only thing they can stand to watch is the sanitized, filtered, slanted propaganda dispensed by LDS, Inc.

Whether it's DNA refuting the Book of Mormon, Egyptologists refuting the Book of Abraham, the duplicity of Joseph Smith seducing other men's wives and young girls, etc., the pattern is the same and the problem only gets worse: missionaries everywhere are facing an avalanche of evidence challenging everything about mormonism.

Given that mormonism has one of the highest convert turnover rates of any religion it's not surprising that many ex-missionaries are going to see the light and exit the church. For those complaining about the interviews with former mormons I can only say that it's about time the world saw this side of things. There's much more to the picture than the highly biased one put out by LDS, Inc.

Thanks to PBS for presenting this film.

12/26/03
Steve
American Fork, UT

People, this is PBS. To use PBS and objective in the same sentence is oxymoronic.

12/26/03

Nancy du Plessis clearly has an axe to grind. She allows comments from 4-5 former missionaries, dating back more than 20 years, all of whom are anti-mormon and no longer Mormons. She completely ignores the hundreds of thousands of returned missionaries who have remained active in the Mormon faith. Therefore, there can be no doubt that Nancy wanted to convey a negative impression about the LDS Church or she was completely inept to produce a documentary. PBS should shoulder part of the blame for allowing such a one-sided presentation, unless, however, PBS also has a similar agenda as Nancy.

12/26/03
Ross Eldridge
Bermuda Islands

First, congratulations to the film-maker for taking on this project. It was bound to cause a ruckus, and reading above, I see the dust is flying already.

One writer, perhaps others, suggested that a documentary on the Jews with a supportive statement on Nazism from a Nazi, would be comparable to the interviews with the ex-Mormons in this film. How dare they speak their mind!

Well, I suppose it could be said that a programme such as this, looking into all aspects of Nazism, with a put-down by Jewish people, would be OK. And, in the light of the passage of time and the new evidence, a Jewish put-down of Nazism would be brilliant.

We are a creation with the ability to examine, and choose. The Mormons (and, please, get over the business of not liking the name "Mormon" ... you will be changing the name of that famous Tabernacle in Temple Square to something more convenient? It's Freedom Fries, kids!) claim to believe in free agency, and then shoot you down when you start to exercise it.

On the positive side, I met many nice people during a flirtation with Mormonism. Happily, most of them (I'll say 55 years old and younger) are far more open-minded than the old folks in charge in SLC.

If Prophet Seer and Revelator Hinkley is ready to admit a few mistakes were made (Whoops: Salamander business; blacks and people of colour business; polygamy business; big business!) I can only wonder if he's checked EVERYTHING to see if there's more that needs reinventing and rewriting and rerevealing. It's OK to say God doesn't make mistakes and then do a recall and say, somehow, mankind made a mistake in the receipt and retransmittal of God's message? GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME!

There is fascinating DNA evidence on the lineage of the Native American peoples now available. Read the Ex-Mormon link at PBS.

With all this new looking at everything, the folks, the old folks, in SLC are going to have recruit the best of the best to find ways to refute the new evidence. So, kids, go to BYU and learn what you have to put down. Learn how to deny free agency to yourself and others.

Well, thumbs up on the film. I would not want to see anything with less to choose from. Sometimes you have to wait at the junction for the stoplight to change a few times to observe and decide what red and green mean. It's the amber mush that bores me.

Thank you! Ross Eldridge

12/26/03
Michael
Brussels, Belgium

I thought this film depicted the mission experience fairly accurately. While on my mission to France I saw many similar situations/attitudes.

A definite eye-opener for me. I made many friends, but also came to realize that there were many legitimate beliefs outside the narrowly focused Mormon influence.

Well done to Nancy du Plessis.

12/26/03
Rick

I found the show to be quite interesting! It covered many angles and truths.

I started my mission in 1994. During the two years, I was continually harrassed and abused. I was robbed and beatin the third month in.( I still finished my 2 years) I left the church and spent two more years in therapy. The "church" showed little remorse and support. They have left me with such guilt, that it becomes difficult to function in society. I very much disagree with sending teenagers into a dangerous world. Riding bikes through LA after dark isn't such a good idea!

Don't get me wrong, mormans are wonderful people.

