We are a book-lovin’ family.
We are a technology-lovin’ family.
Last night my EC and I were watching “Great Expectations” on Masterpiece Classics. (No, it doesn’t threaten my masculinity, but Pip should be embarrassed that he wears more makeup than Estella.) ANYWAY, as Pip walked down a hallway past a wall of solid bookshelves, I asked my EC if she thought that in 50 years libraries and bookshelves would be a thing of the past. Just exploring the possibility made us sad. I really love books. I have a lot of them. I have always liked being in a library or a bookstore, but I fear it won’t be long until they go the way of the video store.
That said, the MMM family embraces technology. The picture at the top consists of what was used during family scriptures this morning: An iPad, and iPhone, a Kindle, and an actual BOOK. All of them worked just fine, which at 6:00am is a monumental achievement.
The scriptures in book format are mine. Even though I have, and could use multiple forms of technology to study the scriptures, I am decidedly “old school”. I use the actual books. Come to think of it, I am really “Old School” because I don’t use a Quad – I use a Triple and a Bible. Yeah, I know – Welcome to 1980!
The reason I never switched to a quad was because I always liked the symbolism of the two books as taught by Ezekiel:
In my day, this was standard stuff for a missionary to teach the joining of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. (But if you read the scripture carefully, it does make a case for using a quadruple combination.) I grew up with two books, and it stuck.
The other reason I like two books is that it makes it easier to flip back and forth as you compare scriptures and cross-reference things. And when you have to get the bigger scriptures because your eyes are getting old, they don’t weigh 15lbs.
I do understand the evolution to digital media. The technology is amazing, and I see why it is such an attractive option. Besides, the scriptures didn’t start out on paper, either, right?
Bible: Stone tablets and parchment scrolls—-> Paper —–> Digital
Book of Mormon: Metal plates —–> Paper —–> Digital
So the evolution continues. iPads are taking over. Every week at church I notice more technology – our church building is even outfitted with wi-fi now. LDS.org does a great job of bringing church materials into the digital age. I have seen General Authorities sit on the stand with iPads on their laps, and use them for their speaking notes. It is now commonplace, accepted, and it works really well.
But old school me still has some problems with it. I teach Sunday School, and I have asked that my kids bring their hard-copy scriptures to class. Why? Five reasons:
1) I want them to build a familiarity with the actual books – the feel, how to navigate, the order of the chapters, etc.
2) Many of these young men and women will serve missions and be completely dependent on old-school scriptures – the ones that aren’t battery powered, and don’t have a search function. I know some that will be lost without their smartphone.
3) It is hard to put your finger in an iPad to hold your place while you flip back and forth.
4) The Standard Works do not include Facebook. iPads and smartphones can be really distracting. I would be lying if I said that I have never checked my email during a High Priest group lesson. Angry Birds? Never. I have my limits.
5) Books have no texting features. Put the phone away!
So for now, I am asking my class, and my kids, to bring their old-fashioned, ink-on-paper Standard Works to church every Sunday. Yes, I am fighting a losing battle.
–And yes, I note the irony in that I am now going to post my digital blog entry about the value of hard-copy scriptures.
What are your thoughts? Am I out-of-date? Do you love the feel of the scriptures in your hand, or have you moved on to the digital world?
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I had the missionaries over to dinner this evening and they told us that they are giving missionaries in the Tokyo mission iPads as a trial! So missionaries with iPads may become common very soon…
(but yes, I still agree that it is important to be able to use a paper copy of the scriptures)
I love technology and the ease of carrying my scriptures with me everywhere, BUT for family scripture study we made the rule that everyone must have an actual book in their hands. No technology. I’ve noticed that my technology loving boys still reach for their quads when they are doing personal reading. I think that they will appreciate KNOWING the scriptures rather than just being able to type in a reference.
We have the scriptures on our Kindle’s, tablet, and phones. However, I require that books are used for family scripture study and brought to church, as well as seminary when the time comes. (the kids using the kindles are 6 and 9). My son prefers the Kindle for personal scripture study and if it gets him reading more I’m just fine with that. I feel that though the ability exists to make notes on the digital devices, notes are better on paper. Flipping through the pages of a book.. especially the scriptures.. that just can’t be matched digitally. What’s the saying? Something about a person who owns scriptures that are worn and falling apart is likely living a life that is not.
