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Apostle Urges Students to Use New Media

Two hundred graduating students at Brigham Young University-Hawaii were urged today to use the Internet — including blogs and other forms of "new media" — to contribute to a national conversation about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder M. Russell Ballard, a senior apostle in the Church, told the mostly Mormon student body that conversations about the Church would take place whether or not Church members decided to participate in them.

"We cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches," he said.

"While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time."

Church leaders have publicly expressed concern that while much of the recent extensive news reporting on the Church has been balanced and accurate, some has been trivial, distorted or without context.

Elder Ballard said there were too many conversations going on about the Church for Church representatives to respond to each individually, and that Church leaders "can't answer every question, satisfy every inquiry and respond to every inaccuracy that exists."

He said students should consider sharing their views on blogs, responding to online news reports and using the "new media" in other ways.

But he cautioned against arguing with others about their beliefs. "There is no need to become defensive or belligerent," he said.


Nice to be ahead of the curve for a change. Thanks, Tristi! Thanks for passing this on to me Donna.

On LDSBlogs.com today:

Spencer W. Kimball Testifies of Joseph Smith, Jr.
Apostle Urges Students to Use New Media Apostle Urges Students to Use New Media Reviewed by Unknown on Monday, December 17, 2007 Rating: 5

3 comments:

  1. So my blog is being sanctioned by the church? Sweet, that means its not as big a time waster as I thought. ;)

    I have the html for the Truth Restored banner linking to mormon.org for anyone who is interested. If you want it, leave me a comment and I'll send it to you.

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  2. Wonderful to know isn't it? And yes, I'd love to have the html mormon.org.

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  3. The words of Elder Ballard did ease my mind a little bit, because,(although I'm not LDS), as a Christian, I often felt that I needed to become defensive when it came to others saying negative things about the LDS Church!
    I think it has to do with ignorance. People just don't take the time or trouble to understand.
    I just love to talk about everything I've learned about the Church so far, but there are so many people who just don't want to know...
    I often think, well, it's their loss...
    Guess that thinking's typical Dutch?! ;0)
    X

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