The "church" blinds and shelters young people from reality. This doesn't make them bad. Brainwashing is the best way to keep the young faithful to the gospel. For instance, my nephew left for his mission in 2000. He knew very little about 911 or us going into war. No communication keeps them in line!

I don't want to go off here! I enjoyed the show. I wish PBS and the missionaries the best.

12/26/03
Ogden Utah

Between 1994-1996 I served a mission to Argentina and can personally attest to the farce that the Mormon church imposes on feeble-minded people. Every former LDS missionary out there is well aware of the fact that the mission is all about how to manipulate people's feelings and emotions. Unfortunately, there is only a small minority of us reformed corporate marketers who are willing to come to terms with it's reality. I thank PBS for airing such a program and look forward to seeing more public scrutiny and debate on the mormon's agenda to enslave humanity.

12/26/03
Robert Allen

I notice that the active Mormons who seem to dislike the film, adopt the typical Mormon reaaction of dismissing any and everything not complimentary to the LDS Church.

If the Church had nothing to hide in its history, in its teachings, why would they care what you read or which websites you visit? But they do care. Each General Conference they scream about "anti" Mormon literature.

I suggest the active Mormons start reading those books they tell you NOT to read, i.e., No Man Knows My History, One Nation Under Gods, etc.

The church can't stand up to close inspection; it is a cult.

12/26/03
Eddy Pulido
Lima, Peru

You've definitely done a film that simply does not resemble, at all, what you set out to do, but apparently something that expresses your own personal sentiment or belief about the doctrine, missionary work, and beliefs of millions of people.

You had the opportunity to see young bright men learn, struggle, and succeed at what they set out to do. Yet, you chose to depict some experiences of people who couldn't keep the faith as if that were to balance your portrayal of a missionary. I'm sadden that you can't see past your own interests. I think that you thought that such depiction would make you a better film maker, but it just shows your true colors and intentions.

The other side of the story is a fruitful life, full of challenges and trials, but a wonderful opportunity to live the teachings of God we hold dear.

Echoing words such as "the Church does not have a heart", or "seeing the other side" are obvious words of someone who couldn't keep the faith. If you had to lie to the Church Presidenc y to get your story, then you've proven yourself as a person who is not worthy of trust and that is willining to mislead others to get what you want.

This film of yours is as lame as the premise you pretend to make us believe was your intention in the first place, when indeed, it's exactly the opposite. There are missionaries in the field and back home from all over the world and to those of us who grew, learned, matured and served in the mission field, we would never trade those two years of our lives for anything. We served the Lord and that in an of itself if the goal of our lives. We are no religious fanatics nor do we force our beliefs on anyone. We served and continue to serve the Lord because of our love for him and our neighbors, if you can't see that, you've wasted two years of your lives trying to capture the simplicity of the gospel we love and try to live by.

12/26/03
Dan Arnold
Richland, WA

For the past several months I've had Mormon missionaries come to my home on a weekly basis. I've enjoyed our conversations, there senses of humor and their willingness to listen as well as teach. They are just like the missionaries depicted in the film, honest, dedicated, zealous but respectful.

The film is as balanced as any in it's genre could be. Most of the commentary comes straight from the missionaries themselves, or from the Mission President. For balance, returned missionaries who are now dissaffected were included.

Reading comments like those of Mike Stanger reminds me of how one's own belief system and presuppostions can skew one's perceptions to the point of fantasy.

12/26/03
Doug Humphries
Salt Lake City, UT

I spent my two years as a missionary in Ecuador. Before leaving, as the emotional atmosphere around me had reached fever pitch, I had a very disquieting thought. "What would happen to me if I didn't want to go?" I knew that that the choice had been lost to me long before that moment--especially if I wanted to remain in good standing with my family and friends.

I went, and continued in the church as a fiercely dedicated member for eight more years. My intense devotion to the church and my pride in my pioneer heritage made my thirst for insatiable. I wanted to learn everything I could to be a better Mormon.

It was my honest quest for knowledge that ultimately led to my formal resignation from the church. I could not in good conscience continue a member of the Mormon Church, or any other church.