I’m in between old school and technology, but I use my scripture app at church. I find it easier. My personal study is out of my large print Bible and triple. I’m too young to need large print yet, but I figure I’ll have this set long into the years when my eyes do start to dim.
MMM, what’s that like? A little more normal, now that I finally figured out how to ‘schedule’ a post at blogspot. It only took me a year or so to learn how…
What is our concern about the youth not knowing where to find the verses being quoted? Meaning not knowing the page number? Which side of the column? Or do we believe they’ll better understand that Benjamin is in the Book of Mosiah if they physically turn to it?
MMM, I’m posting a bit of a contrarian view (but not too) to yours tomorrow morning… 😉
Paul: Here’s the easy answer: Until they start passing out iPads at the MTC, being unfamiliar with the hard-copy scriptures will create less effective missionaries when it comes to teaching out of the scriptures.
Paul: I am also impressed that you know what your blog posts will be the day before they are posted. What’s that like?!
MMM, I don’t disagree that learning to teach from the paper-and-ink scriptures has value. And learning to teach from them means learning them. Just as a serious student needs to know more about research than what Wikipedia can teach him, so a serious student of scripture may need more than just pixels on a screen. But for learning the truth of the scriptures and what they contain, pixels may be just as valid as plates of brass.
My teenager uses paper scritpures at home and in seminary and in church (when he remembers them). He also memorizes references (and text) for his scripture mastery scriptures. His use of paper scriptures is largely driven by my refusal to buy him an electronic distraction, I suspect.
There is a difference in my mind between the concern of non-scriptural distractions on the device that delivers electronic scriptures and the determination that electronic scriptures themselves are somehow less valuable. The concern you cite above is a third and distinct (and, in my mind most valid) one.
Paul: I think you are presenting an excellent argument against something I never said. As I mentioned in the post, digital scriptures “work really well” and are used extensively in our home – in multiple platforms. Scriptural knowledge can be acquired through books, iPads, scriptures on CD, braille, or any other way – I’m just glad people are using them. In some ways, such as instant availability and ease of use, electronic media far surpasses ink-on-paper.
The 5 reasons about why not to use digital was specifically directed at why I ask my Sunday School class to bring hard-copy scriptures – something I don’t think I would request if I was teaching Gospel Doctrine.
Not arguing with you, but rather with some of your commenters. This one, in particular:
“I have seen far too many people texting and surfing when they are “pretending” to be reading scriptures (pretty easy to see when they’re sitting in front of you). It’s distracting to see people on their phones/pads/pods during church. It looks like their not paying attention and fully engaged because it LOOKS like they are playing around. Whether they are or aren’t, it is distrcting.”
In fairness to that commenter, it wasn’t the only comment of that ilk.
Further, if a student doesn’t know whether Mosiah is in the Bible or the Book of Mormon, it’s not because he’s using electronic media. It’s because Sunday School is the only place he’s reading.
Oh – in that case, fire away!!!
So, I made this fuss about the kids in the Sunday School class where I’ve substituted the past couple of weeks using their e-scriptures. As I was walking to class after sacrament meeting, I swung by the library (and really hadn’t planned to) and got a stack of paper-covered copies of the Book of Mormon. I still taught from my Kindle. They used the paper versions. (And I delighted in agreeing that yes, there was a double standard, and I didn’t care…teenagers love that sort of thing…)
The kids had no issue whatsoever with putting their e-scriptures away and using the paper ones.
MMM, you are a beacon in my fog.
So glad to read this as I just told my 13 year old son, no more ipod scriptures at church. It is old school only. I was also concerned with him knowing where to look to find the scriptures being taught. Glad I’m not the only one!
As with anything…it can be used for good and evil. The key is teaching kids/adults to practice self control at church. No texting…no email…NOTHING except looking up hymns, scriptures or a church related article. I totally agree with you though about the youth…they should be taught with the old school methods. They don’t have that self control yet. Parents need to tell their kids NO CELL PHONES AT CHURCH!! Be with the ones you are with!!
Our Stake and Area Authorities have been suggesting to us to use our digital scriptures. Our stake president said he was getting gently teased by the other Stake Presidents for bringing his paper scriptures to their regional meetings – he was the only one.
I don’t plan on letting my children use anything else but paper, though, so that they can be acquainted with the format.
