The movie “The Godmakers,” released
early in 1983, is the production of several ex-Mormons who are now ultra-conservative
Christians. In addition to a number of obvious errors, distortions, and the
like, the producers of the movie use a clever technique throughout. Mormon
beliefs are re-phrased in the producer’s own sensational and offensive terms.
The result is a most unfair portrayal of Mormonism. For example, Mormons often
express belief that man is in the image of God. In the movie this is
re-phrased, to present, as Mormon belief, that God is an “extra-terrestrial
humanoid.”
This technique can, of course, be used
to disparage any system of belief. For example, the following paragraphs are
presented as a statement of the beliefs of the producers of “The Godmakers.” It
sounds bizarre and offensive, not because it inaccurately presents their
beliefs, but rather because their beliefs have been re-phrased in sensational
and offensive terms. It is, thus, unfair, just as is their portrayal of
Mormonism presented in the film.
A being of three separate persons at
the same time, God is a mysterious schizophrenic. He decided to try out
mortality, and thus became the only extra-terrestrial ever to become a
humanoid. To do this he created a woman named Mary, and after an unnatural conception
to this unwed mother-to-be, he became her illegitimate, half-breed son.
He suffered a self-inflicted stroke of
amnesia, and had to re-develop even the most basic abilities. As his supernatural
powers began to return, he traveled through the area talking with demons, and
as a human god, succeeded in impressing many with spectacular fetes of magic.
He wanted a large following, and offered the bribe that all who would become
his groupees would never be held accountable for any of their wicked deeds, no
matter how heinous. He threatened that he would see to it, that those who would
not follow him would be tortured by burning forever, and ever, with no possible
relief.
He had outraged a number of the
leading citizens to the point that they wanted to put him to death. Still a
young man, he decided he had had enough of mortality, and wanted to return to
his former state, but he did not want to suffer the death his enemies had
planned for him. After a chat with his father, he carried out his father’s
will, which was that he leave mortality only after a moving drama in which he
was offered as a human sacrifice, the condition upon which the father agreed to
make good the incredible promises the son had made to his followers. (Van Hale,
“Critique of ‘The Godmakers’ Terminology,” Scrapbook of Mormon Polemics 1,
no. 1 [October 1985]: 12)