August 22, 2008

Take the Ensign Survey

Larry Richman over at the LDS Media Talk blog reminded me about the survey regarding the Ensign magazine. This is a great opportunity to sound off about your feelings on the publication; what you like and what you'd like to see more of.

For example, I praised the recent Richard Turley article on the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and said I would be very pleased if more scholarly articles of that kind were included. In the past the Ensign has occasionally carried wonderful articles on historical or scholarly approaches to the gospel. In the early 80s an article by Stan Kimball on the hoax of the Kinderhook plates  was included. In 1985 Milton Backman's article on different First Vision accounts was an interesting addition. In 2007 John Welch's fascinating article on lost symbolism in the parable of the good Samaritan crossed over from a BYU Studies article. Similarly, the predessessor to the Ensign, the Improvement Era, had articles by scholars like Hugh Nibley and others on subjects like the Joseph Smith Papyrus.

I believe the Ensign would be a great place to publish some interesting findings from the Joseph Smith Papers project, or even Royal Skousen's work on the Book of Mormon manuscript. More articles with a historical, theological, or apologetic approach would be welcome.

My last recommendation was to make it clear that the First Presidency message each month is new, rather than a talk given elsewhere and reprinted.

So you've heard a few of my suggestions, now you can go make some of your own in the survey.

Take the survey HERE.

4 comments:

Don Kauffman said...

great suggestion. I feel the same way. I loved old issues of the Ensign (especially on my mission), but I've stopped reading the new stuff. doesn't help that all the graphics/ illustrationos are so weird. We look like the Watchtower.

BHodges said...

Let it be known!

Sione said...

More handsome Tongans needed as contributors.

How about my suggestion for a Q&A regarding typical "Internet Issues".

I'm serious about the last one.


Sione

BHodges said...

Take the survey and tell them, brother!

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