'Big Love' is big fiction
 
Opinion
The Spectrum
 
Capturing local and national attention is the new HBO series called, "Big Love." The show's setting is here in Utah and is about Bill Henrickson (played by actor, Bill Paxton); a polygamist with three wives, seven children and on the verge of opening his second home-improvement store in the "Wasatch Valley."

Balancing family commitments with business ownership, which includes dealing with an investor who just so happens to be the prophet of the outlaw polygamist sect the Henricksons fled from, is a plot formulated to thicken and entice the curious-minded.

But references to family home evening, church youth programs and serving a mission brought up in dialogues in the premiere that aired last Sunday, which specifically added a disclaimer at its conclusion clarifying that the Mormon Church banned polygamy in 1890, convolutes credence with culture and is a far stretch from what is reality for Utah families and polygamists.

So let's set the record straight. The Henricksons are not Mormons. The Henricksons are not fundamental polygamists. They are a fictional modern-day family who practice the belief that plural marriage is a religious vocation conjured up merely for entertainment purposes. It is not educational or enlightening, nor is it a reflection of Utahns or the bordering polygamous communities of Hildale and Colorado City. In fact, it is no more authentic than the animated movie, "Finding Nemo," with talking fish and reformed carnivorous sharks.

Take it for what it is - a television show trying to get ratings. Along those same lines, you've got the power to work your remote control. Turn it on if you want to tune in, change the channel if you don't.

It's your choice.
 
TheSpectrum.com
Originally published March 19, 2006
 
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