Professor Patrick Mason
FRIDAY | FEBRUARY 5, 2021 | 7:30-9:00 pm MST
Every generation must rediscover the gospel anew. What is the Restoration meant to look like and – more importantly – do in the 21st century?
GATHERING AT:
Your home or hang out of choice via Zoom.
Thanks to Jana Spangler hosting us via Zoom. Below is some helpful info for being part of a Zoom convo. I will also note below the Zoom address so that you can connect. If you are not on my email list then either join at the bottom of this site’s home page or text or call me at 801-695-5036.
THE CONVERSATION:
The Restoration began in the spring of 1820, when Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove of trees in upstate New York. Joseph had questions, and Jesus had answers. That was two hundred years ago. Every generation must rediscover the gospel anew, and breathe new life into well-worn beliefs and practices. What is the Restoration meant to be and do in its third century? How can a church with less than one percent of the world’s population be true? We will have a better sense of what the Restoration means, and what our participation is meant to look like, when we come to understand that the ultimate aim of the Restoration is the restore our Heavenly Parents’ children, especially the marginalized and vulnerable among us, to wholeness.
As always, there is no pressure to participate, but if you do, please be brief, respectful of uncomfortable ideas, and remember to share air time. You can find guidelines for productive conversations here).
ABOUT PATRICK MASON
Patrick Mason is the author of several books for academic and Latter-day Saint audiences, including Restoration: God’s Call to the 21st-Century World, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt, and What Is Mormonism? A Student’s Introduction. He holds the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, where he is an associate professor of religious studies and history. A Utah native, Mason was trained in American history at Brigham Young University and the University of Notre Dame. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Romania, has served on the boards of the Mormon History Association and Dialogue Foundation, and is an advisor and contributor to Faith Matters. He lives with his wife Melissa and their four children in Logan.
RECORDED ZOOM CONVERSATION
Chat notes from Patrick Mason Faith Again Zoom
TIPS FOR BETTER ZOOMING
Before you begin the Zoom Conversation:
- Prior to when we meet, get your camera and mic ready and troubleshoot any problems. It would be wise to do a dry run with the camera and microphone on your device before we converse. Best to have the camera at eye level so that it is as if we would talk to each other in person. You can use a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.
- If you are having difficulty with the technology, don’t hold up the meeting by distracting other participants for solutions. Try Googling your problem. I do that with most of my life’s problems.
- Find a quiet place to get comfortable and that you can hang out in for a couple of hours.
- Be aware that the rest of the group can see you and what is behind you. Avoid as best you can having bright lights, distracting images, or people or pets wandering around behind you. No Bigfoot bombing in the background please.
- Please don’t wander around doing other things or eating. Or if you do, make sure your sound and video are muted.
- Mute your microphone when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else
- Resist the urge to multitask—be with us, people. Knitting is still allowed though.
- Please share air time and follow the guidelines under “Intentions” on this website.
To enter the Zoom conversation:
- Click on the Zoom link above.
- The link Zoom should open, and you should be able to see and hear other participants. Or wait until the host opens the meeting. Please make sure that you muted and that your video is on if you choose to have it on. (Love to see and hear you live, but we’ll take curious lurkers also.)
- If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. Also, make sure you have your volume up.
