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Article by Danette Ariotti:

HBO's Big Love to air LDS temple ceremony in upcoming episode

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always been under the watchful eye of the media. Lately, the media has had its heyday with the Proposition 8 controversy. It never seems to end. HBO's series, Big Love, is also getting in on the action. When Big Love first aired, its creators and HBO executives assured the Church that the series wouldn't be about Mormons, but it has since proven otherwise. As reported in the Salt Lake Tribune's article about Big Love's upcoming controversial episode, the statement from the LDS church, after receiving such assurance, said, "...Internet references to 'Big Love' indicate that more and more Mormon themes are now being woven into the show and that the characters are often unsympathetic figures who come across as narrow and self-righteous."

So, what is Big Love's newest episode about that's getting national attention? On the March 15 episode, the show will depict an LDS temple ceremony. In fact, executives hired an "ex-Mormon consultant" and "researched it to the wazoo" so that all the details would be correct.
"But it's not for shock value," Mark Olsen, one of the series' creators said. "It's really a very important part of the story."

In regard to Mark Olsen's statement about the temple ceremony being a very important part of the upcoming episode's story, I believe it can and should be depicted in more respectful manner. Importance of such can be shown without depicting such a sacred part of the LDS religion.
The LDS church came out with an official statement regarding the soon-to-come episode saying that "Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness when addressing this issue. Already, email chains and boycotts have been sent for subscription cancellations to Time Warner, the owner of the HBO network. And the fall out is sure to continue as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints everywhere are offended by a presentation of a very sacred part of their religion.

I personally have never watched Big Love, however, it is disheartening for me to have a television network allow LDs temple proceedings broadcast so freely and without regard to true sacredness of it. Temple ceremonies and ordinances are a sacred part of the LDS faith and are reserved for members who are worthy to enter the temple. Keeping those ordinances sacred is respectful to God. BYU Associate Dean of Religion Kent Jackson told KSL 5 news, "Good people honor other people's sense of the sacred."

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