Wagner's Lohengrin?

Question:Has anyone seen it, performed it, or know (for sure) anything about the plot?
I know that several churches are banning it... not because it's non-religious but for reasons varying to : the scene in which the wedding march is mocks marriage, the bride in the opera is a whore, the bride is raped, there is an orgy at the wedding and the bride is killed.
In every synopsis I've found none of this is true.... could anyone (who has seen it or worked with it) let me know if any of the rumors about the play are true.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Has anyone seen it, performed it, or know (for sure) anything about the plot?
I know that several churches are banning it... not because it's non-religious but for reasons varying to : the scene in which the wedding march is mocks marriage, the bride in the opera is a whore, the bride is raped, there is an orgy at the wedding and the bride is killed.
In every synopsis I've found none of this is true.... could anyone (who has seen it or worked with it) let me know if any of the rumors about the play are true.

Wagner wrote the Wedding March for the opera. Folks couldn't have used it for their weddings before that, you know, so it isn't a mockery of marriage. Elsa is not a whore. she has been very chaste. She turned down Friederich von Telramund's offer of marriage ( her dad more or less signed her over to him as : guardian with marriage option), and he's the one who's going around spreading the rumor about her. A case of sour grapes. She is not raped at the wedding or at any time thereafter. As a matter of fact, they never consummate the marriage, so there's no chance of an orgy either. ( Historical note: often newly wedded couples were escorted to their nuptial chamber, and ritually undressed, and put into bed together. The escorts left at this point. sometimes it was protocol to come back...much later... and check the bedsheet for tell-tale spots of blood to show that the bride had been deflowered. I don't think this qualifies as an orgy, either)
At the end of the opera, when all the magic has been dissolved, Lohengrin leaves, since he is forbidden to stay in a place where his name has been made public. Elsa dies of grief and shame.
I have performed in this opera over 20 times. my command of German is good enough to reassure you that none of the rumors that you have cited have any truth in them.
I can see no reason why a church would need to dredge up so many lies, except as a political move against who-knows-what. The myth behind this opera, the Holy Grail, is certainly not so destructive as to cause a schism in the church at this late date? After all, Lohengrin, the Grail,and by extension, the Church win out over the heathen gods of Ortrud and Telramund.

I've been lucky enough to see Lohengrin. I am amazed that churches are banning it.

1. It is religious (in its way Wagner was kind of strange) Lohengrin is a knight of the holy grail. He represents the mysteries of Christianity, this is the point of the opera.
2. The wedding is serious, there is no rape or orgy.
3. Elsa, the Bride, is asked to accept Lohengrin and never ask who he is. This is meant to show his insistence on Christien Faith.
4. Elsa does falls dead, because of the grief she feels because she has lost her love due to a lack of faith
5 The music is incredibly beautiful

It is available in several versions on DVD - my favorite is the one Conducted by James Levine - in a production I saw live at the Metropolitan Opera.