LDS-Related Conferences

DN has a short article summarizing presentations at the recent FAIR Conference. [And see here and here for commentary and reflection at Millennial Star.] What jumped out at me in the Deseret News article was that the FAIR Conference was described as one of "three local LDS-related conferences" that happen in August, the other two (noted at the end of the article) being the SLC Sunstone Symposium and BYU Education Week. I guess there are now two general categories, "LDS General Conference" (in April and October) and "LDS-related conferences" (in August). Since the LDS-related conferences are about ten times more interesting, expect some suppressive fire from the other general category before too long. Look for Alternate Voices II, coming soon to a widescreen projection TV near you.

Comments

[HP]

I dunno, Dave. I don't see the Brethren coming down hard on education week any time soon. In fact, the acknowledgement of Sunstone's existence by the DNews might indicate a pedulum swing in the other direction.

[john f.]

Dave, are you saying that the Church is going to suppress Education Week, FAIR, and the Sunstone Symposium because they are more interesting to you than General Conference? Wow. What a claim. I tend to view the Church more positively than that.

[Dave]

I guess what I'm saying is that it is surprising for the Deseret News to lump BYU Education Week and the FAIR Conference in the same category as the Sunstone Symposium. That's an odd association for the Deseret News to make.

John, yes, with the proliferation of online discussion of Mormonism, I expect some comment on it in General Conference along the lines of Alternate Voices I at some point before too long. But no, I don't really think the fact that LDS-related conferences are inherently more interesting than General Conference would be the primary motivation for such remarks, anymore than that reason was likely the primary motivation for Alternate Voices I. But if the LDS-related conferences were boring and no one attended, they wouldn't be an issue and no public statements would be needed. So in the technical but-for sense of causation, the fact that alternative forums are interesting is part of the reason that they are the subject of (indirect) public commentary by LDS leaders.

[HP]

"I guess what I'm saying is that it is surprising for the Deseret News to lump BYU Education Week and the FAIR Conference in the same category as the Sunstone Symposium."

Actually, I'd call Education Week the odd man out in this set. But what do I know.

[Guy Murray]

Dave,

If there is an Alternate Voices II (and you may be right that there will be) I suspect it will be directed more to blogs in general if not the 'nacle. The conferences you've mentioned have been going on for some time, at least Sunstone and Education Week. Though I think a lot of good comes from not only certain elements in the 'nacle, but even in some of the conferences you reference.

[David J]

ten times more interesting

10? Pff! Try 50!