Paradoxically, it was both one of the hardest and easiest decisions ever made. It was hard because of the fear of reprisal amongst family and friends. I ended up losing my job over it. Several of my friends no longer speak to me. It was easy because my former conviction to Mormonism had been born of a much deeper reverence for truth.

Clearly absent from the Mormon point of view on this board is whether the accusations have merit. Instead they distract you with complaints about bias, cries of persecution, threats (stopping PBS contribution), and inane arguing over the correct name of the church.

A more proper and honest discussion would investigate whether or not the claims of the Mormon Church have merit. My own intense personal investigation took me across thousands of pages of history and ultimately led me to conclude that the Mormon Church is as man made as the buildings they meet in. The main difference between me and most active Mormons is that I didn't start my search for the truth with a predetermined answer in mind.

12/26/03
Susan Frenzel
Minneapolis, MN

I spent 19 years among the LDS in Utah. I spent 9 months in Blanding, Utah as a missionary to tell people about the Return of Christ, Baha'u'llah. [We don't have any specific mission length. We go someplace and live what we believe while we work as usual.] I was impressed that the missionaries get up at 6:30 a.m. and study the Word of God for 3 hours every morning. I've studied 6 languages and I was amazed at how well they spoke German after a short time - they did much better than I could. When you're learning a language for the love of God, you can become very good very quickly. I thought they were very good. Baha'is don't stand out in Utah, because the laws we obey are similar to the religious laws Mormons obey. We don't drink alcohol. Smoking is discouraged. We can drink cold and hot drinks, like coffee. We believe in the equality of men and women, but the best expression of that I ever saw was in the marriage of Mormon Bishop Haven Bergeson and his wife Carol-Anne. Baha'is believe in the eradication of racial prejudice. One of the best expressions of that I ever saw was in the home of Mormon Bishop Haven Bergeson, whose family is now interracial. A basic foundation of the Baha'i Faith is independent investigation of truth - investigating, thinking for yourself and expressing your views freely. It takes courage to express yourself when you know the majority will probably not like it, no matter what religion you follow, even Baha'i. Again, one of the best expressions of that I ever saw was in the home of Mormon Bishop Haven Bergeson. Haven, co-chair of the Physics Dept., was willing to investigate cold fusion although most of the Physics Dept. was against it. Gays, nor heterosexuals, will find no comfort in Baha'u'llah's admonition to all people to be celibate outside marriage. Baha'is don't stand out in Utah because on the surface we look the same as Mormons.

A comment about Germany - perhaps the people are so jaded about religion because of what they did and experienced in WWII. Hitler couched his racism in religious symbolism and Germans elected him, and see the result. Europe is one of the toughest missionary fields for any religion, including the Baha'i Faith.

You couldn't help but love the people in this documentary, the missionaries and the disgruntled RM's. I was glad to see it, to see something so intimate about Mormons. Jesus Christ is a true Messenger of God, and the time they spent on their missions will prove to have been the most meaningful time of their lives.

12/26/03
Thomas
Corpus Christi,TX

I had the great privilege of meeting several mormon friends in my early twenties while serving in the military. I attended their church services, heard their discussions, and really wanted to believe what they had to say. Thier devotion, spirit, and good will toward me was truly wonderful. For various reasons, I simply could not believe in validity of the Book of Mormon, their idea of prophets, nor their temple ceremonies. Additionally, many of the mormon friends that I had, and have, struggle with the same. Let's face it, science, history, and archaeology are stacked against mormon scriptures; and, mormons are not ignorant of this either. However, their zeal and dedication is more of an existential leap of faith than any rational decision. I can understand, and applaud, this.

Furthermore, I feel that the documentary was good. It wasn't excellent, because it was skewed a bit. However, there is bias in everything, and bias comes from artistic interpretation. And, I feel that the maker of this film did a fine job, in documentary format, of interpreting her perspective of the situation. The mormon church itself has bias in its literature and PR communiques.

At any rate, my opinion is that sure the filmaker could have presented more "rounded" interviews; however, the documentary is the result of her impression of the situation. If the film appeared negative, it was probably because the filmaker experienced it as such. Don't blame her, she's just putting together what she saw, heard, felt and experienced from what was available.

12/26/03
Jim A
Orange County, CA

Mike Goimarac (whose post currently resides on page two) states, "you will never see the LDS Church going out of its way to condemn the beliefs of other religions or cast them in a false light".

