It's been nearly seven months since an episode from HBO's series "Big Love" sparked outrage over its portrayal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' temple ceremony.
Not much has happened since hundreds of e-mails called for boycotts of HBO because of the show — which begins its fourth season in January — but the controversy inspired a debate during Utah Valley University's recent Ethics Awareness Week, when an administrator, a philosopher, an artist, an anthropologist and a sociologist discussed "Revealing the Sacred: Is it Ever Ethical?"
At the center of the debate was what qualifies as sacred and the appropriate boundaries that should accompany sacred things. Navigating the discussion around so many different viewpoints was often vague and sometimes thorny.
The idea that sacred ceremonies, such as the LDS temple-endowment ceremony, should not be talked about outside of the temple is tantamount to keeping secrets, UVU artist-in-residence and panel member Alex Caldiero said.
"That has nothing to do with the sacred," Caldiero said. "That has to do with consolidating an identity among people. Bonding. What's in the bond? 'We know something you don't know.' See? And this is a different thing than the sacred."
But not everyone on the panel agreed with Caldiero. According to David Knowlton, associate professor of anthropology, who specializes in the anthropology of Mormonism, keeping discussions of the temple ceremony out of casual conversation is the very essence of what sets the rituals apart as sacred.
"Temples are not secret," Knowlton said. "They are not hidden off in a corner. They are very public buildings, here in Utah, they are often the largest building around. They loom over the cities like the great cathedrals of Europe. They are not secret, but what goes on in them is kept private. It is kept unspoken."
The ethics of revealing the sacred is not just an issue in the media, and it does not only apply to Mormons, members of the panel said. Scientists and sociologists may reveal sacred aspects of other cultures for the sake of education, but even then, speaking for another person takes their voice away and de-legitimizes their view of what they're doing, said Lynn England, a lecturer in sociology at UVU.
"We may … be suspicious of those who would keep the sacred as a kind of secret, but there are many peoples who feel the revelation of the sacred to the general public, the uninitiated, violates the sacredness of the thing itself," England said.
One reason a religion or culture may wish to keep their rituals private is to preserve them from ridicule and criticism. Religious tradition has long been a punch line in the history of the world, said University of Utah professor of religious studies Colleen McDannell, who specializes in the effect religion has on the American way of life.
"Everyone who is religious wants their religion to be taken seriously," McDannell said. "Everyone not in that tradition looks at other traditions, and the bottom line is, they think it looks odd. And it's not just the Mormons … It goes on and on. You can say it's unethical to do that, but it's not going to stop anything. Historically, I can tell you that religious traditions are one of the best things for people to make fun of."
Even if the creator of a movie or TV show isn't looking to ridicule their subject, presenting religious scenarios appropriately is a matter of context, said LDS filmmaker Kurt Hale. And yet, some sacred events, like the LDS temple ceremony, can never be in context when they're shown for entertainment, Hale says.
"Sacred things are meant to be viewed and participated in sacred moments and sacred places, and that is not always for public consumption," Hale said. "It's pearls before swine."
But in Caldiero's view, truly sacred happenings — internal experiences that are set apart from common events — cannot be denigrated by misrepresentations or recreations on television. Attempting to represent the sacred is only unethical if it is presented with the intent to do harm, Caldiero said.
"Try to understand, whenever you're confronted with revealing the sacred, not to have a knee-jerk reaction and say it's unethical," Caldiero said. "If you got upset about 'Big Love,' you'd better get upset about 2,000 other things that are happening."
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