I went to see the BOM musical tonight. It was absolutely
wonderful. Did it make fun of Mormons? Of course it did. Was it funny? Of
course it was. But there was something even better about it than the humor. *(I
will say that I do not remember the last time I laughed so hard.)
I have so many things to say about this musical that I am
going to do it parts. Seriously, I have
A LOT to say! I should also say there are spoilers in my thoughts.
Sorry.
Part 1: HOPE
There was a message of hope. Yes, I am aware that many people
think that some of my beliefs are weird. Some people think my beliefs are just plain crazy, but does that negate the
message of hope hope that my faith brings? It most certainly does not.
What was so profound about
the musical was that it does just that. It takes the fiction of today and uses
the vehicle of Mormon missionaries to show that it does not matter the story
that is told, what matters is the hope it brings. In the musical one of the
missionariesb (Arnold) has never read the BOM, and it becomes his
responsibility to teach a group of people who are in need of help. He reads to
them, and they get frustrated and ask, “How does this help me, here and now?
How does this book tell me how to deal with (Fill
in the blank)?” The
missionary, not knowing how to answer, adds his own imagination to the BOM,
giving the people the words they want to hear. Make no mistake, the
“imaginations” of this missionary are just plain ludicrous. But they give the
people the hope they need. He gives them hope, and with that hope come a
happier and better people. Are they suddenly transformed to a better place? No.
Do they get rich and become healthy overnight? No. But what they do find is
togetherness. They find hope in helping one another. It does not matter whether
the stories are true or not; what matters is that the missionary (unintentional
though it may be) gives the villagers hope that they can be happy even the most
terrible of circumstances.
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