Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Lessons to Learn from the "Big Love" Fracas: Preparing for Future Temple Depictions


On March 15, HBO's Big Love broadcast its episode 'Outer Darkness,' which depicted less than two minutes of the producers' version of the conclusion of the LDS temple endowment ceremony. In my general-audience blog, "On the Mark," I described the issues this broadcast raised for Latter-day Saints, in one post; I described what the actual broadcast revealed about its producers in another post. Here, I consider what Latter-day Saints might learn from this whole affair. Since the temple doors have been breached, as it were, it is increasingly likely that there shall be other depictions of the temple ceremonies, on television or in general-release movies. How shall we deal with that? Several points come to mind.


Expect the World to Show No Respect for the Temple

In advance of the broadcast, HBO issued an 'apology' to Latter-day Saints who found it offensive--and then broadcast it anyway. Significantly, the producers did not even issue an apology. They claimed to depict the endowment with "sensitivity," somehow missing the point that what the Saints found insensitive was the very depiction of sacred temple ritual.
For many years, the entertainment industry has found it profitable and stylish to offend and ridicule the LDS community. There is no reason for this to change now. We need to develop thick skins about this, although we certainly should respond, as I explain below.

The LDS Response Should Not Take the Form of Economic Sanction

Before the broadcast, some Saints called for boycotts of HBO. The LDS Church authorities took no such position. This latter approach was wise for at least two reasons:
  1. It would have been ineffective. The six to seven million American Saints are simply too few to have any significant effect on a network or its advertisers. Unless your target is a convenience store in Toelle, an LDS boycott is not going to count for much.

  2. Boycotts would make us look like the kind of right-wing Christians who are seen as irrational by the general society--and who would be the first to send each Saint to the stake for 'heresy' if they could. These people are not our friends. They are seen as extreme in American society. We should not do things that make us look like them.

The LDS Response Should Take the Form of Education

Several media critics, viewing advance screenings of 'Outer Darkness,' wondered what all the fuss was about, stating that they did not see what there was in the Temple ceremonies that was worth keeping secret. Essentially, they--and the general audience--did not get it. This works in our favor, by creating an opportunity for the Saints to educate our non-LDS neighbors in several ways:


  • First, we can explain the meaning of the temple ceremonies, in general terms, as the promise of eternal life, and the preservation of the family unit in the eternities. These are new concepts for most people; it may make sense to them that such blessings--unprecedented in their own experience--should involve ceremonies that are extraordinarily sacred, too sacred for casual depiction.

  • Second, we can explain, again in general terms, the spiritual significance of aspects of the temple that may strike the public as unusual. Temple clothing is akin to the clothing worn by the clergy of the world on special occasions (as many Christian clergy wear special Easter vestments); we reserve our special vestments for the temple, a special place, rather than for a special time on the calendar.

  • Similarly, if the matter arises, we can explain in general terms that we do not have 'secret handshakes' of identification such as are found in various fraternal organizations. Rather, we do have symbols of the covenants mentioned above, in which we pledge ourselves to the highest standards of behavior. We keep these symbols confidential because they are sacred, not because we have scary secrets to keep from the world.

  • Third, continuing in this vein, we can explain that the temple ceremonies do not contain "secrets" as the public understands this term. We have no special knowledge to keep from the world, nothing about the location of Atlantis or the Holy Grail. Rather, we reserve our ceremonies for those who are spiritually ready to participate in them, to accentuate the sanctity of the occasion.

Let's be ready, the next time around.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Welcome to "Mormon From Manhattan: Viewpoints of a Latter-Day Saint New Yorker": An Introduction

Welcome to “Mormon From Manhattan: Viewpoints of a Latter-Day Saint New Yorker.” In this post, I explain the topics I plan to address, how this blog is different from other blogs about the faith of the Latter-day Saints, how I am qualified to write about this, and aspects of my personal life. (I shall continue to address issues involving the interface of the LDS faith and some details of my personal background. Note: As of March 30, I adopted a policy of posting entries of a maximum 800 words (not including references and so forth); thus, posts on this blog are just a bit longer than an Op-Ed piece in a typical newspaper.

