too strange to understand

I've been meaning to write this for several days now, but just haven't wanted to, for some reason. It's only about a TV show -- more like a storyline within a TV show -- but it hit me hard enough to haunt my mind for what I expect will be the rest of my life. The show in question is HBO's "Big Love", and if you haven't seen it, you're missing a treat. Granted, the topic of the show is not for everyone, and I even didn't give it much thought when it first came on air because I wasn't ready to accept the premise, but after a couple of episodes of the first season had aired, I decided to give it a shot one night during an HBO marathon, and I've been hooked ever since.
"Big Love" is the story of a Fundamentalist Mormon man (Bill Hendrickson) and his 3 wives (Barb, Nikki, and Margene), living in a typical suburban Utah town. You would know the actors from other shows they've done, so right away I was curious to see just what drew them to this project. The writing is spot on, and the acting is very entertaining. I know more than a little bit about the Mormon faith -- having lived over 20 years in Phoenix, Arizona, I've come across more than my fair share of Mormon rhetoric, including a one-week stay in Salt Lake City, courtesy of Mormon hosts that were all too eager to satisfy my thirst for knowledge of their history and culture. Polygamy was banned by the Mormon church many years ago, but like an old blood stain on worn carpet, it still won't go away from the mainstream. Fundamentalist Mormons continue to practice Polygamy to this day, even though it is illegal by law and not accepted by church doctrine. It is the foundation behind this devotion to polygamy that drives the show's storyline in general, and the main characters in particular.
One such character is a controversial young church sect leader that has taken over his recently deceased father's followers; Alby is a vile, juvenile and malicious person masquerading as a devout family man, married to a wife that has wicked ambitions of her own -- they seem made for each other. What the wife doesn't realize is that Alby is a latent homosexual and has been hiding his secret successfully for years. Lately, Alby has been sharing clandestine time with another man, also Mormon and very married with his own wife and kids staked out in a beautiful home in suburbia. Dale, the new man in Alby's life has a job as state-appointed trustee of the church sect's funds, but has been finding it difficult to do his job because of his inner desires for Alby's companionship and love. The two men find the time to meet in secret whenever they can; they both cannot ever admit their relationship to their families and followers because homosexuality is considered a sin to the church and they will be outcast from their rightful place in their eternal home in heaven next to Almighty Father (the most prized goal for all Mormons). Alby is so taken by Dale that he gets a secret apartment that they both can share and to be free from the shackles of the outside world.
In the episode that moved me, Alby believes he has finally found his kindred spirit in Dale, but politics and jealousy from Alby's wife come out of nowhere and the men are threatened with exposure. We see Dale trying desperately to reason with church leaders, talking about how he had done all they asked of him while going through "detox" at BYU, and how he would get physically sick from being forced to watch heterosexual porn. Dales cries out for help because he has constant "set-backs" that he cannot control, but the church leaders continue to insist he pray harder and try harder to drive the evil spirit out of him. Pressure also comes to Dale from other fronts that tell him that this inappropriate behavior cannot be tolerated any longer, given what's at stake politically. Dale is torn between what his job requires vs. what his heart desires, and he hurts because he's been hiding this urge all his life, for the sake of others and for his church. Alby's wife, in a fit of despair, is shown going to Dale's house and outing Dale to his wife and kids, behind closed doors. The last scene shows Alby heading to the apartment, trying to contact Dale by cell phone, and you can tell from the conversation that this is not the first time he's called him, but Dale is not calling back. Alby has a huge smile on his face as he opens the door to their apartment, their place to get away from it all, only to be shocked in horror to find Dale hanging dead from the rafters. Alby is beside himself, lying on the floor crying uncontrollably, as the scene fades to black.
What immediately came to my mind is the question of just how many times has a scene like this unfolded this year? Last year? Ever? How many lives have been shattered by the ultimate selfish sacrifice because this world is not tolerant enough to allow all people to live openly in their own lifestyle? And how can one carry on, knowing that the kindred spirit they've been searching their whole life for is suddenly gone forever, leaving their partner behind to pick up the shattered pieces? How can a church be so two-faced as to not accept Dale and Alby for what they are, yet still condone plural marriages and non-consenting unions between very old men and very young submissive girls, barely out of middle school? The hypocrisy is boggling my mind, and is one of the reasons why I cannot accept organized religion as being anything more than a pox on humanity because of all the wars (small and large, menial and global) fought in the name of "God". It is sad and strange indeed. I hope my children will see a more tolerant world than I have.