Recent Posts from LDS Blogs Tagged "conference"http://www.NothingWavering.orgen-usThu, 26 Jan 2012 04:38:00 -0800Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:38:00 -0800http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssNothingWavering.org Application Frameworkeditor@nothingwavering.org (Administrator)admin@nothingwavering.org (NothingWavering.org Administrator)Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:38:00 -0800tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_33904LDS Media Talk: Conference Notebook in Ensign and Liahonahttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/prs312WaKiU/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

The new Conference Notebook section in the Ensign and Liahona magazines will help you study and apply teachings from recent conference addresses. This new section will appear in 10 issues throughout the year (excluding the May and November issues, which have all the conference addresses).

Beginning with the January issue, this new section will have short summaries, colorful illustrations, study tips, related scriptures, and simple activities. It will also include member stories or gospel questions answered by conference addresses.

See the January Conference Notebook

  • Online at the Church magazines website in text or PDF formats.
  • See it in your printed magazine on pages 8–9 in the Liahona or pages 70–71 in the Ensign.

Learn more in the article “Conference Notebook Gives Readers Look at Conference Highlights.”


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:38:00 -0800tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_33834LDS Media Talk: Closed Captioning added to October Conference Videoshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/p7OJhKT6zxU/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

Closed captioning in English has been added to the October 2011 general conference videos on LDS.org. This is the first time that videos on LDS.org have offered closed captioning.

This new feature will allow deaf or hard-of-hearing members to enjoy their conference experience more fully. To turn the closed captioning on and off, just click the CC icon in the player window.

In the past, closed captioning has been offered for the live broadcast on television and satellite, but not on the Church’s website. Archived general conference content on LDS.org has included conference videos in American Sign Language (available by selecting ASL from the language drop-down menu), but not everyone who is deaf or hard of hearing knows or uses ASL.

Other closed-captioned material from the Church currently includes Mormon Messages on the Mormon Channel on YouTube.

Learn more in the article on Church News and Events.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:13:00 -0800tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:79_32461A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman: Is Gay Mormon Conference Getting Unwarranted Attention?http://wellbehavedmormonwoman.blogspot.com/2011/11/is-gay-mormon-conference-getting.htmlnoreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply) Clearly there is an intense interest from the public at large, to understand the relationship of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its gay members.  This past weekend, Salt Lake City was host to the Circling the Wagons conference for LGBT and SGA Mormons, sponsored by Mormon Stories.  The conference focused on the relationship of gay LDS members with the Church.

Surprisingly, with an estimated attendance of only 300 at the conference, media outlets such as the Huffington Post, have picked up on the event as news worthy.  But some have a very interesting reason for this, and I'm not sure that it's necessarily focused on the true content and purpose of the conference...  at least I hope not.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune (SLT), an LDS bishop from Illinois, a featured speaker at the conference on Sunday, reportedly said that "the way gays are treated and perceived by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is an "atrocity"".  The bishop also said that "If you leave here not remembering what I have to say, remember this: I'm sorry".  He then went so far as to say that " The straight members of the church have a lot of repenting to do".

However, conference sponsor and friend of sponsor are defending that what was reported by the SLT was not really what was said, or intended.  They feel the bishop's talk was wrongly interpreted and have concerns that the bishop's message is being misrepresented.  I've included video of the LDS bishop's talk below.

From my perspective this is really unfortunate, because in the end, this confusion only lends itself to a further communication breakdown between gay Mormons and the official LDS Church's position on homosexuality.  In my opinion, a local bishop has no authority to ever speak in such a way that his words or personal position might be mistaken as official -- even if he covers himself by saying that they are not.   This seems to be one of those situations where a decision was made to allow his opinion to be made public, knowing full well that the possibility of misrepresentation existed.  One can only speculate as to the real reasons and motives this acting LDS bishop was allowed to address the conference.  A recent blog post over on the LDS Newsroom comes to mind, titled: Informed Reading in This "Mormon Moment"

I think it's important to know, if you don't already, that there is an ongoing conversation amongst gay advocates, both inside and outside of the LDS Church, in regard to the responsibility that the Church should officially assume for the unfortunate suicides of young gay Mormons.  It is a sad and sensitive issue -- one that easily incites extremely passionate feelings.  There has been for sometime now, a call for the Church to officially apologize for its perceived mistreatment of gay Mormon members.  Also, the position that the LDS Church takes, in particular the involvement of California's Prop 8, on same-sex marriage --  hotly debated as being anti-gay.

