Digital Scriptures And Elder Scott

[Scott Lloyd]

Last Sunday I had nothing but trouble getting my scripture app to work right. It was highly annoying. I thought it would be so useful to have the scriptures in an app, but as nice as it has been when it worked, when it doesn't work, well, it doesn't work.

I've never had this kind of trouble with a physical book. I think I'm going to back to the dead tree edition.

Since any electronic device or computer program can fail, it is good to keep an archival copy of scriptures-on-paper, just like you keep a year's supply of food storage, hoping you'll never have to use it.

Incidentally, if you use the Church's "Gospel Library" app, you can sync all of your markings, annotations, tags and cross references to your "Personal Study Notebook" on LDS.org. This makes the odds of losing your personal notes and markings extremely remote.

Edited November 3, 2011 by Scott Lloyd

[Calm]

Don't forget that the ward library carries scriptures for those that need backup.

[Bernard Gui]

Back in the day, all missionaries went to the Mission Home in SLC for a week for intensive study with mission leaders and General Authorities. It was a very happy time. I had a missionary edition LDS bible with the lined pages for notes in the middle. I filled it with notes from all the 12 apostles, first presidency, and assistants to the Twelve.

On those pages I wrote notes alphabetized by gospel subject. I used that bible as a missionary, in all my BYU religion classes, and for several years after my mission. The lined pages were filled with references, quotes, personal insights, etc.

I took it with me to a music gig at Weber State College and left it there by mistake. Never saw it again. Broke my heart.

I can back up all my digital notes from my iPod on my computer and a separate storage drive and a thumb drive. When I dropped my iPod and ruined it, I simply restored the new one from my backup.

'Nuff said.

Bernard

[Jack]

Please be more respectful of the Lord's Annointed. We are particular about that on these boards. Review the board guidelines for more information.

Respectful? This is my OPINION. There is no such thing as a wrong OPINION. Thinking the man is an old Luddite is nothing new and is not showing a lack of respect for him, it is showing my opinion of what he has said and why I believe he has said it.

The board guidelines don't say what I posted is wrong or not allowed.

[Jack]

Just as electronic devices can fail your paper scriptures can get rains soaked or dropped and torn or shredded. No one method is perfect.

[volgadon]

Respectful? This is my OPINION. There is no such thing as a wrong OPINION.

Sure there is. In my opinion you are an octogenarian Sandanista of Albanian extraction named Xhevat with a crippling vegemite addiction and a penchant for off-key Eurovision hits. Only this would account for your embittered, twisted and cynical world-view, respectfully, of course. All's fair if there is no wrong opinion, right?

Edited November 4, 2011 by volgadon

[Jack]

The difference, my volga friend, is that I know this GA is old. I have read what he said. I base my opinion on what I see and read while yours is conjecture.

[volgadon]

The difference, my volga friend, is that I know this GA is old. I have read what he said. I base my opinion on what I see and read while yours is conjecture.

It is still an opinion, and thus can't be wrong...

[Ares]

Respectful? This is my OPINION. There is no such thing as a wrong OPINION. Thinking the man is an old Luddite is nothing new and is not showing a lack of respect for him, it is showing my opinion of what he has said and why I believe he has said it.

The board guidelines don't say what I posted is wrong or not allowed.

Read them again. I'll give you a few days without posting privileges to figure out how they apply to you.

[Calm]

Respectful? This is my OPINION. There is no such thing as a wrong OPINION. Thinking the man is an old Luddite is nothing new and is not showing a lack of respect for him, it is showing my opinion of what he has said and why I believe he has said it.

And may I congratulate you for few have managed to demonstrate so swiftly and efficiently just how much value we should place on that opinion.

[KevinG]

Respectful? This is my OPINION. There is no such thing as a wrong OPINION. Thinking the man is an old Luddite is nothing new and is not showing a lack of respect for him, it is showing my opinion of what he has said and why I believe he has said it.

The board guidelines don't say what I posted is wrong or not allowed.

Thanks Jack - I've been waiting to use this one...

[Calm]

Well, you know, I heard when pocket calculators first came out, Elder Scott insisted on using his slide rule unlike all the other nuclear engineers and physicists he worked with, proclaiming that they were just a fad and would soon lose their popularity.

[volgadon]

I thought he used one of them new-fangled abacus thingies.

[Calm]

It occurs to me the perfect solution to find out which is most comfortable with technology is to give Elder Scott and Jack each their own nuclear sub, send them down a ways and then see who manages to surface first.

[blackstrap]

The problem as I see it with the i-stuff is that they are too versatile. I suspect that a lot of the viewing done in sacrament and SS is of things other than the scriptures. To do the same with books I would have to bring and crossword puzzle, a hunting magazine,a novel, etc. etc. The mind is too easily distracted as it is.

[Scott Lloyd]

The problem as I see it with the i-stuff is that they are too versatile. I suspect that a lot of the viewing done in sacrament and SS is of things other than the scriptures. To do the same with books I would have to bring and crossword puzzle, a hunting magazine,a novel, etc. etc. The mind is too easily distracted as it is.

As pertaining to adults, the question of whether an electronic device at church is too great of a temptation to distraction is a matter best left up to the individual to decide and, if necessary, resolve for him- or herself, either by leaving the device home or by disciplining oneself not to use it in a manner that causes later regret.