What Mr. Goimarac fails to mention is that the LDS temple endowment ceremony portrayed a Protestant minister as a hireling of Satan, until the ceremony underwent several major changes in April 1990. In addition, the hymn "Old Hundredth" was also mocked. These features of the endowment ceremony were in existence from the 1840s (in Nauvoo, Illinois) until 1990, which is not a "brief" span of LDS Church history.

LDS members who received their own endowments before 1990 also reenacted "Penalty" signs which pantomimed slashing of the throat/chest/abdomen as "ways in which life may be taken" as punishment for those who revealed the ceremony.

So when a member such as Mr. Goimarac states that his church never criticized or mocked other faiths, he's referring to the public face of the church....not to what went on behind the scenes for decades inside the temples, where nonmembers (and members who were not temple-worthy) were banned.

12/26/03
Salt Lake City

Wow. I didn't expect "Get the Fire!" to touch me so deeply.

There was saying we had in my LDS mission (Spain) to cheer each other up on a particularly bad day. We would remind each other that after the mission, the Lord would bless us to only remember the good times and forget the bad.

For the most part that's been true, until tonight sitting and watching "Get the Fire!" on PBS.

It's been over ten years since I served in the Spain-Barcelona Mission and I'd all but forgot how the hard times felt. But seeing those missionaries in the MTC, sitting exactly where I sat, hearing the same indoctrination brought back a flood of emotion.

I could recall what it felt for me to be going through everything they showed in the film. Based on what I saw, the German missionary experience is nearly identical to the one I had in Spain.

The producer did an excellent job capturing in a single hour the essence of the missionary mentality and experience. To condense a two year "adventure" into one hour is not an easy feat, but she pulled it off.

I can understand why some "True Believing" Mormons will find the film offensive. They are so conditioned to church propaganda short films like "Labor of Love" and "Called to Serve" that seeing the real deal comes off "anti-Mormon." But "Get the Fire!" is a VERY accurate representation of what a mission is like.

Imagine that movie magnified over two years and you start to appreciate the mission life. The few minutes shown of them knocking doors really goes on for ten hours nearly every day in the mission. The brief clips of showing feelings of missionary loneliness, inadequacy and delusion are constant themes.

Although my older brother had served a mission before I did, I had little idea of what a mission was really all about. The stories returned-missionaries tell are of the faith-promoting or humorous variety. It wasn't until the night before I entered the MTC myself that my brother had a sober talk with me about the real mission experience. He told me two things:

- There will be a moment in your mission, when you're walking in the rain with your companion, you'll be cold and wet and it will hit you just how lonely, tired and inadequate you really feel. You'll start thinking about all the other places you'd rather be than on a mission. Just put those thoughts out of your mind.

- You'll reach a point in your mission when "The Mission" becomes all that you are. Everything you do, everything you say, everything you think will be because of "The Mission." When it gets that bad, back off an have a real good P-Day away from the mission experience. Be careful not to loose yourself because that's easy to do in the mission.

I didn't exactly understand what my brother was saying at the time, but I had several "in the rain" experience just like he predicted. And for most of the time, I was lost in "The Mission."

I would tell anyone considering on serving a mission to see "Get the Fire!" because it's at least a brief view into what it is really like out there.

12/26/03

It's about time for a documentary to come out that doesn't have the PR department of the church all over it. Refreshing to see realistic and honest perspectives of those who have lived the life of a missionary. Having converted to the LDS church and having left the church I have seen a lot of wonderful things happen to people's lives on both sides of the fence. And I have seen ugly, dark, and negative things happen to people's lives on both sides of the fence. The difference is that on the LDS side you have the choice of ignoring it at their own peril, or lying to themself and everyone, an equally perilous task. Kudos to those who are willing to cast the light, both the former missionaries and those at PBS.

After viewing the film last night, I feel that the numbers of "pro" and "con" former missionaries should have been more balanced. However, I realize that this film was primarily shot in Germany, where it would have been more difficult to locate returned missionaries than in, say, Utah.

