Dec

27

No dia 15 de dezembro deste ano o Elder M. Russell Ballard do Quorum dos Doze Apóstolos de A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias (Igreja Mórmon) fez um discurso na cerimônia de formatura da Universidade Brigham Young – Havaí sobre o uso da Nova Mídia para apoiar o trabalho da Igreja.

Sou realmente grato por Elder Ballard ter feito tal discurso. Eu trabalho para a More Good Foundation (Fundação para o Melhor) e estamos preocupados e comprometidos a divulgar boas informações on-line sobre a Igreja. Gostaríamos de nos certificar – usando as palavras do Elder Ballard – de “definir a mensagem da Restauração ao invés de deixar que outros definam nossas crenças”.

Elder Ballard explica:

Agora todos vocês sabem que os membros de A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias são relembrados e encorajados continuamente a compartilhar o evangelho com outros. A Igreja está sempre procurando pelos meios mais eficientes de declarar nossa mensagem.

Por alguma infeliz razão, até bem recentemente havia um sentimento prevalente entre os membros da Igreja de que não deveríamos usar a Internet para falar de nossas crenças. O problema com esta atitude é que se não definirmos quem somos e o que acreditamos, outros o farão; e eles o farão sem o conhecimento suficiente ou até mesmo com intento malicioso.

O discurso do Elder Ballard é muito bem-vindo porque ele explica claramente porque os membros precisam estar envolvidos on-line. Ele desenha um paralelo interessante entre a invenção da prensa e a internet:

Existem poucas invenções que tiveram um impacto maior no mundo do que a prensa gráfica, inventada pelo inspirado Johannes Gutenberg em 1436. A prensa gráfica permitiu que o conhecimento, incluindo a Bíblia Sagrada, fosse compartilhado de forma mais ampla do que até então. Finalmente, as pessoas comuns tinham acesso às verdades das escrituras e o clero não mais possuia a população ligada às suas interpretações.

Ele continua:

Atualmente temos o equivalente à prensa gráfica na internet e em tudo o que ela significa. A internet permite que todos sejam editores, que tenham suas vozes ouvidas e está revolucionando a sociedade. Antes da internet havia grandes barreiras para impressões. Era necessário dinheiro, poder ou influência e uma grande quantidade de tempo para ser publicadas. Mas hoje em dia, devido à emergência do que alguns chamam de Nova Mídia, possibilitada pela internet, muitas dessas barreiras foram removidas.

Isso é realmente incrível. O Senhor encontrou um meio de espalhar o evangelho para bilhões de pessoas, sobrepujando as barreiras comuns criadas pela falta de dinheiro ou poder. Precisamos usar esta janela de oportunidade o mais rápido possível, pois há sempre a possibilidade de novas barreiras emergirem, limitando a liberdade proporcionada pela internet.

Existem algumas coisas simples que praticamente todos os membros podem fazer, como um blog, por exemplo:

Um membro da Igreja vivendo no centro-oeste faz um esforço concentrado para compartilhar o evangelho diariamente, pessoalmente. Ele então escreve um blog sobre seus esforços diários para compartilhar os ensinamentos do Livro de Mórmon e passar o cartão da amizade para todos que ele encontra.

Ou podemos compartilhar nossa história de conversão e outras experiências edificantes:

Outros têm registrado e postado seus testemunhos da Restauração, os ensinamentos do Livro de Mórmon, e outros tópicos do evangelho em sites populares de compartilhamento de vídeos.

Nós (da Fundação para o Melhor) criamos um site onde convidamos as pessoas para compartilhar suas historias de conversão no MormonTestimonies (Testemunhos Mórmons). Gostaríamos de ter milhares de membros compartilhando suas historias on-line.

Eu sou realmente muito grato ao Elder Ballard por seu discurso que explica os princípios por trás de nossa necessidade de usar a internet para fazer o bem, ou até mesmo trabalhar… para o Melhor.

____

Link para o artigo completo (en Inglês): Using New Media to Support the Work of the Church

 

 

Dec

26

On December 15 of this year Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) gave a speech at Brigham Young University-Hawaii’s graduation ceremony about the use of New Media to support the work of the Church.

I am really glad that Elder Ballard gave such a talk. I work for the More Good Foundation, and we are concerned abaout and committed to spread good information about the Church online. We want to make sure - using Elder Ballard’s words - that we “define the message of the Restoration rather than letting others define our beliefs.”

Elder Ballard explains,

Now all of you know that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are reminded and encouraged continually to share the gospel with others. The Church is always looking for the most effective ways to declare our message.

For some unfortunate reason, until recently there was a prevalent feeling among members of the Church that we were not supposed to use the Internet to talk about our beliefs. The problem with this attitude is that if we do not define who we are and in what we believe, others will do it;  and they will do it without enough knowledge or even with malicious intent.

