"Witnesses" Team Announces a New, Anti-Community of Christ Film Project

[Doctor Scratch]

Despite their claims of never attacking others' faith, it would appear that the Mopologists' follow-up effort to Witnesses will be exactly that: a film about the so-called "succession crisis" that's entitled, Six Days in August. The promotional website frames this new project rather over-dramatically in terms of life and death: "If we don’t tell our own stories honestly, untruths and confusion will continue, impacting countless lives." Uh huh--sure. And the preliminary plot summary for the film is this:

The Prophet Joseph was dead. Enemies of the Church thought it would die with Joseph. In fact that danger was real. The crisis was undeniable, and Nauvoo was in chaos.

For the reeling saints, there was no tested path, no clear consensus, no definitive word left by Joseph on who should lead. The saints were being torn apart. Opinions changed as fast as they could be expressed. Yet hours following his death, the “campaign” began.

(italics in the original)

Well, remember: there were several people who asserted a legitimate claim to be Smith's successor. It is perhaps telling that under the "Central figures of this true story," Joseph Smith III is omitted. So it would seem that this film project--like it or not--is going to be an inherently anti-Community of Christ project, with the story distorting and minimizing the CC's claim to succession. Furthermore, you kind of have to see this as a swipe at Jonathan Neville and the Heartlanders, since he has repeatedly mocked the Mopologists for stealing their LGT theory from an old Community of Christ publication.

In any case, I daresay there's a lot at stake in this new project. Will it, too, be a box office flop? Will it even be given national theatrical distribution, or will it go straight to video? Will the Church pour money into the project, as some have speculated it did with "Witnesses"? Will the teaser trailer be as uproariously funny as the one for "Witnesses" was? We'll have to wait and see! An interesting development, in any case.

[Gabriel]

Isn't that the one where Joseph Smith is assassinated and Sidney Rigdon falls in love with femme fatale Emma while Brigham Young destroys all hope of a bloodline succession by having young Joseph Smith III murdered while hidden in a wagon trying to escape Nauvoo and then Rigdon and Young square off in a mismatched sea battle and then Sidney loses heart when he sees Emma's ship high-tailing it back to safety and so abandons his own navy to destruction while he chases after the love of his life and then falls on his sword while Emma has her handmaids secretly deliver a poisonous viper in a basket as she takes a quiet two-minute stroll down memory lane recounting the highs and lows of her wild existence to the crescendo of syrupy music when she expires while back in the capitol the triumphant Young calls her one of the damndest liars that he ever met?

I don't know, Good Doctor.....Who doesn't love a good succession crisis?

[Doctor Scratch]

It would seem that the OP has touched quite a nerve. Dr. Peterson is practically erupting with indignation:

Let me say it as clearly as I can: The thought of attacking the Community of Christ, the former Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has never entered my mind. It isn’t even remotely a goal of Six Days in August. Not a primary goal. Not a secondary goal. Not a tertiary goal.

*But* he hastens to add:

Now, do I believe that Brigham Young and the Twelve were God’s (and Joseph’s) choice for leadership of the Saints after his death? Yes. I do. So do my fellow filmmakers. And our films will reflect that conviction. Implicitly but obviously, my sustaining of Brigham and the Twelve means that I don’t endorse the claims of Joseph Smith III.

Right--of course. So the film is inherently a swipe at the Community of Christ. Remember: the filmmakers have asserted very plainly that "If we don’t tell our own stories honestly, untruths and confusion will continue, impacting countless lives." How "honest" is this film going to be, I wonder? The whole thing reminds me of another famous Mormon aphorism: "Some truths aren't very useful." I'll be curious to see whether or not this new movie tackles the issue of polygamy.

Oh, and there's this, too:

Our film projects have not been financially backed or in any way directed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Period. I hope that’s clear enough.