These are only two of the hot button issues that continue to fuel the chasm between gay Mormons and the LDS Church, and continue to create a divide that to many seems insurmountable.  And yet, it is my understanding that conferences such as this one, hosted by Mormon Stories, is intended to help bridge this great divide and encourage healing for gay Mormons and their families.   So it makes me sad when the purported focus of such an event is overshadowed by a potential misrepresentation that will only continue to fuel the fire.

I'm a firm believer that education creates understanding, and that as we come to understand others, our ability to love and accept increases.  I believe that this principle works both ways.  If we continue to find fault with each other, we will never find healing for those things that divide us.  I also believe that  intention is at the heart of all action.  It is my opinion that the intentions of the LDS Church in relation to those with same-gender attraction has never been oppositional to individuals personally -- only toward the act.

Certainly I am aware of the 'history of homosexuality' in the Church, and its ongoing and unfortunate misrepresentation.  I also know that much has been done and is currently being done to heal those wounds and create greater respect for those, within the Church, who struggle with same-gender attraction.

There is no question, in my experience, that members of the LDS Church are growing in their ability to better understand, love and accept gay members.  And I believe that this is happening in direct relation to our embracing the official position of the Church, on the issue of same-gender attraction, and putting those principles into action.

Personally, I have a very tender place in my heart for faithful and active gay Mormons, who truly desire to be included in the gospel family.  I am confident that there are many just waiting to feel confident enough, that members will embrace them with open arms, without judgement, truly emulating the love of Jesus Christ -- to safely welcome them back home.


I also believe that the majority of 'straight' members of the Church, sincerely desire to do just that...



tDMg
Kathryn Skaggs




Deseret News: Conference explores unique challenges of gay Mormons



Continue reading at the original source →]]>Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:67_32378Segullah: A Letter to My Fellow Conference Attendeeshttp://segullah.org/daily-special/a-letter-to-my-fellow-conference-attendees/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)CatherineDear fellow attendees and presenters at last week’s Western States Literacy and Rhetoric conference,

Thanks for an intellectually stimulating weekend. I enjoyed many (but not all!) of the sessions I attended and I’m glad for your feedback on my own paper.

I’ve been thinking, though, about the awkwardness that followed my answer to your questions about my employment, or lack thereof. After I explained that “I have 3 young children and chose not to try for a tenure-track position or full-time teaching right now,” you responded with blank eyes, puzzled looks, and silence. Mentioning motherhood in a circle of ambitious academics, it seems, is a sure conversation killer.

I think that what I would have liked to add to my explanation would have not only killed the conversation but might have killed it more violently or buried it deep deep down. I would have liked to add that I have chosen to place motherhood before career, yes, for personal reasons, but also for religious reasons: I believe God has asked me to do so. And I believe He will remember me all the more for doing so. I feel deeply that He will not forget me when the time comes—assuming it does—to don the professor’s clothes more fully.

I honestly can’t imagine your response to my layering an explanation based on spiritual knowledge on top of an explanation based on my personal experiences with mothering. Today, society in general and academics in particular tend to see religion as far worse than other forces that mold people’s minds. I wish I could change that. Would it help at all if I explained that religious people rely on the discernment of God’s will for moral knowledge (a process that isn’t any less rational than secular forms of moral reasoning). And that when we believe we have discerned God’s will, to act differently publicly or privately would be treating our religion as a fad, a hobby, as arbitrary or trivial? Stephen Carter put it well in his book The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religious Devotion when he said, “In our sensible zeal to keep religion from dominating our politics, we have created a political and legal culture that presses the religiously faithful to be other than themselves, to act publicly, and sometimes privately as well, as though their faith does not matter to them” (3).

My faith does matter to me. And because it does, I do rely on it for knowledge about how to live my life, privately and professionally. When I’m honest with myself and can put my pride aside, I feel a deep peace with living in accordance with how I feel and what I know. I hope that at the next conference, I hope that peace is evident as I field employment questions and navigate the awkwardness that surrounds them.

Sincerely,
Catherine Matthews Pavia

Have you had successful experiences in the public spheres in which you move with explaining your life choices or religious beliefs? How about with countering others’ beliefs that something is wrong with people who take their religion seriously and let it affect their public actions? How do you respond to similar questions about personal choices motivated by religious beliefs—with pride, apology, both, or something different altogether?

Related posts:

  1. Carried by Faith
  2. On Questions
  3. I Hope They Call Me on a Digital Mission


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:09:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_32369LDS Media Talk: Anti-Pornography Conference November 5http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/B5XDiXZkcJQ/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

You may be interested in this announcement from Citizens for Decency about a free conference on how to combat pornography that will be held this Saturday at various locations in southeastern Idaho. I understand they will be giving away 500 copies of the DVD “Out in the Light” to conference attendees.

