cursor Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 The various personal [set of] messages/lessons that are available through reading the Book of Mormon are many, and quite varied/sophisticated. It frequently requires coaching/teaching.] What each of us can absolutely gain from the sum requires careful help from those who know more about (and who have invested more time/effort in) the text than we/I do. "How do we get the people to read the Book of Mormon?" How should we most effectively teach them what it has to offer?That requires that we, ourselves, know Mormon's intent. So .. what is it? Define it.
cursor Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 (edited) Any particular reason why the masters of science fiction and fantasy, respectively, would excel at depicting the rich history of the Book of Mormon? They might want to consult with Mel Gibson - he may have some ideas about depicting Mesoamerican life. Personally, I found Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" to be 1) mesmerizing, 2) an credible interpretation, and 3) seriously thought-provoking. If "the masters of science fiction and fantasy" might portray the events of the Book of Mormon in responsible terms (which would, of course require responsible cultural input), I think that I would be pleased and enlightened. Edited December 12, 2014 by cursor
cinepro Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 (edited) Any particular reason why the masters of science fiction and fantasy, respectively, would excel at depicting the rich history of the Book of Mormon? They might want to consult with Mel Gibson - he may have some ideas about depicting Mesoamerican life. Sadly, I'm not sure that "consulting with Mel Gibson" would be the best thing for LDS PR. And I'm not sure I would have faith in Ridley Scott. He tends to be hit or miss. The real problem is that the story of the Book of Mormon is really, really uninteresting from a cinematic standpoint. There are specific moments that are interesting and dramatic, but the overall arc isn't much to tell if you're making a movie. If you set aside the spiritual and religious considerations, the Book of Mormon is about 1/10 as good as most LDS think it its. And any attempts to deviate from the text to make it interesting would infuriate those most likely to see it. Edited December 12, 2014 by cinepro
CV75 Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 It seems like all I get is excuses. Real dumb ones.and this is just getting people to read it. Not convincing them to believe it.Maybe approach them with a passage you recently read that is really meaningful, and ask them to read it with you.
Gervin Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 Personally, I found Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" to be 1) mesmerizing, 2) an credible interpretation, and 3) seriously thought-provoking. If "the masters of science fiction and fantasy" might portray the events of the Book of Mormon in responsible terms (which would, of course require responsible cultural input), I think that I would be pleased and enlightened. There are a number of reasons why I believe the Book of Mormon won't work on the big screen, but chief among them would be setting; once you place a Hebrew culture keeping the laws of Moses and portending a future Christ in Mesoamerica you either have to ignore or integrate the peoples known to be around at the time, and their culture. Try to picture how that would look and feel.
Gervin Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 The real problem is that the story of the Book of Mormon is really, really uninteresting from a cinematic standpoint. There are specific moments that are interesting and dramatic, but the overall arc isn't much to tell if you're making a movie. If you set aside the spiritual and religious considerations, the Book of Mormon is about 1/10 as good as most LDS think it its. And any attempts to deviate from the text to make it interesting would infuriate those most likely to see it.Agree.
why me Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 It seems like all I get is excuses. Real dumb ones.and this is just getting people to read it. Not convincing them to believe it.I think that it is difficult to get people to read anything that is serious. Most skim the internet or they skim through magazines etc. But serious literature is suffering a severe neglect. So, it should not be surprising if it is difficult to get people to read the book of mormon. I think that we are living in a superficial age. But that is just my opinion.
why me Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 Cajole, spoon-feed, and take it slowly. Find something else interesting first, like genealogy, Scouting, great recipes, anything. They'll eventually come around. Maybe cite some great quotes. What are your favorites from the BofM?When there is a will there is a way. But without the will there is no way. I am afraid that in this age of superficial life, getting people to read anything serious will be difficult. One can always sell the book of mormon as a novel to someone, a novel with blood and guts. This may work just fine.
Calm Posted December 12, 2014 Posted December 12, 2014 What really needs to be read are the teachings, not that action heavy parts that at best show the results of living or rejecting those teachings. The most important parts would be more like watching General Conference where one or two men are preaching to a crowd. I don't know what would work, perhaps asking someone if they are hungry for the words of God?
VideoGameJunkie Posted December 13, 2014 Posted December 13, 2014 Say that it's as important scripture as the New Testament which talks about Jesus Christ.
Daniel2 Posted December 17, 2014 Posted December 17, 2014 Wow. No one considered or commented on the idea of an official modern english translation...? I thought that was a great suggestion, if I do say so myself... haha
Ham Clam Posted December 19, 2014 Posted December 19, 2014 There are a number of reasons why I believe the Book of Mormon won't work on the big screen, but chief among them would be setting; once you place a Hebrew culture keeping the laws of Moses and portending a future Christ in Mesoamerica you either have to ignore or integrate the peoples known to be around at the time, and their culture. Try to picture how that would look and feel. Challenge accepted. Oh, if only if I had stayed in the artistic side of things ...
Ham Clam Posted December 19, 2014 Posted December 19, 2014 Wow. No one considered or commented on the idea of an official modern english translation...? I thought that was a great suggestion, if I do say so myself... hahaI mean if we really wanted to then we could just hand them the CoC (RLDS) modern edition.
Jeanne Posted December 19, 2014 Posted December 19, 2014 Back in the day, it was the testimony and the prefaces before the BOM that grabbed me. I think it would be read more if these pages were presented like the preface of a good novel. You need to intrique outsiders.
VideoGameJunkie Posted December 19, 2014 Posted December 19, 2014 My single mom female friend agreed to read the Book of Mormon. I'll give her a copy next time I see her. She is pretty religious and I told her the BOM was another testament of Jesus and so she agreed.
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