education

10 Reasons to Remove your Watch When You Enter the Temple

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rolex-submariner

Remove your watch when you enter a house of the Lord. -Elder Richard G. Scott

This last weekend in General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott gave an incredibly good talk about the temple and the importance of temple attendance.  I will break down more of this talk in a future post to glean more from the great insight he gave us.

One of his “interesting suggestions” for gaining more benefit from temple attendance was this — “Remove your watch when you enter a house of the Lord.”  I immediately took notice of this counsel, as you might have also.  I have not heard the General Authorities recommend this before.  I did find it “interesting” because it is something that I have already practiced since the first time I went to the temple.  It didn’t feel right for me to wear that piece of apparel into the sacred space.

But how could something as trivial as wearing a watch affect what we gain from the temple?  While it is unlikely we can easily know why Elder Scott counseled us so, let me offer some personal reasons why I don’t wear my watch when I enter the temple, and why it might be a good idea for you too. [Read more…]

Orson Scott Card on Hugh Nibley & C.S. Lewis

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Dr. Hugh Nibley lecturing

Dr. Hugh Nibley lecturing

Orson Scott Card wrote a great article today on Mormon Times, highlighting the tremendous influence that Hugh Nibley and C.S. Lewis have had on his “Christian education” over the years, but particularly when he was younger.

I couldn’t agree more with his feelings about the impact that these two scholars have had.  I’ve particularly been influenced, even fundamentally changed, by the writings of Hugh Nibley, and I’m just beginning to get into Lewis.  Like I’ve said in the past, in a way I’ve felt personally mentored by Nibley through reading his work, a sentiment shared by Orson Scott Card:  [Read more…]

Make Your Home a Temple

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President Thomas S. Monson

President Thomas S. Monson

President Monson spoke at a regional meeting in the Conference Center yesterday, as reported by the Deseret News.  The focus of his counsel was to put our homes in order.  This is wise counsel since the Dow dropped 500 points today, the biggest drop since 9/11.  We are living in troubled times, and I suspect that it will get worse sooner than it gets better.  The Lord’s prophets have been giving us this message for a couple decades now, to put our homes in order in a multitude of different ways.  Are we listening and doing?

Part of President Monson’s counsel was this, in words reminiscent of the temple (cf. D&C 88:119):

This, then, is your building project, brothers and sisters, to organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing, and to establish a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.

New Site – MormonConferences.org

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One of our readers, Kent White, has built a new website at MormonConferences.org which gives announcements of upcoming conferences and papers which have to do with the Church and Mormonism.  As Kent describes it:

This site’s purpose is to provide those who have an interest in Mormon Studies the ability to easily find all of the conferences where presentations are made on Mormonism’s theology, history, culture, and people. I have particularly tried to make this a resource for scholars of Mormonism and those who enjoy academics, including the most comprehensive list of Calls for Papers on Mormon Studies (even if the papers aren’t presented at a conference).

I haven’t been too involved in the various conferences in the past, but I plan to change all of that.  These conferences/symposiums are an excellent way to stay current on all the latest scholarship in the Church, and to learn a great deal.  I appreciate the work that Kent has done on this website, and I have subscribed to his feeds.  Kent gave me the opportunity to design his site’s logo too, so that was fun.

Check out MormonConferences.org!

Computer Technology Given to Mankind for Temple Work

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Elder Robert D. Hales, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Elder Robert D. Hales, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve gave the devotional address at the beginning of Education Week at Brigham Young University today.  Deseret News reported on his talk.

His talk was mainly about gaining knowledge through a lifetime of learning, especially spiritual knowledge.  He used the example of Michael Phelps Olympic gold records were only possible by building on previous accomplishments.

One of the points he particularly noted was that by increasing our knowledge and capabilities throughout life, we can bless the Church and its work.  He gave an example of family history work.  Deseret News reports:

In the 1970s, Elder Theodore H. Burton presented the concept of computers being used for family records and research. “He was even bold enough to teach and proclaim that the computer technology was given to man for his use to hasten the day of family history, genealogy and temple work.”

His proclamation was met with reservations about the size and expense of computers for personal use and how few Latter-day Saints would be able to afford or operate them. Other concerns were the complexity how to make them compatible with temple records.

“All seemed to be reasonable reservations for their time,” he said, yet “today, we are embarking on a new era of family history computer technology.”

He then related details about the New FamilySearch which is being put into place as we speak, and is currently available in half of temple districts around the world.

The lesson in that story is simple, he said. “Never dwell or hold on to the past or attempt to protect your comfort zone against the inevitable changes that will be required to meet future advancements. … Our endings only usher in our new beginnings. The ending of one era ushers in a new era. Lifelong learners do not dwell on the past.

“Past learning creates a valuable foundation of experience upon which to build, not a comfortable place to dwell for a lifetime.”

He then said some valuable words to mothers, that they too can be lifelong learners.  I recommend you read the story at Deseret News.  I look forward to a transcript of his talk.

[Update 8/20/08: An mp3 (audio) format of his talk is now available here.]

[Update 9/8/08: A video (wmv) format of his talk is now available here.]

[Update 11/17/09: Here is the transcript of his talk.]