Elder Ballard’s talk is very welcomed, because it explains clearly why members need to be involved online. He draws an interesting parallel between the invention of the press and the Internet:

There are perhaps few inventions that have had a greater impact on the world than the printing press, invented by the inspired Johannes Gutenberg in 1436. The printing press enabled knowledge, including the Holy Bible, to be shared more widely than ever before. Ultimately, the common people had access to the truths of scripture, and the clergy no longer held the populace hostage to their interpretations.

He continues:

Today we have a modern equivalent of the printing press in the Internet and all that it means. The Internet allows everyone to be a publisher, to have their voice heard, and it is revolutionizing society. Before the Internet, there were great barriers to printing. It took money, power, or influence and a great amount of time to publish. But today, because of the emergence of what some call New Media, made possible by the Internet, many of those barriers have been removed.

This is really amazing. The Lord has found a way to spread the gospel to billions of people, bypassing the usual barriers created by the lack of money or power. We need to use this window of opportunity as fast as we can because there is always the possibility for new barriers to emerge, limiting the freedom allowed by the Internet.

In the meantime there are a few simple things that almost any member can do. For example, a blog:

A Church member living in the Midwest makes a concerted effort to share the gospel everyday, in person. He then writes a blog about his daily endeavors to share the teachings of the Book of Mormon and to give pass-along cards to all he meets.

Or we can share our conversion stories and other uplifting experiences:

Others have recorded and posted their testimonies of the Restoration, the teachings of the Book of Mormon, and other gospel subjects on popular video-sharing sites.

We (the More Good Foundation) have created a website where we invite people to share their stories at MormonTestimonies. We would like to have thousand of members sharing their stories online.

I am really grateful to Elder Ballard for his speech that explains the principles behind our need to use the Internet to do good or even. . .more good!

–

Link to the full article: Using New Media to Support the Work of the Church

 

 

 

 

 

Dec

17

I know personally Truman Madsen, and I am highly impressed with his personality and knowledge, and also with his ability to make alive the history of the Church and especially the story of Joseph Smith.

I had recently the opportunity to watch his new released DVDs about Joseph Smith, “On Sacred Ground”. If you loved his tapes, you need to watch those DVDs. I always expect great things from Truman, but this time he surprised me. I found more than I was expecting.

A few years ago, I lived in the same ward where Truman attended Church. At that time I really did not know Truman Madsen, but one Sunday he substituted for another teacher in a Sunday School class.

I loved his lesson, even if I could not understand all the words he was using (I had arrived from Brazil only a few months before and my English was not “perfect”). Since I was the Sunday School President I went to the Bishop and suggested that he call Truman Madsen to be our regular teacher in the Sunday School. The bishop told me that Truman was a busy man and that it would be too hard for him to accept that assignment. I insisted a little bit and then left things in the hands of the bishop.

The bishop probably prayed and decided to call him. This was sometimes in 2001. I have left that ward several years ago, but last time I met Truman Madsen he told me that he was still teaching in the Sunday School and that the new bishop did not want to release him.

I can say with complete assurance that the best thing I did as a Sunday School President was to suggest to the bishop to call Truman as the Sunday School teacher.

Today I was looking for some information about Truman Madsen. I knew he had his birthday a few days ago but I was not sure in what year he was born. While browsing the internet I found this interesting blog post, titled “Why Truman Madsen is not an apostle“.

I really do not know why he is not, perhaps just because there are only 15 slots available, but for sure, after I saw his last DVDs on Joseph Smith, I think that the blog’s author must not be too far from the truth when he says,

Truman has been granted the gift of time–time to think and to write and to speak. And not only to speak, but to speak to the faithful and devout. To speak to people beyond the level of the novice. To touch hearts without being constrained to address every comment to the recent convert.

Dec

10

As a parent of a few male teenagers and a Mormon, I was hoping that sending them on a mission would be the last big effort before they would finally become adults.

However, a few months ago someone had told me that children between the ages of 18 and 25 or even 30 may still need a lot of help and require a lot of work. I had hoped that it was not true… but I was doubting…

Now I am sure that my hopes were in vain. A new study by BYU professors seem to indicate that in fact, children between the ages of 18 and 25 are not yet really adults.

The findings strengthen the idea that a distinct life stage has emerged between adolescence and adulthood, consequently extending parents’ period of responsibility for their children. The study, which will be published in the new issue of the Journal of Family Psychology, offers a new look at parents’ expectations when children reach their 20s.

“The message parents are sending to their kids is “You may be 18 but that doesn’t magically make you an adult. There are things you first need to develop and that hasn’t happened yet,” said Larry Nelson, associate professor in the School of Family Life at BYU and lead author on the study. “It’s not that their kids refuse to grow up, it’s that they are still in the process of doing that.”

BYU study: Parents don’t view their college students as adults

In short, it look like I have many years in front of me before I can say… it is done!

 


 

 

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