Readers Applaud Strong Web Warning
Edited and compiled
by Kathy Green
“Come Into My Parlor, Said the
Spider to the Fly.”
Read Article Here
The Lure of the Web, by Paul Bishop
I have read your article "The
Lure of the Web". Thank you for very important information
that every parent needs to know about. Today (February 2, 2006,
after midnight PT), I went to see for myself the MySpace, Facebook,
and Xanga sites. I didn't sign up; I was just looking at the main
pages only, at some of the postings and photos that young people
send to each other. I didn't have a good feeling abut it at all,
especially about some of the provocative pictures from a group
of young girls, and the suggestive answers they got from boys
on the "Myspace" site.
I wanted to mention to you specifically
the Xanga.com page. There, right on the front page, on the left
side under the title "Featured Content" were about four
different headings. One of them read "my sexyful self."
I thought that it was quite inappropriate, and I clicked on it
to see what it was about. I have to admit I was shocked, and quickly
closed the page, just like I always do when I accidentally bump
into this kind of material. I went to do other things, but I kept
thinking about what I should do about it.
I knew that some young people and
even children could see this, and I felt really bad. About half
an hour later, I finally gathered enough courage and went back
to the site, still wondering what to do. The heading and the pictures
were still there! So I started to look at how I could contact
the people who operate the site, to let them know. Unfortunately,
I am not very good with computers and with the Internet, and so
I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out, without success.
Finally, to my relief, the heading
was gone. But how long had those pictures been there, even before
I came across them? Definitely too long. Thank you for all your
wonderful work!
Elizabeth (a parent)
**
This was a great, great article,
one of the MAIN reasons being the background of the author, which
to me lends irrefutable credibility.
I have just printed this off to go
show it to my spouse. We have three teenagers at home — 2 of
them have an account on MySpace. Even before Paul's article I
did not feel good about this web site, not just for the sexual
content but also for the great waste of time it presents. I'm
not sure what we'll do, but we need to do something, and this
article was a spur. Thank you for publishing it.
Frank Stevenson
Gilbert, AZ
**
I disagree with the author on only
one point:
"If there is reluctance on the
part of the youth to cooperate in this endeavor, a parent might
consider giving the youth a specific time frame in which to clean
up his site (removing any offensive material) before the parent
insists on being shown the site."
If there is reluctance, a parent
should insist that they view the site now, then discuss whatever
is there.
Chris Laurence
Logan, Utah
**
I think Brother Bishop's comments
about social interaction sites are important for both parents
and children, but I'm afraid the terminology he used paints with
too broad of a brush. His article implies that "blogs"
are inherently evil. He points to two or three sites for social
interaction and makes it seem like the blogs on these sites are
the only type of blog there is.
Actually, blogs are simply web sites
with articles on them, usually with an "RSS feed" that
allows people to download their content in an aggregator, so that
they can read many different blogs in one place.
There are blogs about personal information,
but there are also blogs about current events, politics, technical
information, science, religion, and a whole host of other topics.
The personal blogs on MySpace and other similar sites are only
one piece of what's out there.
Just as there are bad print publications,
there are also bad blogs, but it would be just as ignorant and
naive to dispose of all one's books or magazines as it would be
to stop reading all blogs, which have become an extremely effective
means of communication.
Being a professional software engineer,
it is crucial for me to remain up-to-date in my field. Reading
technical blogs on a regular basis has helped me to stay current
and learn valuable new skills, which allows me to provide for
my family. I have also been enriched by discussions on some lds-oriented
blogs that promote spiritual inquiry and moral values.
To sum up, blogs are just another
form of media. Don't do away with the medium just because the
message is bad.
Carl Youngblood
Covington, Washington
**
Last fall, it came to light that
our assistant band director was communicating via "My Space
"with at least one teenage girl from our band's color guard.
She went to her parents when things became inappropriate. They
went to the police and the band director is now in jail, awaiting
trial. Most of the band parents had never even heard of My Space,
me included. Thanks for a timely and informative article.
Our leaders’ counsel to have our
home computers in a communal area is good advice. We need to
be aware of what our children and teenagers are doing online as
well as in real life. We also need to encourage them to develop
talents and interests in real life activities, and try to keep
the lines of communication open so they will come to us like the
girl did in our school.
A parent from Lantana, Florida
**********************************************************
Faith in Every Footstep
Visit Website
A Photographic Journey in the
Footsteps of the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Scot Proctor
I would like to congratulate you
all for making this movie. I have shown it to my friend, a brother
in the Church; He also thought it was wonderful. I have now ordered
another two copies, one for my friend, and one for my son-in-law
and family. We are all LDS.
Could you also tell me if Richard
Dutcher's film States of Grace is available on DVD? Thank
you for Meridian Magazine and ALL your wonderful articles.
David Ainge
**
We are serving as senior missionaries
in Hervey Bay, Australia. We enjoy getting Meridian Magazine
each day to keep us informed of things at home.
We purchased Witness of the Light
and spent the last two Family Home Evenings with some members
in Hervey Bay watching this wonderful movie. They all loved it
and felt everyone in the church should see it.
