Believer takes a long hard look at social progress
Social progress and religion has always been problematic. As the world changes and becomes more accepting, things that were once viewed as sinful are later viewed as inherent. This is especially apparent now, when people are connected to each other more than ever before.
Acceptance comes from familiarity just as fear comes from the unknown. The more experience a person has with a group of people, the more likely they are to come to an understanding. But, as I said, this can become problematic when religion is involved.
Religions offer answers to difficult questions around the world. These answers provide comfort and security to billions. The answers are to be universal and unchanging. So when a religion condemns a certain person or behavior, billions take it as truth.
But these foundations aren’t necessarily divine. Instead, they are sometimes rooted in the fears and misunderstandings of humans trying to create a functioning society through tradition and ritual. Anything outside of those traditions are a threat to the order that was created in the centuries prior.
Change happens slowly, if at all, because the religion of a people must be infallible by necessity. Question one aspect and all aspects become suspect. At least, that’s the idea. True believers tend be a little more selective.
Believer is a documentary film by Dan Argott about this intersection of faith and progress. It follows Dan Reynolds, Mormon front man for the band Imagine Dragons, as he tackles his beliefs about the LDS Church and their policies regarding the LGBTQ community.
Mormons were staunch supporters of California’s Prop 8, which asserted that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, and were a large part of successfully in outlawing same-sex marriage in California in 2008.
Of course, the same-sex marriage issue was later solved by the Supreme Court, but like most evangelical Christian churches, the LDS church remains opposed.
Interestingly, the church accepts homosexuality as a reality—it’s not a sin to have gay thoughts, it’s only a sin if a person acts on them. LGBTQ Mormons have two options. They can enter into a heterosexual relatiownship and ignore that side of their personality, or they can continue to be gay but celibate.
It’s no wonder that Utah has one of the highest rates of teen suicide in the country. Through his wife, Reynolds gradually became aware of the issue and sought to change a few minds.
His plan is the same as any well-meaning rock star: raise awareness through a concert. He teams up with another Mormon rock star—Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees. Glenn is openly gay and very frankly discusses his experiences. His anger at the church is apparent—in fact, he no longer self identifies as a Mormon. Reynolds is not quite ready for that, however.
The film is almost more interesting for the denial that seems prevalent in the Reynolds family. They are almost quintessentially Mormon: frustratingly nice, successful, and happy. But there’s a blindness to them as well.
Dan and his wife Aja recount their early relationship—how Aja was not a Mormon and there for Dan could not date her, despite their obvious attraction and compatibility. It was only after Aja agreed to convert that the two were allowed to be together.
This would seem oppressive to anyone, but it is played as almost a meet/cute for the two. To her credit, Aja was immediately bothered by the church’s stance on same-sex marriage, but not enough to keep her from joining, despite having two lesbian roommates.
It’s a fascinating example of the hoops people will jump through for love and a belief system. Aja does serve as a window to the injustice LGBTQ people face at the hands of the LDS church and leads Reynolds to new way of thinking. It’s just that his new way of thinking doesn’t go quite far enough.
The LDS church does not come across well in this documentary, despite what seems like genuine care and reflection on the part of Dan Reynolds. He believes his religion and loves his church and is making a stand, using the platform his has available to him. This is to be commended. But the harrowing stories of suicide and depression caused by this LDS policy are hard to parse.
The LDS has long wanted to be accepted as mainstream offshoot of the Protestant tradition in the United States. They’ve succeeded, it seems, but perhaps not for the reason they wanted. They have an opportunity to do better, though. That’s what Believer is all about.