Mormons in the Spotlight

SALT LAKE CITY, May 2, 2007 — -- Temple Square, the epicenter of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in downtown Salt Lake City, has been a busy place this spring.

Inside the walls, officials and members alike have been thinking about and reacting to a lot of news about their church, its image and its traumatic history. There is also interest nationwide, given that a Mormon is running for president of the United States.

Along with Mitt Romney, it's suddenly easy to compile a short list of all things Latter-day Saints, or LDS: "Big Love," an HBO Mormon polygamy drama; PBS's four-hour documentary "The Mormons," the second part of which aired last night; and "September Dawn," a movie about the notorious Utah massacre to be released in June.

"The biggest issue we have with news media is that they so often fall back on stereotypes to describe us, or their coverage is superficial," said Bruce Olsen, managing director of church public affairs, in a statement to ABC News.

But he turned the corner when commenting on the PBS broadcast.

"Whatever one says about these programs, four hours of television is not superficial," he said.

There was nothing "superficial" about the first part, which aired Monday night. Using carefully selected, articulate talking heads, the documentary explored the intriguing evolution of the church.

It began in the 1820s in Palmyra, N.Y., when young Joseph Smith said he was visited by an angel named Moroni. Smith claimed to receive several revelations and discovered inscribed golden tablets, which would form the basis for the Book of Mormon.

The documentary makes an important point when it tells viewers that the resulting church is uniquely American and so young that its founding events are not shrouded in the fog of centuries of history.

Its origins in revelation has made the religion an easy target. It's been criticized by intellectuals and skeptics. But the broadcast avoids going into depth on that level. "All religion depends on revelation," said prominent literary and cultural critic Harold Bloom in one act. "All revelation is supernatural."