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PBS' "God In America" barely mentions Utah — in part because the producers already addressed the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the two-part, four-hour documentary "The Mormons," which aired in 2007.
KUED-Ch. 7 will, however, air a pair of half-hour programs as supplements to the six-hour "God In America."
As you might expect, "God In Utah" (Monday, Oct. 11, 10 p.m., Ch. 7) opens with a bit of background on the LDS Church and the integral part it played in the establishment of Utah.
"In 1847, Mormon pioneers created a theocracy — a place where God's will and man's self-governance found union. For 20 years, the government of what would later become Utah was the church," intones the narrator.
But "God In Utah" moves on to be much more inclusive than that. The half-hour program looks at the diversity of religion in the state.
Noor Ulhasan, one of 10,000 Muslims who live in Utah, explains her beliefs. Alex Boyé, an African-American recording artist and soloist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, talks about how he joined the LDS Church. Father Omar Ontiveros, a Latino priest from the Salt Lake Diocese, talks about ministering to Spanish-speaking Catholics — who constitute an estimated 78 percent of the Catholics in Utah, according to Bishop John C. Wester.
The emphasis is on common beliefs, not differences.
"Of course, we have differences in the way we worship, in the way that our doctrines are developed," Ontiveros says. "But our common faith in God helps us work together in spite of or regardless of our differences."
KUED also will air a follow-up program, "Utah Voices: God In America" (Wednesday, Oct. 13, 10 p.m., Ch. 7). Ken Verdoia will discuss the series with a panel of religious leaders.