Thanks so much!
Elder and Sister Tanner
Hervey Bay, Australia.
******************************************
Empathy for Abraham
Read Article
Here
Gospel Doctrine Lesson 7, The
Abrahamic Covenant. Abraham 1:1-4; 2:1-11; Genesis 12:1-8; 17:1-9,
by Ken L. Anderson
I feel like Abraham. My mother died
when I was 14, and she and I were the only members of the Church
in our entire family — hers or my father's. I had an adopted sister
who was 8 years younger and she never wanted me in her life, so
we are not close. All our relatives thought we were weird. My
mother's mother decided that my mother could no longer inherit
the big diamond ring she had promised her. We lived out of Utah:
traveling and wandering about Texas, Europe, California. I stood
alone in holy places.
However, I was happy. I did my duties.
I treated my dad with respect. I kept in touch with my sister.
I cared for my aging grandmother for 12 years, from the age of
84 to 96, the same one that denied my mother.
I put together a first-ever family
reunion with all my non-member cousins, aunts, and uncles... and
they came. Many hearts were healed that weekend. I have done ordinances
for hundreds of names of my own relatives in the temples. When
a grandchild breaks a "thing" in my house, I put my
loving arms around him or her and comfort them; I never get mad,
for they are only things, and I care more for their tender hearts
and the love between us. I have seven children and one son broke
many commandments and left for awhile. My remedy was love. I touched,
patted, hugged, rejoiced when he would come home. No lectures.
Just love. It worked. He's back.
Now, I would not have made this analogy
without this article. I have decided that I have had my own little
Abrahamic tests, and maybe I can just do his thing. I saw some
parallels that gave me hope, and showed me I am on the right path.
I can be happy in adversity. I see all the good in my family,
and never accentuate the negative. I love Abraham; you put his
life in a series that I could relate to. Maybe we all can really
make it, in the end, if we study his (Abraham’s) and His Christ's)
ways.
Thank-you for a pleasant and easy
read, with power and hope.
Rebecca from Salem
**
Receiving your online magazine is
just about the highlight of my day — I scan the pages of world
news and the local papers and feel like crying myself to sleep
some nights but then, come morning, I get to reading Meridian
Magazine and everything makes sense again.
Sis. Loma S.
Port Pirie South Australia
******************************************************************
Deadly Sins Still Alive and
Well
Read Article
Here
The Seven Deadly Sins of Sacrament
Meeting Talks, by Christian A. Johnson
Thank you for your article. One of
my pet peeves is urban legends. My favorite, or rather LEAST favorite
is the one about the rowdy children on the train, or is it a subway?
Or is it an airplane? It's been retold so many times that no one
knows if it is actually true or not. And, for me, it has lost
its impact because it has been retold so many times. The Footprints
poem although not an urban legend, is another example of a story
that has been shared in talks so many times that started out to
be very powerful at one time, but because of being shared so many
times has lost its impact and it's meaning.
Kudos as well for mentioning those
who joke about not wanting to speak in sacrament meeting, but
the member of the bishopric twisted their arm, and so here they
are. Being able to speak in sacrament meeting is a very sacred
privilege and an opportunity. I am currently disfellowshipped
and ache for the opportunity to stand up in front of those in
my ward and share my thoughts, but most importantly, my testimony.
Several times, I have left Sacrament Meeting or Relief Society
in tears from wanting so badly to share my feelings, or even just
to offer a public prayer.
Linda A. Sheldon
Orem, Utah
Christian Johnson cites
4. The Sin of Repeating Urban Legends…
reliance on such stories robs the audience of stories from the
speaker’s own life. In contrast to these urban myths, I have
been touched and inspired as individuals have recounted their
own struggles, spiritual experiences and events that have incurred
in their own life.
As a comfortable public speaker and
author, I miss being in a small branch where I was asked to talk
about three to five times a year. In the one talk I’ve given in
the last year and a half I used President Thomas S. Monson as
a model of how to give a good talk. He ALWAYS makes the biblical
point, a personal point and illustrates it with a personal story.
Stories are important. They are what
people remember, not facts — however important.
I have been to some dark places,
and when asked to give a talk on Choose Ye This Day, I had just
the story. It isn’t my conversion story — it is the story of how
I came to the point where I chose whom I would serve. I was a
little nervous so I sent it to the Bishop for comment (after I’d
cut it down to 29 pages of speech form text). He said it was a
little stronger meat than was usually served.
The speech was a success. I know
because I got hugged by the Primary President (who is not my wife).
The other “sins” I see at the pulpit
are: Mumbling, no variation in tone, not looking at the congregation
(and not appearing to –- head down reading a hand script text).
Ed Wilson
Houston, Texas
**
It seems some people have taken offense
at this article. I don't think it was meant to be offensive and
no one wants to prevent any one person from talking. I think we
can all learn from this article and if even one of us incorporates
one item on the list we will have one more wonderful talk. This
article is to help us learn, not belittle anyone in any way.