Meanwhile, consistent with John 7:24, people at church ought not be letting themselves get worked up over what Brother So-and-So might be doing with his smartphone right now. Besides reading scriptures, there are a number of appropriate uses for it at church: entering into the calendar the next ward temple night; using "LDS Tools" to see on a Google map where in the ward that new family lives whose records were just received; refreshing one's memory on which calling Sister So-and-So currently holds; recording some insight the sacrament meeting speaker has just shared; entering a goal or two in the task-list app drawn from a motivational priesthood lesson.

[Bernard Gui]

Sure there is. In my opinion you are an octogenarian Sandanista of Albanian extraction named Xhevat with a crippling vegemite addiction and a penchant for off-key Eurovision hits. Only this would account for your embittered, twisted and cynical world-view, respectfully, of course. All's fair if there is no wrong opinion, right?

Vegemite addiction? Now that is definitely out of the realm of respect and decorum. You, my friend, are a cruel man.

Bernard

[Bernard Gui]

Who has open Internet access in your chapel?

Bernard

[Scott Lloyd]

Who has open Internet access in your chapel?

Bernard

To whom are you posing this question?

[Scott Lloyd]

This thread has prompted me to go to "Mormon Channel" and listen to the interview Sheri Dew conducted with Elder Scott and his daughter. Doing so has blessed my life. What a kind and godly man Elder Scott is, a true servant of the Lord.

I think I now understand better what Elder Scott, who has had a lifelong interest in technology and is chairman of the Church's Audio-Visual Committee, was saying with regard to digital scriptures. He is concerned that technology, by enabling people to study the scriptures by doing word searches -- say, in preparing a talk -- works a disadvantage, because those people, by limiting themselves to such cursory study, miss out on the richness that can come from "hefting" the book, reading it from start to finish, making marginal notations, receiving personal revelation via the scriptures, etc.

In the spirit of what Elder Scott was saying, I do endeavor to read my scriptures, in the electronic version, from start to finish, not just passages here and there. I make marks and annotations, and I make them as long as I desire, not being limited by the marginal space on a printed page. In addition to the reading I do in preparation of my Sunday School lessons, I am currently reading the Old Testament, New Testament and Book of Mormon page by page (or the digital equivalent thereof). In doing so, I continue to be blessed from time to time with personal revelation as I have been in the past.

To listen to the interview, go here.

Edited November 4, 2011 by Scott Lloyd

[Storm Rider]

I was listening to the mormon chanel and sherri dew speaking with Elder Scott, when asked about the subject, he said that studying the gospel via ipad, android, digitally, that is was in his opinion a poor way to study the gospel. I don't want to butt heads with an Apostle but see what he may have meant. He advocates "hefting" the book in his hands, and that there is just something about it. I love to study the gospel with my Ipad and instead of writing notes in the margin as Elder Scott talked about last conference, I can write unlimited notes, make tags, mark, go to cross references in a second and make my own just as quick. This system is officially from the church as well. So I just want your thougts on Elder Scott's opinion. This in no way is to demean Him as an Apostle and servent of Christ, but I just don't understand how how my ipad is a poor way to study the gospel, I would say it has made it a magnificent venture. Anyway, thoughts please...Thanks...

He is an apostle, but as a man he has his preferences just like everyone else. His opinion is pretty meaningless unless you agree with him. We need to recognize when an apostle is speaking as a man and understand his comments in that context.

[Calm]

I've had a number of excellent study sessions by just picking up the text and letting it open where it may and going from there. It has both gotten me out of a rut of thinking and emphasized something I was focusing on in a needed way.

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

I was listening to the mormon chanel and sherri dew speaking with Elder Scott, when asked about the subject, he said that studying the gospel via ipad, android, digitally, that is was in his opinion a poor way to study the gospel. I don't want to butt heads with an Apostle but see what he may have meant. He advocates "hefting" the book in his hands, and that there is just something about it. I love to study the gospel with my Ipad and instead of writing notes in the margin as Elder Scott talked about last conference, I can write unlimited notes, make tags, mark, go to cross references in a second and make my own just as quick. This system is officially from the church as well. So I just want your thougts on Elder Scott's opinion. This in no way is to demean Him as an Apostle and servent of Christ, but I just don't understand how how my ipad is a poor way to study the gospel, I would say it has made it a magnificent venture. Anyway, thoughts please...Thanks...

I recently started carrying an IPAD because I got tired of carrying a briefcase to Church after 32 years. I still like the tactile feel of having my scriptures in hand…they don’t need a charged battery; other than myself.

[MorningStar]

I think using a book is less distracting. You can take it somewhere quiet and not worry about texts coming through. Also, my father-in-law's set of scriptures is what his kids value the most out of all of his possessions because of his notes and highlighting of passages. I was given my aunt's copy of The Book of Mormon, which is very special to me. She used it on her mission and I love seeing the scriptures that meant so much to her.

[Deborah]

Thinking the man is an old Luddite is nothing new and is not showing a lack of respect for him, it is showing my opinion of what he has said and why I believe he has said it.

What are you, sixteen? using terms as you use is very insulting. I love Elder Scott and I don't care how he prefers his scriptures. You sound very immature.