Sunday, March 15, 2009

Big Love

Ironically I have fallen in love with the HBO series-Big Love. The premise is a devout yet "secular" Mormon family in Utah that still upholds the tenets of polygamy. This family, the Henricksons spans the gap between the FLDS and their "Amish-wear" and compounds and the main-stream "Apple Pie" Mormons of suburban Salt Lake City. It is not just the intriguing premise, the excellent acting or the amazing writing, directing and production. All those things this series has in spades as well. It is also the underlying values. The unassuming way-almost "pilgrim-like" approach to religion. The plea of "We know you don't agree, just give us the space to believe different from you.". It is enticing and fresh-NOT that I am interested in converting to the followers of Moroni and the debatable Joseph Smith, NOR am I interested in acquiring more than one wife-Sephania is ALL I want or need. Rather it is the "pilgrim-like", unassuming approach I mentioned before. There is something breath-taking and refreshing in it. Something that is all to absent in the current flavors of right-wing fundamental evangelical Christianity. I think it is humility-and the reason it rings so true-is that no other message was at the message of Jesus's philosophy. Not that the individual beliefs are to my taste-but the humble approach is long missing from Christianity-and "approach" is one of the biggest characteristics of the original Jesus-brand that I know.

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