watch

Fireside Discussion Part III on Wednesday Evening

4 Comments

We are planning our third fireside discussion at TempleStudy.com using Google Hangouts on Air, live online, for tomorrow night, Wednesday, August 22nd, at 7:30pm (get reminded by Google+ here).  Our discussion last week was great; we discussed the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Essenes, Qumran, the Temple Scroll, Jacob at Bethel and the symbolism of Jacob’s Ladder, and some thoughts from Elder Carlos E. Asay.  We should have a great chat this week too, with Professor William J. Hamblin leading the discussion.

In these discussions we talk about the history, principles, and reasons for the LDS temple, and temple worship antecedents in antiquity. Springboarding the discussion will be Andrew Skinner’s book, Temple Worship (chapter 1), which is also available as an ebook for Kindle.  If you would like to be a contributor, or “panelist,” in our discussion, and you have a webcam (or have an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or Android), please let me know.  Otherwise you can simply watch the discussion as it takes place here at TempleStudy.com, on the Google+ event page, or the recording later which will be here at TempleStudy.com or on YouTube.

The Next Temple Fireside Discussion

3 Comments

I have received several comments from people who said they enjoyed the temple fireside discussion we had this past Sunday. If you were not able to watch the discussion, it is available for viewing as a recording from that post.

Our next discussion was tentatively planned for Sunday tomorrow. We have pushed that back to this coming Thursday evening, August 16th, at 7:30pm. This will facilitate some of the panelists in participating with us.

As some of you know we were only able to make it through about three paragraphs of the introduction of Andrew Skinner’s book Temple Worship. I hope to move a bit faster than that through the text, or it will take an eternity to get through the text (which might be fitting, given the subject matter). Our first discussion also ran a little long at 1 hour 38 minutes. We had some technical difficulties that we believe we’ve ironed out. I hope to keep the discussions to around 1 hour, to be considerate of our panelists’ time, and to help more people find the time to watch live or the recording later.

Please let me know if you have any questions. We’ll see you on Thursday.

Reflections on Temple Discussion

30 Comments

Of course many of you know that we had a discussion about the temple this past Sunday on Google Hangouts.  I hope you were able to listen in or watch.  If not, a recording is available.

I’m curious to get your feedback on the fireside discussion.  Some questions in my mind are:

  • Was it helpful to you? In what way?
  • Did you learn new things?  What?
  • Did you enjoy it?  Why?
  • Were you nervous about what might be said?  Did we assuage that fear?
  • What did you think of the length?  Shorter?  Longer?
  • What did you think of the contributors?  (Be nice!)
  • Was the material we addressed accessible and understandable?
  • Did the discussion encourage you to go learn more on your own?
  • Do you believe it is helpful for the Church in general, both for members within the Church to learn about the temple, and for outsiders to gain a greater understanding of our temple traditions? (Ok, that’s a loaded one.)
  • Any concerns? Suggestions? Critiques?

Before I schedule the next one, which might be as soon as this coming Sunday, August 12, I want to get your take on this, so we can improve it or cancel it.  Please take a moment to share with us your thoughts in the comments below.

Temple Prep Live Google Hangout Fireside Series

8 Comments
Temple Prep Live Google Hangout

Temple Prep Live Google Hangout

I’m sure many of you are aware of the new Google+ Hangout feature, but let me explain briefly. Essentially it is a group video chat, where you can see video and hear audio from all the other participants in the chat. Google also provides a “On Air” feature which will broadcast the Hangout video and audio live on Google+, YouTube, and anywhere the video is embedded into a website. This provides the opportunity for live events to be broadcasted around the world quite easily, and for many people to participate in them, both by contributing directly with their webcam, or by just viewing the live broadcast, or viewing the recording later.

Some enterprising members, such as Sheila DuBois, have begun using Google Hangouts to broadcast live “firesides” on Sundays. I think this is an innovative use of the technology to help build up the kingdom, and allows members of the Church to connect in ways previously not possible.   [Read more…]

Daniel C. Peterson – “Humble Apologetics”

10 Comments

This blog will not always have posts about temple studies, I admit, as there are other things that are at work today, about which I feel I must write a little.  They keep in the same genre of sustaining and defending the Church and its members.

Over the past few days I’ve never heard so much negative criticism of the Maxwell Institute and FARMS, in the various venues online.  You’d think BYU had been harboring a criminal all these years.  Even Mormon apologetics in general is now taboo, unfit for the Church, a view which even some members are advocating.  The fad of the week is to say that “FARMS-style” apologetics is hurting the Church, is damaging to members, destroying their faith, is a losing affair, and does nobody any good, and that’s why its remaining vestiges were finally eradicated, wholly and completely from BYU.  Even the Brethren must be against apologetics and the apologists to allow, nay, to cause, nay, to be the force behind, nay, to have directly requested what happened at the Maxwell Institute last week.  Ousting Dan Peterson and stopping the work of “FARMS” must have been the goal of BYU and the Church all along.  It’s so clear now in hindsight.  The very first moderated comment on my last post?  “FARMS was an embarrassment.”

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.  They even go so far as to determinedly conclude that it is Mormon apologetics, in fact, that is having a negative influence on the Church, which you’ll notice is completely backwards from its true meaning and purpose.  Indeed, they are saying that the defenders are now essentially those doing the damage, which is almost comical in its twistedness. [Read more…]