Mormon Temple Rites on HBO
This past Sunday’s episode of HBO’s Big Love has some Mormons in a tizzy. As a former Mormon, I watch Big Love with great interest, I confess that it is a weekly ritual with my wife and I on Sunday nights. While there are some faithful Mormons who will watch Big Love, there might be a few less now.
This past week saw 2 major events in the life of Barb, the First Wife of Bill Hendrickson. She had been outed by her sister to her bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as living in plural marriage; which Barb knew that she would be ex-communicated for. Before that happened, she wanted to go to the Temple again and take part in the Endowment Ceremony one last time, since once she was excommunicated she wouldn’t be able to do that again.
The endowment ceremony is a very sacred part of Mormon doctrine, and is not talked about by faithful members, and to depict it in the format of an HBO drama is something they will take lightly. Having taken part in the ceremony myself, I can attest that the portrayal on Big Love is very accurate. Yes, I wore the funny hat, yes I wore the fig leaf, and I still have these items in my closet.
I find that the way the temple ceremony was portrayed was quite reverent, and actually more angelic that it really is; the addition of nice lighting and swelling music will do that.
The second major event for Barb was the “Court of Love”. This was the disciplinary hearing with the leaders of the church is which she was excommunicated.
While the Temple ritual being depeicted may be more contraversial, I find the excommunication segment to be more damming.
We see how Barb is surrounded by a group of men in the Patriarchal church, and isn’t given much of a chance to be heard; they made up their minds about what was going to happen before they even got there apparently.
When going up against disciplinary council the person being accused has everything stacked against them; they must be obedient or be cast out of the church; a bad fate for a believer since it cancels the oaths and covenant they’ve made within the church such as baptism, any priesthood offices and temple ordinances; to them they are cut off from salvation.
