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LDS youth urged to share faith on Web

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 4:40 am
by _krose
This article appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune Friday.

M. Russell Ballard spoke at BYU-Hawaii. Some tidbits:
An LDS Church official has urged young people to blog, create Web sites and take advantage of social networks online to help improve people's perceptions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"May I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet . . . to share the gospel and explain in simple, clear terms the message of the restoration," M. Russell Ballard told graduates at Dec. 15 commencement exercises at Brigham Young University-Hawaii.
Mitt Romney's run for the presidency and questions about his LDS faith have focused more attention than ever on the LDS Church. Ballard, a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, told about 200 graduates and their families that all Mormons have a duty to help others understand their beliefs, especially at a time when the LDS faith is constantly in the news.

Get busy defending the faith on your MySpace page, kids. This is the most interesting part, I thought:
Many misconceptions originate in false information people read on the Internet, posted by critics of the church, he said. The tech-savvy generation therefore must get involved in "new media," to help clear up falsehoods and misunderstandings. "We [official church spokespeople] cannot answer every question, satisfy every inquiry and respond to every inaccuracy that exists. Some who seek answers want them to come directly from a member of the church, like each one of you. They appreciate one-on-one conversations."

I wonder what false information he means. Then there's this:
"There is no need to argue or contend with others regarding our beliefs. There is no need to become defensive or belligerent. Our position is solid; the church is true," he said.

Does this mean we can expect the two or three most "belligerent" defenders on MAD (I imagine you know who they are) to follow the apostle's advice and tone down the hostility? I'm looking forward to more civil conversations from now on.

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 4:49 am
by _Mister Scratch
It is a lost cause. There is no way that believing LDS can combat what the critics have put up online. (There was another recent thread dealing with this same issue, as I recall.) I mean, what are they going to say? "I know the Church is true!" But what does this do to combat all of the information about polygamy, blood atonement, Kolob, and everything else? The Church spent too much time trying to whitewash the facts, and now it is just going to have to take its lumps.

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:27 am
by _krose
Mister Scratch wrote:(There was another recent thread dealing with this same issue, as I recall.)

You're right. I didn't see it mentioned before, but now I've found it -- the one titled "The Internet and the Future of Mormonism" -- based on the Des News coverage of the same speech.

Sorry to rehash old material. I missed the previous conversation.

Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:51 am
by _Mister Scratch
krose wrote:
Mister Scratch wrote:(There was another recent thread dealing with this same issue, as I recall.)

You're right. I didn't see it mentioned before, but now I've found it -- the one titled "The Internet and the Future of Mormonism" -- based on the Des News coverage of the same speech.

Sorry to rehash old material. I missed the previous conversation.


No, no; it's quite all right. This is a very critical issue, after all.