Topics Addressed in This Blog

I shall address general topics related to the faith of the Latter-day Saints, including: LDS beliefs and practices, philosophy, ethics, doctrine. Images of Mormonism in popular entertainment and the media. Responses to Anti-Mormonism. Items appearing in the LDS blogosphere and cyberspace. Mormons and Mormonism in the news. My experience being a Latter-day Saint. Here, I shall consider items that are of particular interest to Latter-day Saints. Issues involving the interface between the LDS faith and society at large I shall consider in my blog devoted to general social issues, “On the Mark: Social Commentary From a Reflective Perspective.”) I plan to send posts to this blog once or twice a week (excluding vacations and conference trips.)

How This Blog Is Different

There are a lot of blogs about the Saints, which is a wonderful thing. I bring to this one a knowledge of other faiths and spiritual traditions (including esoteric traditions) and scriptural languages; a point of view based geographically in the American Northeast; and, the perspective of a convert, raised in another faith, with family members from many other religious traditions.

How I Am Qualified to Write About the LDS Faith

First and foremost, of course, I am an observant Latter-day Saint. I conducted a private practice in psychotherapy, primarily with an LDS population, for 16 years (and published some of my early reflections on this work). Subsequently, I have been recognized for my work in the psychology of worldviews (the assumptions that people have about reality), the psychology of religion, and the psychology of self-transcendence. I have also published articles about the LDS faith in Sunstone and Dialogue.

My Personal Background
I understand that readers may be curious about what sorts of perspectives inform my opinions. Here are some items about my background:
  • Name: Mark Edward Koltko-Rivera.
  • Demographic characteristics: 52 years old; married, with four grown children from a former marriage.
  • LDS background: Convert. Returned missionary; served an honorable mission in the Japan Okayama Mission (1978-1980). Have served in two bishoprics and on a stake high council. Have served for much of the last 8 years as the teacher of the Gospel Doctrine class in Sunday School. Currently serve as a ward missionary.
  • Home town: The Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City.
  • Where I’ve lived: New York City (Manhattan; Astoria, Queens; the Bronx). Florida (Winter Park, just north of Orlando). New Jersey (Newark). Pennsylvania (Haverford and Bryn Mawr). Connecticut (New Milford and West Hartford). Japan (Hiroshima, Okayama, Matsue, Matsuyama, Tokushima).
  • Ethnicity: Polish and Puerto Rican.
  • Education: Graduated from St. Stanislaus, B.M. School (now defunct), New York City, 1970. Graduated from Regis High School, New York City, 1974. Graduated from Haverford College with a BA degree, majoring in psychology, 1981 (affiliated with Class of 1978); many classes taken at Bryn Mawr College. Graduated from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education with an MS in Ed degree, majoring in counseling, 1984. Graduated from New York University with a PhD degree, in counseling psychology, 2000.
  • Religion and Spirituality: My religion is the faith of the Latter-day Saints (LDS, known popularly as ‘the Mormons’). Within this faith, I have found it comfortable to situate myself within the Sunstone and Dialogue community (named for two independent LDS publications, in which I have published several articles; I have also presented at the Sunstone Symposia in Salt Lake City, Washington, DC, and Boston).
  • Presence on the Internet: I write "On the Mark: Social Commentary From a Reflective Perspective" where I address social issues in general, my life and its lessons, and spirituality. I also write "Freemasonry: Reality, Myth, and Legend," where I address issues of interest to Freemasons. I shall address issues involving the interface between society in general and the LDS faith on "On the Mark"; I reserve issues of primary interest to Latter-day Saints on this blog, "For Latter-Day Saints: Topics in Mormonism." Anyone is welcome to read or comment on any of these blogs (subject to the rules, below).
Although directed at members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, anyone is welcome to read and comment upon these posts. The rules for those who leave comments: No personal attacks. No profanity. You are welcome to disagree with me, and quite vigorously at that, but infringements of the rules means I shall delete you and bar you from future commenting. Beyond that: Welcome.