Former Department of Justice Chief Pat Trueman to Address Idaho Anti-Pornography Conference

With big business raking in billions of dollars in annual profits from pornography, we in southeastern Idaho may wonder what we can do to protect our communities. On Saturday, November 5th, Citizens for Decency will join with local police departments to present the Idaho Anti-Pornography Conference, “Pornography – Private Problem, Public Solutions.” Patrick Trueman, Department of Justice chief under Presidents Reagan and Bush, will speak. Meetings will be held at three locations:

  • Rexburg – Rexburg Tabernacle, 51 N. Center St. 10:00 – 11:30 AM
  • Idaho Falls – Rocky Mountain Middle School, 3443 N. Ammon Rd. 1:00 – 2:30 PM
  • Pocatello – Museum of Clean, 711 S. 2nd Ave. 5:00 – 6:30 PM

Patrick Trueman is the President of Morality in Media, and the founder of PornHarms.com – both of which focus on protecting families from pornography. His most recent success was shutting down the airing of “The Playboy Club” on NBC. He also served in the United States Department of Justice as Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Criminal Division. Since then he has worked to aid victims of child pornography and has helped municipalities limit sexually oriented businesses through zoning and licensing ordinances.

Citizens for Decency is dedicated to increasing awareness of the ravages of pornography and advocating policy change on local, regional, and state levels. In addition to other efforts, Citizens for Decency has conducted educational conferences, initiated “anti-pornography month” and “clean minds” week at local schools, and helped bring about Internet filtering legislation in public schools and libraries. Citizens for Decency, as part of their mission statement, seeks to empower others to take a stand against pornography.

Admission to the Idaho Anti-Pornography Conference is free. Printable tickets are available online to help Citizens for Decency ensure adequate seating. However, a ticket is not required to attend. For a ticket or more information, please visit citizensfordecency.org.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:51:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_32244LDS Media Talk: LDS General Conference EPUBs in Spanish and Portuguesehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/LuIUDwQDvHU/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

The text of the addresses from the October 2011 LDS General Conference is now available in EPUB format for electronic readers in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and several other languages.

Go to the October conference page and click the language selector in the upper portion of the brown conference page (not the overall language selector in the blue section) and select a language. Then click Download on the row for the Entire Conference and select the EPUB icon. (There are not separate files for individual sessions or speakers.) This will download the EPUB file to your computer so you can then transfer it to your e-reader device.

Learn about accessing the October General Conference in other formats.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Mon, 24 Oct 2011 05:32:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_32149LDS Media Talk: Wordles for October 2011 LDS General Conferencehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/LiuEE1SDh6s/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

For the last several conferences, we have shown wordles (word clouds) of the text from general conference, which show the  frequency of use of words (except words like it, the, and and). Frequency of use determines the word size.
To the left is a wordle prepared by Jeremy Anderson showing an analysis of text from all the talks from the October 2011 general conference. Click the graphic to see it full-sized.

See wordles from previous LDS general conferences.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:31:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_32016LDS Media Talk: LDS General Conference PDFs and EPUBs Onlinehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/UgKvhBdLzA0/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

If you are a regular reader of LDS Media Talk, you’ve learned when the talks, video, and audio from the October 2011 LDS General Conference have been posted online. You also know there is a video of highlights from the conference, as well as conference highlights selected especially for youth.

  • Video and audio in 82 languages have been viewed or downloaded over 9 million times to date.
  • 18 language texts are published on the conference page, with more to come.
  • Ensign is printing and will begin shipping to subscribers soon.
  • Language versions of the Liahona will begin printing next week.


EPUB Files

Today, the English text in EPUB format for electronic readers was published online. You can find it in two places:

  • Click Download on the October conference page next to Entire Conference. (There are not separate files for individual sessions or speakers.)
  • Download it from the EPUB page that lists all the EPUB files published by the Church. You can navigate to the EPUB page on LDS.org as follows:  Menu > Manuals > EPUB

PDF Files

Today, PDF files were published for the November Ensign and the November Liahona magazines. Click Download at the top of the column, then select the PDF icon.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:49:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_31969LDS Media Talk: Viewing General Conference After the Broadcasthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/cSITPirGi-8/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

The following is from the article “Viewing General Conference After the Broadcast” from the Meetinghouse Technology Newsletter:

Many members will want to incorporate the recent general conference materials into their lessons, or view conference sessions for personal study. There are a few easy ways for people to view, listen, or read conference materials after the broadcast is over:

