book of mormon

Liveblog: Third Nephi Conference at BYU

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This is a liveblog of the conference entitled “Third Nephi: New Perspectives on an Incomparable Scripture,” which is taking place at Brigham Young University on September 26-27, 2008, from 6:30pm on the 26th to about noon on the 27th.  See my previous post on the subject, or the program of the conference here.  Note: Those reading this in an RSS feed or an email will have to visit TempleStudy.com to see the liveblog feed below.  Press the play button below to load the liveblog. In the liveblog window, you can participate live with me by entering your name, your question/comment, and clicking on send.  Enjoy!

Pōwhiri and Hongi of New Zealand’s Māori: a Sacred Ritual

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New Zealand Maori exchanging the sacred act of hongi, the breath of life.

New Zealand Maori sharing in the sacred act of hongi, exchanging the ha or breath of life.

The title is a bit of a mouthful, but let me explain.

I have been a ballroom dancer since I was about 12 years old, or about 15 years.  It has been quite an experience being involved with this subculture of ballroom dance, which has made up a large portion of my life.  During the summer of 2005 I had the opportunity to tour with the BYU Ballroom Dance Company to the South Pacific, during which we visited Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and Tahiti.  My wife was also fortunate to join us on the trip.  It was a singular experience which has burned a place in my memory.

Naturally, as part of these tours we were also able to learn much about the locations and people of the places we visited.  One of the places that really struck me for its beauty and uniqueness was New Zealand.  Going to New Zealand was like stepping into a different world.  The indigenous people of New Zealand are known as the Maori, and the customs and traditions of these people were quite different than what we were accustomed to.  Some of the things we experienced with the Maori were very spiritual in nature, which immediately caused me to ponder, and which I have had opportunity to think about for several years now.  Specifically, the Maori ceremonial greeting tradition that they conducted with our BYU group as we arrived in New Zealand was one of the most significant experiences I had with the group.  This rite or ceremony is known as the powhiri, and has insightful elements for Latter-day Saints to consider.  [Read more…]

Mormon Theology Seminar Conference: Reading Alma 32 on Sept. 19

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I will have the chance to attend the Mormon Theology Seminar’s conference entitled “An Experiment on the Word: Reading Alma 32” that is coming up next Friday, September 19th, 2008.  It is being held from 9am-4pm in room B192 in the Joseph F. Smith Building on BYU campus.  More details can be found on Mormon Theology Seminar’s website, or in their PDF flyer.  You can also learn more about it from a podcast with some of the organizers.  The conference will be the culmination of a several month online seminar that took place at alma32.wordpress.com.

Here is the schedule:

  • 9am • Julie M. Smith • So Shall My Word Be: Reading Alma 32 through Isaiah 55
  • 10am • James E. Faulconer • Desiring to Believe: Philo-Sophia and the Word of God
  • 11am • Adam Miller • You Must Needs Say that the Word is Good
  • 1pm • Jenny Webb • It is Well that Ye are Cast Out: Alma 32 and Eden
  • 2pm • Joseph M. Spencer • Faith, Hope, and Charity: Alma and Joseph Smith
  • 3pm • Robert Couch • “No Cause to Believe”: Knowledge and Other Signs of Dormant Faith

Since the FAIR Conference liveblogging seemed to work so well, I’m going to see if I can liveblog this event too (I hope they have WiFi in the JFSB).  If anyone else is also attending the conference and wants to collaborate on the liveblogging, contact me and maybe we can join our efforts.  We will be using the awesome CoverItLive service.

If you want to receive an email reminder of the liveblogging we will be doing here next Friday, see the right hand sidebar on TempleStudy.com to sign up for one.

Third Nephi Conference at BYU September 26-27

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The Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies at BYU has announced that they are sponsoring a conference next month devoted to Third Nephi.  The conference is entitled “Third Nephi: New Perspectives on an Incomparable Scripture.”  It will be held in the Wilkinson Center at BYU on September 26th and 27th, and will be open to the public.  There will be presentations on the following topics:

  • New Insights Into the Temple Setting of the Sermon on the Mount in Reference to the Sermon at the Temple – John Welch
  • Preparing the Way of the Lord’s Coming
  • Experiencing the Lord
  • The Lord’s Prayers
  • The Lord’s Prophecies
  • Theological Implications
  • The Written Record
  • What we have learned about Third Nephi and the Savior’s post-resurrection ministry in the new world – Panel Discussion

Some of the scholars that will be participating are John Welch, S. Kent Brown, Grant Hardy, Robert L. Millet, Richard Dilworth Rust, Daniel Belnap, Dana Pike, Kristine Fredrickson, Patrick R. Steffen, Daniel McKinlay, and Jane Allis-Pike.  This looks like it will be really good.  I’m planning on going on Friday, September 26th, and I’ll see if I can liveblog it here, like I did for the FAIR Conference.  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend on Saturday.

See more information on the conference here.