I saw "Going Clear" over the weekend and had a thought. So I wrote an e-mail to Alex Gibney, the film maker, proposing a Mormon version. The e-mail address was a general "info@" type address, so I didn't know what to expect.

I just got a reply!

"Hi Mr. Moose,

Thank you for writing. I passed along your email to Alex.

All the best -"


Oh, yeah. "Mr. Moose" makes me laugh, remembering Captain Kangaroo and ping pong balls...

Can we see the text of the letter you sent?

"Dear Mr. Gibney,

Over the weekend I watched your film "Going Clear". I was stunned! I am an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as "Mormons". As such, I saw numerous parallels between the two organizations. I suspect, however, that LDS, Inc. (Intellectual Reserve, Inc.?) has, by an order of magnitude, more money and certainly more members. I am currently "studying" my way out, but since I was born and raised Mormon, with a genealogical tree going back to the founder, Joseph Smith, as well as many other "notables", it's a hard process. In the Mormon faith, "apostates" tend to be shunned. No, it's not a formal thing. But it happens. It's painful. No different that the Scientologist's "Disconnect" policy.

If you look at the current leadership, you see a group of 15 men who average approximately 80 years in age! They were raised in another era! They may be aware of current political and social issues, but they are really clueless! I say this as a 60 year old!

My point in all this, as light a treatment as I've given, is to point out another "opportunity" to present the Mormons in a similar light as "Going Clear" did for Scientology. Unvarnished truth, in other words.

If "Going Clear" has created too many problems for you, as I understand it could very well do, would you mind passing this along to another film maker who might have an interest in such a project, as the time is ripe now due to the release of your project!

If you or anyone else is interested in background research, I might be able to help. More likely, I could direct you to others who might be better prepared to offer such help! In any case you and others are free to contact me at my e-mail address.

Lastly, thank you very much for all you did to create and release "Going Clear" and for all you are and, no doubt will be, encountering as "push back" from Scientology.

Respectfully yours,

Moose"

I too was able to catch most of "Going Clear" recently on cable and indeed realized the eerie similarities that Scientology and LDS Inc inflict upon their adherents.

That Miscaviage is a dead-ringer for a Joseph Smith persona...paranoia and all.

I caught a curious point after Scientology had won its battle with the IRS over its tax exemption that monies that come into a "church organization" have to be shown to be utilized for the good of the organization and the benefit of its people and can not be simply "amassed" which was the word that was used apparently from the IRS decision.

I now ask how in the sam-hill does LDS-Inc get away with "amassing" so much $$$ and real-estate if that's the parameters that tax-exemption has to operate under???

Would love to see LDS-Inc treated to the same kind of expose that "Going Clear" did to Scientology.

Maybe it could be called..."Going Honest".

Or so it seems to me...

Wow ... wouldn't that be great if they could do an expose on the

Mormon church? I would have a party and dance for days.....

Count me in on the dance party! Perhaps Steve Benson would DJ? I can think of a few songs to celebrate... =)

Thanks Mr. Moose! Captain Kangaroo looked like he hated his job.

Well done!

You will not see Going Clear, Mormon edition for a couple of reasons:

1) The LDS Church has too much political clout. You know the Scientologists are going down when SNL can parody them with impunity.

2) LDS, Inc. pays its leadership too healthily for them to defect. Scientology is lead by the nutjob, David Miscavige. Maybe in BY's day there would have been defectors to rat out the church, but those at the top have too much too lose to write such an insider book. Most people who leave are rank and file members. Even SPs are not that high ranking to write such a book.

Agreed to a certain extent. I wasn't going to sit on my thumbs with the thought still bouncing in my head!

Every little bit helps and with a little luck...

Who really knows?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2015 02:56PM by moose.

(I know, you are definitely more of a "realist", as I fancy myself to be...but)

could you add another voice?

info@jigsawprods.com



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2015 03:00PM by moose.

Hey moose I was just wondering if any of your geneology searches might have indicated that you are related to Bullwinkle?

My family (surname) crest has a squirrel atop, so...

I'm related to Natasha!!!

It's like we're almost cousins!

Helen Whitney produced the 4-hour documentary "The Mormons" which aired in 2007. While it was not the "expose" most ex-mormons wished for, it was was certainly the most comprehensive look at Mormons from an outsider's view to date.

I would suspect that it is still available through some streaming service, perhaps directly from Frontline or PBS.org. I'm not sure another film-maker would take on another Mormon project, unless you could convince him/her that Helen missed the mark completely. I suspect they would say, "Its already been done".

I met with Helen on a couple of occasions; once while she was filming a segment, and again when she was here for the premier back in 2007. Although the film was in the can the second time, she was still interested in the experiences of those like me who had left the church. (And, she really needed someone to just have a drink with after a long day). I related my reasons for leaving and I told her about my experience being excluded from my daughter's temple wedding, how it made me feel, and how it made me look like some dreadful person in my daughter's eyes because I wasn't "worthy". She knew about that policy and was appalled, but she told me that she had to leave out lots of things due to both budget and time constraints. She went on to relate how tight the budget was for this project, and how many tough decisions had to be made along the way.

I found she was much less polite in private regarding her feelings towards the Apostles she interviewed, than how she came across in the documentary. I also came to realize that some aspects of Mormonism are not fully understood by someone who has never been a member; they don't show up on their radar screens in the same intensity that they do on ours.

Just my 2 cents...

moose Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I saw "Going Clear" over the weekend and had a
> thought. So I wrote an e-mail to Alex Gibney, the
> film maker, proposing a Mormon version. The e-mail
> address was a general "info@" type address, so I
> didn't know what to expect.
>
> I just got a reply!
>
> "Hi Mr. Moose,
>
> Thank you for writing. I passed along your email
> to Alex.
>
> All the best -"
>
>
> Oh, yeah. "Mr. Moose" makes me laugh, remembering
> Captain Kangaroo and ping pong balls...


I wrote him too. Thanks for the idea.

moose Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh, yeah. "Mr. Moose" makes me laugh, remembering
> Captain Kangaroo and ping pong balls...

Would you prefer Ms. Moose? ;-)