  • LDS.org. When viewing video on LDS.org you can use any of the major browsers. Check that you have the latest Adobe Flash Player downloaded before you start watching a video. To see the supported browser and flash player versions for PC or Mac, visit How to Watch on LDS.org or refer to the mhtech wiki. [You can also download video and audio files to use them offline.]
  • iTunes Mormon Channel. The iTunes Mormon Channel allows you to instantly play and download video and audio files of conference. You can watch these on a Mac, PC, iPod touch, iPad, iPhone, or any other iOS device. You’ll need to make sure you’ve installed iTunes on whatever device you’re using. The iTunes Mormon Channel also has a free general conference podcast. You can choose to download the individual files you want, or you can subscribe to the podcast so that new sessions will automatically be downloaded. Once you’ve downloaded the files, you can play the audio or video files of conference on your device or transfer the content to a USB drive. Play files on a USB drive using other devices, such as a Western Digital TV HD Live Media Player.
  • Mobile Device Apps. To watch, listen, or read conference materials on your mobile device, download the Gospel Library or Mormon Channel Apps from the iTunes app store [or the Adroid store]. These apps are free and should say “published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”

If you want to play back conference for a large group, make sure you have the right cable or equipment needed to connect your device with a TV, projector, or meetinghouse video system. You can find information specific to devices and methods on the mhtech wiki’s “Get Started with Viewing Church Broadcasts” article.

Wait time for accessing recent conference materials depends on the method you are using and the language you are looking for, but generally video becomes available 24 hours after conference is over [although a single video of the live stream is posted within minutes of the end of each session]. Audio will also be available in over 70 languages eight hours after the original broadcast. To see more about the availability for conference materials, visit: “When Conference Materials Will Be Available” on LDS.org.

Visit the mhtech wiki and forums to share your experience with viewing general conference using these methods.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Thu, 13 Oct 2011 05:30:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:54_31863Keepapitchinin: Conference Wordles! October 2011http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2011/10/13/conference-wordles-october-2011/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Ardis E. ParshallContinue reading at the original source →]]>Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:07:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:105_31767Mormon Women: General Conference Highlights Videohttp://mormonwoman.org/2011/10/09/general-conference-highlights-video/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)mormonwomenWatch this video that shows highlights of talks from prophets and apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the recent October 2011 General Conference.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:50:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_31731LDS Media Talk: Highlights of October 2011 LDS General Conferencehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/iu2_bLjBC0U/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

Watch a video with highlights from the October 2011 general conference. This 17-minute video highlights the addresses by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is available on the conference.lds.org page as well as in the Mormon Channel on YouTube, iTunes, Roku, Mobile App, and Comcast. It is available today in English and is being produced in another 10 languages.

Please share this video with your friends. You also can point your young friends to the conference highlights selected especially for youth.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:11:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:23_31722LDS Media Talk: October 2011 LDS General Conference Archiveshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LDSWebGuy/~3/cWAYrDLCwAs/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Larry Richman

Video and audio files of all the talks from the October 2011 LDS General Conference have been online since shortly after each session of conference ended. (Use the language selector on that page to view other languages.)

English text for each talk was posted on Thursday, and language translations will begin appearing within 10 days.

You can also watch a video of highlights from the conference, as well as conference highlights selected especially for youth.

The World Report for October 2011 is also available online.

See the page When Conference Materials Will Be Available to learn about upcoming availability on DVDs, on CDs, on mobile devices, and in the Church magazines. You can also subscribe to get general conference DVDs and audio CDs mailed to you automatically as soon as they are available.

I invite you to find your favorite talk and share it with a friend.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:30:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:54_31713Keepapitchinin: J. Golden Kimball Speaks in Conference, 1926http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2011/10/07/j-golden-kimball-speaks-in-conference-1926/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)Ardis E. ParshallContinue reading at the original source →]]>Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:31:00 -0700tag:nothingwavering.org,2009-01-12:105_31712Mormon Women: October 2011 General Conference Transcripts Now Availablehttp://mormonwoman.org/2011/10/07/october-2011-general-conference-transcripts-now-available/noreply@nothingwavering.org (No Reply)mormonwomenIt’s always something we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints look forward to — the transcripts of the General Conference talks. English transcripts are now available at the General Conference page of lds.org.

General Conference transcripts in numerous other languages are available as well, such as in German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portugues (and Portuguese (Portugal)), Cebuano … and the list goes on.

Many languages also have audio translations available. More transcripts will continue to be made available in the next while.


Continue reading at the original source →]]>