Actually, it's not. The truth surrounding the film projects' financing has been strikingly murky. And Louis Midgley himself asserted--in a typical "foot in mouth" moment--that the LDS Church had donated funds to the Interpreter Foundation. So, it's perfectly reasonable to believe that the Church itself has kicked some money into the movie-making. And yes: I'm also counting "end-around" donations where, e.g., the actual Church gives money to the More Good Foundation, which *then* gives some of *that* money to Interpreter. At the end of the day, it's still the Widow's Mite that's being used to fund Mopologetic attacks on the Community of Christ.

[Doctor Scratch]

Isn't that the one where Joseph Smith is assassinated and Sidney Rigdon falls in love with femme fatale Emma while Brigham Young destroys all hope of a bloodline succession by having young Joseph Smith III murdered while hidden in a wagon trying to escape Nauvoo and then Rigdon and Young square off in a mismatched sea battle and then Sidney loses heart when he sees Emma's ship high-tailing it back to safety and so abandons his own navy to destruction while he chases after the love of his life and then falls on his sword while Emma has her handmaids secretly deliver a poisonous viper in a basket as she takes a quiet two-minute stroll down memory lane recounting the highs and lows of her wild existence to the crescendo of syrupy music when she expires while back in the capitol the triumphant Young calls her one of the damndest liars that he ever met?

I don't know, Good Doctor.....Who doesn't love a good succession crisis?

You make some great points here, Gabriel. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens with this film.

[huckelberry]

Isn't that the one where Joseph Smith is assassinated and Sidney Rigdon falls in love with femme fatale Emma while Brigham Young destroys all hope of a bloodline succession by having young Joseph Smith III murdered while hidden in a wagon trying to escape Nauvoo and then Rigdon and Young square off in a mismatched sea battle and then Sidney loses heart when he sees Emma's ship high-tailing it back to safety and so abandons his own navy to destruction while he chases after the love of his life and then falls on his sword while Emma has her handmaids secretly deliver a poisonous viper in a basket as she takes a quiet two-minute stroll down memory lane recounting the highs and lows of her wild existence to the crescendo of syrupy music when she expires while back in the capitol the triumphant Young calls her one of the damndest liars that he ever met?

I don't know, Good Doctor.....Who doesn't love a good succession crisis?

You make some great points here, Gabriel. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what happens with this film.

Yes Gabriel should be thanked, I considered making an obvious but dull comment about my curiosity being different than that of people committed to showing that Brigham Young was correct.

[Philo Sofee]

Isn't it fascinating that the Lord, who knows all, who makes such a huge deal about the importance of the necessity of prophets and the continuation of the church, His Church, The True Church, forgot to ahead of time, make the succession of the next prophet, obvious, logical, and an easy step? No fore-planning, exact process, or steps to take to insure the next prophet in line?!

[Tom]

“Six Days in August” is the title of an article by Ron Walker on the succession crisis. It’s also the title of a recent book on the 1973 Norrmalmstorg robbery. I suggest that the film use a different title.

I must confess that I look forward to the scene in the film depicting the transfiguration of Brigham Young.

I do hope that the film won’t be an anti-Strangite piece.

[Marcus]

“Six Days in August” is the title of an article by Ron Walker on the succession crisis. It’s also the title of a recent book on the 1973 Norrmalmstorg robbery. I suggest that the film use a different title.

I must confess that I look forward to the scene in the film depicting the transfiguration of Brigham Young.

I do hope that the film won’t be an anti-Strangite piece.

Maybe Peterson bought the rights. Nah, that's not his style.

[Gadianton]

Interesting comments on "primary" and "secondary" goals. Sounds a lot like a "Special Operation" to "liberate" the Community of Christ by making them LDS.

[Dr Exiled]

Isn't it fascinating that the Lord, who knows all, who makes such a huge deal about the importance of the necessity of prophets and the continuation of the church, His Church, The True Church, forgot to ahead of time, make the succession of the next prophet, obvious, logical, and an easy step? No fore-planning, exact process, or steps to take to insure the next prophet in line?!

Just our luck we got the distracted God with lousy communication skills as the God of this world. Elohim was too busy dealing with his bitches on Kolob during the succession "crisis" and so he left his saints twisting in the wind for a while, not making himself clear, yet again. There was too much fore-play going on up there and not enough fore-planning.