Jane Gibby
Preston, Idaho
Yes, there are sometimes inappropriate
things said in sacrament meeting. Yes, there are sometimes boring
deliveries, etc, etc, ad nauseum. But it is precisely the
attitude of several of the
letters to the editor writers (and
not really having to do with the article itself) regarding this
article that has driven me to write a response. I would personally
love nothing better than for our bishop/stake president to have
a list of those who are boring, unprepared, etc. so that they
could avoid calling those people to talk.
If my name were on the top of the
list and I never had to give another talk in my life I would be
happy. I believe that being a good public speaker can be developed,
or that others are blessed with that ability from childhood. I
am not one of them and have no desire to take the time to develop
that ability. I have other talents and abilities that I am working
on. But when I get up in front of people my mind literally goes
blank (and sometimes goes blank even talking one-on-one with people),
and unless I read my talk (while at least trying to look up on
occasion) I wouldn't be able to say anything of any use to anyone.
I am also not much of a writer to
make a talk interesting with personal stories. Not everyone is
gifted in this way. I've known people who can take a plain-Jane
incident from their lives and turn it into a wonderful object
lesson. I am in awe of people who can do this. I also tend to
apologize in advance of my talk, because I know there are people
in the audience who are critical and judgmental, and I want to
head them off at the pass, so to speak, because I am afraid my
talk will not be up to their expectations.
I imagine there may be among those
who wrote letters to the editor, some who don't play piano, or
who may have taken piano lessons when they were young. Suppose
you were asked to play a Primary song in Sacrament meeting. If
you were given a week to practice that Primary song, and then
had to play it the next Sunday, how would you do? I bet you would
look for a substitute, but besides that, chances are you'd never
be asked to play in the first place, because that's not a talent
you'd developed. I'd have no problem doing the playing. But I
am terrified of speaking in much the same way as that "pianist"
might be.
Chances are those who are afraid
of speaking are also hesitant of writing a letter to the editor,
so the feedback will be rather slanted towards those who are more
vocal. Since there is not a "Do Not Assign to Give a Talk
Because They Will Be _______ (fill in the blank)" list, we
do have to "put up with" those who are less capable
in the public speaking arena. But I can't imagine Christ being
as critical of less-than-polished speakers as those whose letters
I have read. I can only imagine what the Israelite congregation
must have thought of Moses, who was slow of speech. No wonder
he had his brother front for him. Can I call in a substitute?
Shawna W.
Ogden, Utah
****************************************************8
Sowby Stirs Memories
Read Article Here
Thousands See Santiago Temple
During “Puertas Abiertas,” By Laurie Williams Sowby
Laurie, thank you so much for the
personally touching and emotionally stirring article on the Santiago
Temple. My son served his mission with the Temple in his district.
When we picked him up from the mission we attended several sessions
in that beautiful sacred facility. You captured the feelings
and impact that the Santiago Temple has on all of us, near and
far.
Keep up the great work.
M. David Hansen
Bountiful, Utah
************************************************************
Can’t Go Wrong
Read Article Here
A Brain Gone Wrong, by Dr. W.
Dean Belnap
It is so relieving to understand
what I have been experiencing for almost three years now. When
initially diagnosed, I harbored the a deep feeling that I must
be going mentally crazy, as it just didn't seem logical to have
both anxiety and depression. Obviously I am experiencing some
decrease in brain function as described in the article and alluded
to in the next, however I have felt a sense of relief that it
is physiologically related and that I am not an initially defective
person. I have been praying to maintain my family home life until
my children are "finished." I have a 16- year-old daughter
and 10-year-old son. I have a perfect husband, who has learned
over the years how to recognize the onset of either depression
or anxiety, and through a process he can get me through it, making
the duration of each episode much shorter. He describes my anxiety
states as "my accelerator being stuck." When I first
heard him say that — it validated my experience, and is a huge
catalyst to "unstick" me.
I am currently trying my third prescription,
Wellbutrin 150. It has been the best thus far, lowering the frequency
of depression episodes. My family has commented that they have
seen mom back. I am the victor over a difficult childhood, and
estranged family, and I am learning constantly that every trial
need not be a cause that requires me to put on the gloves. I
have learned to take the issues and deal with them in conjunction
with my husband and not to bury them, if I cannot fight it out.
I am a convert of 13 years to the Church, and I am still learning
what it means to be a "daughter." It’s a concept that
I simply don't know how to believe in sometimes.
I am looking forward to the
upcoming completion of these articles, especially any information
on how to return to normal brain functions. I desperately want
to be rid of my medication, but the prospect greatly frightens
me.
Sharon Cundiff
Austin, Texas
**
Where has this article been all this
time? Not only have I been researching this kind of thing and
been preaching it to members of my ward (with no educational professional
background) but I have in the past been treated for depression
— then upgraded to bipolar 2 and finally bipolar 1. In this day
and age, more and more people have these chemical imbalances.
However, more and more people will label people with the stigma
that is associated with these illnesses. In most cases these
are life long battles that we live with and we must hide them
because of what people think of us.
Please continue to educate our church
leaders, our fellow church members, our families, and our friends
that just like them we are all the same with different real trials
that are not to be stigmatized. Please educate them!
Name withheld by request