In addition, while one of the missionaries (Erekson) made some less-than-enthusiastic remarks about the way returned missionaries are treated in Utah, overall his remarks and view of his missionary time cannot be construed as "negative". Too often, LDS members label any assessment of their church that is less than 100% glowing and marvelous as "anti-Mormon", rather than facing the issues (if true) raised by people who question any aspect of Mormonism. This is a classic example of an "ad hominem" attack: if you can't explain away the issue, then just attack the character of the messenger.

I would like to clarify inaccurate remarks made by A Orullian and Kandace, who questioned the veracity Steve (from Colorado)'s rema rk that he had to promise to take his life during temple sessions; instead, these two posters stated that members are asked to "'give' their life to Christ.

Such claims are misleading, because until April 1990, when several major changes were made in the LDS temple endowment ceremony, participants made the "Penalty Signs" of the Aaronic and Melchezedek priesthoods, which involved drawing one's hand across one's throat, chest, and abdomen as representations of "ways in which life may be taken". Until the 1930s, the wording of the Penalties was more graphic: participants had to promise never to reveal or speak about the temple ceremonies or else suffer their tongues/chests/abdomens to be slashed. Younger members who received their endowments after April 1990 would not have been exposed to the Penalties, and older members are under solemn vows of secrecy never to discuss them.

Mike Stanger questioned the claim made in the film that the LDS Church specifies what kind of underwear its members must wear; his statement is not accurate or truthful. All endowed members receive "temple garments" during their first endowment ceremony. These are one or two-piece undergarments with short sleeves and hems down to the knee level, and they are embroidered with symbols(including a compass and a square) which are explained in the endowment ceremony (some critics believe that the symbols are Masonic in origin, but that's a whole different can of worms).

LDS members are instructed in the temple to wear these garments, purchased from church stores, day and night, with exceptions for sports, swimming, etc. The church is the only manufacturer of these garments, though in the past they have been offered for sale by non-church retailers (e.g., JC Penney).

When members are interviewed by their bishop to renew their Temple Recommend cards, one of the questions asked is whether the member wears his/her garments day and night, and nonuse of them conceivably could be grounds for denial of a Temple Recommend.

12/26/03
Brian Gawlik
Manchester, Vermont

After watching the documentary (Get The Fire) and reading through the associated website I must say that I found it all to be very informative. Yes there are going to be people on both sides of the fence when it comes to the LDS church but that is true of any religion. The simple fact is that in any faith or religion "outsiders" will seek out the positive and negative and use it to support their personal point of view. It has always interested me that the members of any faith or religion under fire usually lash out at the "attacks" rather than trying to educate and inform. No matter what people say you always have your faith and religion. No one can take that away. If the documentary "Get The Fire" serves any purpose it is to open a dialog which is how we learn. I applaud PBS for being a catalyst for education!

12/26/03
Las Vegas, NV

I enjoyed the documentary and thought that much truth was portrayed about missionaries.

I hate to burst some of your bubbles, but I personally know a lot of members that went on missions because of a sense of duty or rewards upon there return. I was brought up LDS and some of my family still is. One of my grandparents offered to pay for my cousin to go on a mission, but never once offered to help him out with education costs. That's all it's about is getting your 19 year old son out to preach the gospel. Think about the age of 19. You're barely an adult, who should have to make a decision to give up 2 years of their life at that age. (Of course at 8 you make the decision to become a member ha ha, but that's a whole new topic).

Of course they're will be a lot of negative comments from LDS members because they can't take criticism. I also HATE the label anti-mormon. LDS members have a habit of using that term for anything that anyone says that is not they're opinion or belief.

I also wanted to comment on the "Blood Atonement that seems so popular on this board. For any of you that do not think it meant to literaly give your life or take a life you need to do your homework. Obviously times have changed along with the meaning, (apparently from reading members posts), because if left the same the church WOULD be labeled a cult. Here's a direct quote from Brigham Young regarding this:

"It is true that the blood of the Son of God was shed for sins through the fall and those committed by men, yet men can commit sins which it can never remit.... There are sins that can be atoned for by an offering upon an altar, as in ancient days; and there are sins that the blood of a lamb, or a calf, or of turtle dove, cannot remit, but they must be atoned for by the blood of the man." (Sermon by Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, pages 53-54)

I'm sure many will give there own interpretations on this, because it just can't mean you literaly kill yourselfs or others!?!(sarcasm)