What 'Under the Banner of Heaven' gets right — and wrong — about Mormons

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."On whether the show brings up important issues for church members to address

“I think that there are a number of historical events and theological concepts that Mormons have not grappled with publicly in the way that we probably should. What we’ve seen in the last decade in particular within the LDS Church is a greater emphasis on being transparent about history. The church has made the entire corpus of Joseph Smith’s papers available to the public. So there’s nothing hidden. There’s still progress to be made. But it’s starting.”"

I lived in Sandy, UT on a bench in the Wasatch Mountains for a time and have nothing but respect for the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and their accomplishments there. They are extremely dedicated, hard working and creative people. My experience within my job was outstanding. My experience as a neighbor was not up to the same level. Being new in the neighborhood and not being seen at the meetinghouse prompted a visit by a couple missionaries. I had already read the Book of Mormon. We spent 2 hours discussing various topics. I expressed my desire to remain Lutheran. Our property abutted 3 properties. We had a small terrier West Highland White Terrier. The neighbors' fences were in the condition that I was afraid that Dusty might get caught in or even through the fence. I bought lumber and repaired their fence. Not one neighbor talked to me, let alone said thanks. They were not bad neighbors and I didn't require a thank you, I just thought it was strange and just a little disappointing that, once I decided to stay Lutheran no neighbor ever talked to any of us. My son had a girlfriend in High School. When she found out he was Lutheran and not interested in changing, she never talked to him again. That was about 34 years ago. I'm confident things have changed at least some since then. While I would be happy to move back, neither my wife nor sons are interested in doing so.