Regional Religion

Something that I think is key to having a cultured, accepting city is that multiple different faiths can practice openly. Rochester and the Finger Lakes definitely succeed on that point - between the churches of various denominations of Christianity, various synagogues, and at least one Baha'i center, mosque, Hindu temple, and Buddhist center, I'd say we're pretty darn welcoming to people of other creeds.

But did you know that a religion was actually founded in the Finger Lakes region? I sure didn't until my AP U.S. History class in high school! I am surprised it took me reading it in a textbook to actually learn this when I might have learned it if I paid closer attention to headline that gets press once a year.

In 1830, the Book of Mormon was published for the first time out of Palmyra, NY. Joseph Smith, to those who believe, found ancient tablets near his home in Manchester (pretty much a town over) under the instructions of an prophet named Moroni on a hill that is now considered a sacred place to Mormons. He garnered a following and preached what he believed to be the word of God.

Then an angry mob drove them out of the town.



But I digress.

Now, I am not a Mormon, so how do I know all this - and why do I think I should have known all this before high school? Well every year there is a show to re-enact the Book of Mormon on said holy hill: The Hill Cumorah Pageant has been performed since the 1920s and every year that I can remember, it has been mentioned on local news channels.



Last night (it is an evening performance) some friends and I decided that even though none of us are Mormon, we wanted to partake of the pageant. After all, it is a piece of local culture and history, and we had heard nothing but good reviews - oh, and did I mention it's completely free? We were not disappointed.

First off, let me tell you: This is not just a small, local festival. This is a major event that attracts Mormons from all over. As we were leaving we played license plate Bingo, seeing plates from as far away as California, Florida, Arizona, and of course, plenty of Utah. There were several tour buses parked outside, I'd estimate at least five. Literally thousands of people were in attendance last night - and yet, everything was so organized it was insane.

The organization began when we entered the parking lot. A very polite young parking attendant asked how we would be leaving the pageant in the end, and based on where we were heading he directed us accordingly to the appropriate section of the parking lot. All the other parking lot attendants directing internal traffic were a well-oiled machine - they have had a lot of practice, I suppose - and parking was just smooth as could be. Same thing when we eventually left: Sure it was time consuming for all these people to leave at the same time, but everything was directed with amazing precision.

I don't know about you, but I have heard the stereotype that Mormons are all ridiculously nice. I can't speak for all Mormons of course, but I can tell you that everyone that was working last night that my friends and I encountered completely supported that stereotype. The attendants were nice. The pageant-goers were nice. The "ushers" were nice. And I don't mean fake nice or make-you-feel-uncomfortable nice, I mean genuinely nice. Of course I know that not all people are going to fit this stereotype, but all the folks we spoke with last night were just gosh-darn nice people.

As I mentioned, my friends and I were not Mormons. I actually kind of expected the pageant-workers to be uncomfortably preachy. We were thankful to see that this was not the case. Maybe it was because we got there immediately before the pageant started, but we did not get the preaching or pamphlets we had all been expecting.

There are several rows of seats prepared for the audience, however the crowds are so large that there are more people without seats than with them. People are welcome to bring their own chairs, sit on the grass - whatever. Photography didn't seem to be frowned upon and many people took advantage of that. Even though we were way back in what might have been called "discount seats," the stage looked effing huge. It had multiple levels - maybe 10? - plus the side of the actual hill itself. The cast has over 600 people and the stage holds all of them!

The pageant itself was quite the production. The script was written by Orson Scott Card (did you know he was Mormon? I didn't!) and the effects were actually pretty darn impressive. I was surprised how much they were able to accomplish with well-placed fire jets, water/mist jets, and lighting. There is one scene where Jesus appears to descend from the heavens onto the stage (oh man, there was an absolute sea of cameras snapping away at that point), and since the play was at night, the wires were not visible and the actor truly did appear to be levitating down. That was cool. The show was only about an hour long, but it didn't seem too short - nor too long, at that.

Even though this is not my personal faith, what I like best about the pageant is that it attempts to be accessible to everybody: The pageant? Free. Parking? Free. Handicapped? Accessible. Deaf or hard of hearing? ASL interpreters available. Spanish-speaking? Spanish translation available. Before the show cast members in full costume mingle in the crowd. Sure, concessions cost money - but you are welcome to provide your own food and drinks - minus alcohol - as long as you pick up after yourself.

There were some protesters outside the parking lot calling the Mormons liars and sinners and evildoers - including kids and preteens heckling pageant-goers. We all agreed they had every right to be there, hold up their signs, and say what they were saying - and thankfully their protest was limited to the parking lot and did not disrupt the actual pageant. But at the end of the day there was a group of people who seemed like bad guys, and I'll tell you what - it wasn't the Mormons.

To be honest, before this production, with the exception of a few paragraphs in my high school history book, the extent of my knowledge of the Church of Latter Day Saints was pretty much limited to the Osmonds, the polygamists in Utah that are not recognized by the wider church, and that episode of South Park (incidentally, the version of the Book of Mormon as portrayed by South Park picks up right where the pageant leaves off). After attending the Hill Cumorah Pageant, I have more firsthand knowledge about the background of this religion. Did it change my mind and make me consider conversion? No. But I am glad to live in a place that, with the exception of the protesters, is pretty cool with people not only holding their own beliefs, but in them publicly celebrating said beliefs with the degree of showmanship, majesty - and kindness - as the Mormons did last night.