Boston, Massachusetts, Episcopal priest Danielle Elizabeth Tumminio and her husband ventured recently to Palmyra, New York, for a chance to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant.
The outdoor play, set on a scenic hillside, has a cast of about 1,000 performers. The play tells the story of how the Book of Mormon came forth through an ancient prophet named Moroni. Hill Cumorah is the location where Joseph Smith received the golden plates, which later became the Book of Mormon. The pageant is one of several plays focusing on how Jesus Christ is at the center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Writing for the Guardian.co.uk, the part-time Yale University lecturer said she and her husband didn't expect the kindness and sincerity they received.
They were greeted by several cast members who described their parts in the pageant. Tumminio said that while they were unfamiliar with the names of the characters, “we never felt disconnected, because we knew at least one actor in each scene.”
Read “What mainstream Christians could learn from the Mormon faith” in this Guardian.co.uk column.