Why We MadeThis Blog (shorter version--for more, see below)

There are so many misconceptions about our Church. I used to shrug them off (primarily because I am so firm in my own faith), but recently I read an article by Elder M. Russell Ballard that made me rethink things. It is titled "Using the New Media to Support the Work of the Church". In it, Elder Ballard urges members to clarify misconceptions and help others to see the Church for what it really is. I quote, "There are conversations going on about the church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the church teaches. While some coversations have have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the church are established one conversation at a time. . .We are living in a world saturated with all kinds of voices. Perhaps now, more than ever, we have a major responsibility as Latter-day Saints to define ourselves, instead of letting others define us. Far too many people have a poor understanding of the Church because most of the information they hear about us is from news media reports that are often driven by controversies. Too much attention to controversy has a negative impact on peoples’ perceptions of what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really is."
How do we clarify the mission of the Church and bring its message to light? Elder Ballard gives some great counsel:
1. You can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true
2. You can download videos from Church and other appropriate sites, including Newsroom at LDS.org, and send them to your friends
3. You can write to media sites on the Internet that report on the Church, and voice your views as to the accuracy of the reports
4. You can record and post your testimony of the Restoration, the teachings of the Book of Mormon, and other gospel subjects on popular video-sharing sites
**You can encourage other Latter-day Saints to do the same through these means
"The audiences for these and other New Media tools may often be small, but the cumulative effect of thousands of such stories can be great."
Please join us in this very important quest!