Media Literacy and the Gospel

In D&C 88, the Lord issues a commandment:

"Teach ye dilligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;

"Of things both in heaven and in the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgements which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms--

"That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling where unto I have called you . . . (v. 78-80)

Now, try to imagine trying to fulfill this mandate without mass media. Can you do it? Mass media extends our ability to survey the world around us. It all comes together to help us learn of things which have been, things which are and things which will shortly come to pass.

And why? So we can be prepared to magnify our calling. The very talk that sparked this project, Elder Ballard's BYU-Hawaii address calls for Latter-day Saints who know how to use media to use it to magnify their calling.

Being media literate isn't a temporal hobby at all. It is an opportunity to understand the world around us, to reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters, to gain wisdom and knowledge, to magnify our callings and fulfill the commandments of the Lord.