"Far & Away" and the Gospel of Belonging
In the 1992 movie Far and Away , we learn the story of the Joseph Donnelly, played by Tom Cruise, the son of a poor Irish tenant farmer who runs away with Shannon Christie, played by Nicole Kidman, the daughter of a rich Irish landlord, to America, both seeking fame, fortune, and land in the promise of America in the 1890s. When they arrive they find that all is not was promised. Instead of fame, they find the anonymity of Boston. Instead of fortune, they are working for pennies a day plucking chickens. Instead of land, they live in a squalid tenement hall run by men of questionable character. They both experience fleeting moments of fame and fortune, but it passes and they find themselves left with nothing. Worse than nothing: Banishment. In this backdrop, I invite you to consider the early Latter-day Saint converts who had also traveled from England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland in the mid-1800s. They, too, were promised a level of freedom in America unheard of in the strict social...