Controversial LDS/Gay documentary to be shown at Sundance

Updated: 12/04/2009 11:40 am | Published: 12/03/2009 12:44 pm

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Salt Lake LDS temple (ABC 4 News)

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – A highly anticipated and controversial documentary about the LDS Church and California’s Proposition 8 will have its world premiere at Utah’s Sundance Film Festival.

Sundance has officially accepted “8: The Mormon Proposition” for screening at next month’s festival.

The man behind the documentary is Reed Cowan, a former Salt Lake TV reporter.

The documentary has already created quite a buzz because of Cowan’s interview with Utah State Senator Chris Buttars.

In February of this year, ABC 4 was the first to report the anti-gay comments made by Buttars in that interview.

Among other things, Buttars said gays had no morals, compared gays to radical Muslims and even went so far as to suggest that gays represented the greatest threat to America.

At this time, the LDS Church is not commenting on the documentary's appearance at Sundance.

But Cowan said Thursday about his film, "It provides a voice to the voiceless and it strikes at the heart of one of the
highest held values in the United States of America and that is the separation of church and state."

The festival runs from January 21st to the 31st.

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desiderata - 12/3/2009 7:11 PM

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I like what Father Michael Bennett has to say: I take some heart in knowing that the LDS has continually fallen on the wrong side of history--from trying to ban waltzes for being immoral, to extending prohibition, to opposing birth control, to trying to enforce Sunday-closing practices on all, to condemning interracial marriages and promoting racist housing practices, etc. They have continually shown willful contempt for Democratic pluralism, but rarely have they been correct to do so. I think those of us who find Prop. 8 horrific should take some solace in the fact that as "the LDS goes, the country inevitably goes otherwise." Submitted by: Father Michael Bennett 3:55 PM PST, November 10, 2008 ________________________________________ 48. If you are a Christian you follow Christ's message. And if you follow Christ's message then you need to be aware of the fact that He did away with the old laws, i.e. The Old Testament. Homosexuality isn't mentioned as a sin in Christ's book, sorry. Submitted by: Father Michael Bennett 3:55 PM PST, November 10, 2008 ________________________________________ 49. To Lulu who wrote: " It is a sin. That is why most churches voted yes because it is a sin." Perhaps you should dust off your New Testament. Jesus Christ never said a word about homosexuality, but He sure had a lot to say about judging others, the evils of oppressing minorities, and how ill-advised it was to "cast stones." If Prop. 8 wasn't a massive casting of stones then I don't know what is. Submitted by: Father Michael Bennett

denn034 - 12/3/2009 4:59 PM

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The Mormons support ordinances against homosexual discrimination in employment and housing and the homosexuals, who've targeted the church, respond like this. There's gratification for you. Well, what do you expect from perverts.

Roymondo - 12/3/2009 4:13 PM

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What's the controversy? Gays don't like Mormons? Never saw that one coming. Snooze.

krazyken - 12/3/2009 3:16 PM

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Atta boy, Chris. Keep on diggin' at 'dem Mormons. You know, you're the very definition of a one-trick pony. In any other state, you would be irrelevant.

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