Description

Studies show belief agreement helps to predict healthy or unhealthy parent-child relationships” (Myers, 2004). If true, recent disaffiliation trends among LDS young adults present real challenges for Mormon relationships. The number of young adults leaving the faith is “rising sharply”; “as many as half of Millennials raised Mormon may be leaving the faith” (Reiss 4, 212). One reason is shifting attitudes toward same-sex marriage. “Younger generations express higher levels of support for same-sex marriage” (Pew, 2019). Seventy percent of young Americans supported same sex marriage and 59% of their parents did in 2015 (Pew 2019). Among religious individuals, support is lower—it drops to only 39% among weekly churchgoers. How can Mormon relationships adapt to such strong disagreements?

In Good Faith applies a unique tool to the problem: ethnographic performance. We collected interviews—the words of real Mormons having real experiences—then performed excerpts from those interviews. This documentary shows that something magical happens when audiences encounter views they disagree with through a performer. Typical defensiveness is forestalled and, as a result, greater understanding is possible. As segments of the film are shown, principles will be experienced, illustrated and discussed.

Speaker

• Lizzy Jensen