I have faith in God, as well as His miracles, but more like every-day ones like the astounding growth, and birth, of babies in nine short months, and the splendor of His many creations. Nevertheless, at the same time, knowing the difference between real Christianity and well-organized cults, like the well meaning, but off the rails, Mormonism, the disclaimer that should be put in large font in the first frame of this gentle, well meaning film is "For the enjoyment and edification of LDS (Latter Day Saints) only" For that is about the only folks who are going to be able to suspend disbelief enough to enjoy this myth-enhanced story.
Let's make this clear, on the one hand, a bunch of naive, zealous, newly-inspired, Mormons did actually wend their under-prepared way across the US territories with only two wheeled HAND CARTS to reach their refuge, their 'Zion', in the Salt Lake valley of Utah Territory. The fact that any living person back in the early 1800's made it to their destination from this poorly funded, poorly planned, poorly led misadventure is, in my opinion, a genuine miracle. It is.
On the other hand, this amateurish production just stretches all credibility related to the alleged 'miracles', and the veracity of the entire history around the pull-cart pioneers of Utah. Any Christian scholar worth his/her college credits knows that the Age Of Miracles had long passed since shortly after Jesus' death, and the martyrdom of His twelve disciples and the brilliant Apostle, Saul/Paul of Tarsus and Rome. This doesn't mean that God isn't paying attention, or constantly intervening with a loving hand in our pitiful little lives in the past 2,300 years or so, but the era of showy miracles to shake us boneheads up about the reality of a higher, supernatural power, is past - because the Big Miracle already is completed: Jesus became alive again three days after being brutally and assuredly murdered. He beat death and Satan. "It is finished" He said.
All that is needed at this sad point in mankind's tenuous hold on peace, love, or hope for humanity is a strong, dedicated faith and study of God's word in the original Holy Bible. There is no 'other' testament of Jesus Christ, no 'Golden Plates', and no angel named Morona. Lastly, there's no 'new' organized religions to help mankind finally get it together. That new experience occurred already over two thousand years ago.
Therefore, the fictional chicken-pot-pie that just shows up, complete in aluminum baking pan (Aluminum pans were not invented yet) out in the middle of the desert wasteland, to two starving women; or an angry husband staring straight at his runaway wife and two kids and not recognizing ANY of them, is not only not believable, but belittle's the viewers' intelligence and definitely weakens the credibility of the Mormon organization. We have to give this wholesome film at least one star just for the privilege of reviewing. I give it three more stars just in gratitude for it not being crammed full of gratuitous violence, blood, gore, or sex.
It's just too darn bad such efforts on proselytizing are spent on a secondary track to a dead end, while missing the actual train that gets us somewhere.
Let's make this clear, on the one hand, a bunch of naive, zealous, newly-inspired, Mormons did actually wend their under-prepared way across the US territories with only two wheeled HAND CARTS to reach their refuge, their 'Zion', in the Salt Lake valley of Utah Territory. The fact that any living person back in the early 1800's made it to their destination from this poorly funded, poorly planned, poorly led misadventure is, in my opinion, a genuine miracle. It is.
On the other hand, this amateurish production just stretches all credibility related to the alleged 'miracles', and the veracity of the entire history around the pull-cart pioneers of Utah. Any Christian scholar worth his/her college credits knows that the Age Of Miracles had long passed since shortly after Jesus' death, and the martyrdom of His twelve disciples and the brilliant Apostle, Saul/Paul of Tarsus and Rome. This doesn't mean that God isn't paying attention, or constantly intervening with a loving hand in our pitiful little lives in the past 2,300 years or so, but the era of showy miracles to shake us boneheads up about the reality of a higher, supernatural power, is past - because the Big Miracle already is completed: Jesus became alive again three days after being brutally and assuredly murdered. He beat death and Satan. "It is finished" He said.
All that is needed at this sad point in mankind's tenuous hold on peace, love, or hope for humanity is a strong, dedicated faith and study of God's word in the original Holy Bible. There is no 'other' testament of Jesus Christ, no 'Golden Plates', and no angel named Morona. Lastly, there's no 'new' organized religions to help mankind finally get it together. That new experience occurred already over two thousand years ago.
Therefore, the fictional chicken-pot-pie that just shows up, complete in aluminum baking pan (Aluminum pans were not invented yet) out in the middle of the desert wasteland, to two starving women; or an angry husband staring straight at his runaway wife and two kids and not recognizing ANY of them, is not only not believable, but belittle's the viewers' intelligence and definitely weakens the credibility of the Mormon organization. We have to give this wholesome film at least one star just for the privilege of reviewing. I give it three more stars just in gratitude for it not being crammed full of gratuitous violence, blood, gore, or sex.
It's just too darn bad such efforts on proselytizing are spent on a secondary track to a dead end, while missing the actual train that gets us somewhere.