Page - 150 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 05/02

Given that most Mormons – including the leadership of the LDS Church – un- derstand the Lamanite prophecies to apply particularly to people of Latin Amer- ican descent, it becomes literally impossible for the Second Coming to occur without immigration to the United States. Certainly, not all US Mormons – or even most – favor undocumented immigration or immigrants;38 neverthe- less, the LDS leadership (and many members) favor a liberalized approach to US-Mexican border policies that will keep families together and allow people to work in the country if they are not committing major crimes.39 Napoleon Dyna- mite clearly communicates a pro-immigrant discourse even as it signals Mexican people as Other. The film never overtly clamors for immigrant rights, but it is important to note that there is no reference to La Migra (immigration enforce- ment), nor does anyone question Pedro’s right to be in the town. Napoleon Dynamite’s ambiguous representation of immigrants and immigration makes it difficult to place in relation to other examples of popular culture. Some of Hess’s illegibility to a broader US audience almost certainly results from a complex ra- cial determinism that he has inherited from his faith in which Mexicans are on the one hand foreign Others and on the other hand a chosen people destined to (re)populate North America. Hess’s eccentric representation of Mexican and Mexican-American culture makes it difficult to categorize his work as a social justice film, but his use of a charismatic immigrant for a major protagonist places him at odds with films focused on national security and/or securing the border. The movie reverberates with a rarely taught, though canonical, aspect of Mormon doctrine that holds that the Lamanites will “return” to the land of the Gentiles (read: the United States) after the Gentiles have drifted away from the faith. One of the most interesting events of the Book of Mormon details the ar- rival of Christ to the Americas following his crucifixion and resurrection. At one point, Jesus himself prophecises, It shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of 38 Indeed, Arizona’s infamous HB 1070 was championed by the Mormon state senator Russell Pearce. What is more, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that “a little less than half of Mormons in the state agree with the Utah Compact, despite the church leaders’ support of the document that seeks to keep local police from enforcing federal immigration laws”. See Montero 2011. 39 The Church’s most recent public declaration about immigration focused primarily on keeping families together; however, it also recognized the right of sovereign states to “enforce [their] laws and secure [their] borders”. See Immigration 2011. The Church’s relaxed policy toward illegal immigration is especially visible with regard to policies surrounding membership. The Church will not allow investigators to be baptized if they are currently breaking the law or serving a prison or probation sentence. That said, undocumented immigrants can be baptized despite being in the country illegally. See van Uitert 2007, 309. 150 | David S. Dalton www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/2, 141–165