“Enoch and the Temple” Conference with George W. E. Nickelsburg

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"God took Enoch," illustrated by Gerard Hoet, 1728 Figures de la Bible

“God took Enoch,” illustrated by Gerard Hoet, 1728 Figures de la Bible

The Academy for Temple Studies in co-sponsorship with USU Religious Studies Program have announced a conference centered on the figure of Enoch and the temple. The keynote speaker will be George W. E. Nickelsburg, who is a well-known expert on 1 Enoch. Others will also present on Enoch literature and temple themes. The conference will take place in two locations, in Logan on February 19, and in Provo on February 22, 2013.

Below is the full press release announcement from the Academy’s website: [Read more…]

Videos Now Available of Conference “Mormonism and the Temple: Examining an Ancient Religious Tradition”

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The conference “Mormonism and the Temple: Examining an Ancient Religious Tradition,” which took place on October 29, 2012 in Logan, Utah, was filmed, and some of the videos are now available for free in 1080p HD resolution on the Academy for Temple Studies YouTube channel, the Academy’s TempleStudies.org website, as well as embedded below here. The rest of the presenters’ videos are forthcoming. [Read more…]

What of Art?

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Les Misérables

Les Misérables

The following was written in response to a comment by “nate” on a post at Millennial Star which discussed the merits of the new film Les Misérables. In summary, the commenter claimed that art is “just art,” and in the end is escapism, overrated, simple entertainment, will not change your life (no matter how great or inspiring it is), won’t have long term influence on your soul, is overblown, is an addiction, is short-lived, no matter how seemingly life-changing it is dangerous, an idol, a quick fix, a drug, not “real life” or a part of our “real world,” and a distraction. I thought such condemnation of art called for a reply.

Allow me to resuscitate art for a moment (as if it needs it).

Art is not simply entertainment. It’s not simply art. It’s not simply escapism. And it is certainly not simply a drug.

Art is found abundantly in most expressions of humanity, including the traditional forms of drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, and dance, but also in literature, industrial design, architecture, film, interior design, graphic design, puppetry, music, singing, drama/theatre, animation, poetry, woodworking, weaving, vocal performance, interactive media, calligraphy, printmaking, pottery, sound, and technology.

Without art, most of what we know in our world today would not exist. [Read more…]

Temples Infographic and 3D Models

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Brian Olson has put together a few items of interest for those who love the temple. First is an infographic that shows all of the LDS temples that have been built, side by side, showing how they compare in height, and explaining some of the differences between them.  Secondly are 3D models of many of LDS temples, which he has used to make YouTube videos which show virtual flyarounds of each.  He also has a good collection of temple photos he has taken.

See Brian’s sites, as he has done some excellent work here, similar to some things I’ve done in the past.

Temple Studies Bibliography Now Online

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One of the presentations at the conference “Mormonism and the Temple” in Logan last month was by Danel W. Bachman, who presented the culmination of a project that he has been working on for the past six years.  It is the compilation of a very extensive bibliography on temple studies.  Other temple bibliographies have been published in the past (which are listed at the beginning of this compilation), and this bibliography sought to build on those while adding many more references to materials related to the temple.  As a result, this draft contains roughly 7,000 entries that pertain to temple studies.  And it is now online, at the Academy for Temple Studies website.

This is a great new project that will help researchers, scholars, students, and followers of temple studies find more resources on the subject, and related topics.  As you might imagine, this is a living project, and references will be added and pruned over time.  There will also be investigation into new bibliography technologies that might be utilized to better format, distribute, collaborate on, cite, and otherwise use the information.  All of these efforts will significantly aid scholarship in the field of temple studies.

See the new temple studies bibliography online.