My husband loves the digital format because he has already transferred his notes and references between multiple books and programs (manually). Being linked to the church account means he will never have to do that again. Personally, I love the feel of my paper scriptures, but I can’t get over the convenience of having the ENTIRE Gospel Library at my fingertips. I feel torn (no pun intended).
My feeling is that the internet and technology are a great blessing for our time and for moving forward the work of the Lord. But with all great blessings, comes great responsibility, right? It’s up to us to be responsible for our use of this blessing. We can each make a decision as to how to best utilize this resource in our lives.
By the way, MMM, I have been following your blog for awhile. I find it both funny and insightful.
I feel really strongly about this, and I love this post!!! I agree COMPLETELY that they need to be familiar with the actual BOOK. Fine, have the app on your phone to read for family scripture study or whatever, but I would insist on the hardbound paper version, too. They need it.
I, too, have a Bible and a Triple, not a Quad. I am 40, and I have had the same set of scriptures since I was in seminary. They have seen me through incredible times of learning, hard times, good times, and everything else there has been. They got very, very worn through 18 months of life-changing and testimony-building service as a missionary for the Lord Jesus Christ. I keep all kinds of notes in them–some written in the margins, some on loose pieces of paper. Things I’ve learned from student manuals, religion classes at BYU, and quotes from prophets are all in there. I even have pictures stuck in between some of the pages–pictures of my family, people I taught on my mission on their baptism days, etc. My scriptures are a visual representation of my life’s experience, my testimony, and the truthfulness of the gospel. And they are totally falling apart. I have been in complete denial about replacing my scriptures. I just don’t think I can do it. About 3 weeks ago, I opened up my TRIPLE for Gospel Doctrine, and I started crying because it’s hitting me hard that this book is not going to last through the Millennium like I wanted it to. At this point, it’s either duct tape or buy a new set, and I just can’t do either one right now. It’s actually a very tender thing to me. I know MY scriptures so well. They are my friends. I can find scriptures easily because I know the one I’m looking for is marked in blue on the left column of the left page near the top.
And you just can’t do that with an iPad.
JWW
Our Bishop challenged the youth in the ward not to bring electronic devises to church because it was becoming a distraction. Then a few weeks later he decided to issue the same challenge to the adults so we can set the example for the youth. I have brought my iPod or iPad in the past. It is nice to have the scriptures, hymn book and various lesson manuals all in one place, but I think it is important to set a good example.
What is your bishop going to do when a GA shows up at your ward with his iPad? A few months ago Elder Perry showed his off in a meeting in LA for priesthood leaders. He said that all of GAs now use them after Elder Packer decided they needed to take advantage of new technology.
I wonder if 100 years ago there were bishops challenging their wards to not use automobiles or telephones since horses and letters are much better choices?
Our Bishop challenged the youth in the ward not to bring electronic devises to church because it was becoming a distraction. Then a few weeks later he decided to issue the same challenge to the adults so we can set the example for the youth. I have brought my iPod or iPad in the past. It is nice to have the scriptures, hymn book and various lesson manuals all in one place, but I think it is important to set a good example.
Wow. What a hot topic 🙂
I use a paper copy, economy version of the Book of Mormon for my daily reading of the BOM. I use my triple and bible that I got when I was 10 years old for my other scripture study, usually.
I always keep my iPhone with the Gospel Library handy when I am reading my paper scriptures for referencing footnotes. With a few taps you can study every verse referenced in the footnotes. MUCH easier than looking up each individual reference, and then flipping back to where you were. But I always go back to my paper copy after I am done referencing the footnotes. And if I want to make a note or highlight, I find the reference in my paper copy and make the notes/marks in there.
I am a HUGE fan of links, which is why I originally started my blog My Soul Delighteth – because I liked to be able to make hyperlinks out of my notes, rather than listing sources.
So the digital Gospel Library speaks to me that way.
At Church I almost exclusively use the app on my iPhone. I love following along in the Gospel Doctrine manual, RS manual, or even the Ensign talks for Teachings for our Times and by touching one link I have the scripture in hand, while everyone else is still “scripture chasing” ba ha ha ha!! Technology wins!
That said, I LOVE the paper scriptures, and I could still beat just about anyone in a scripture chase (whether or not I am familiar with the verse – I’m pretty killer with the Topical Guide – I blame all those standardized tests in elementary school where you had to decide what page a word would be on in a dictionary. Remember those?)
My children will never own a smart phone unless they fully purchase it on their own and pay for their own phone plan. We will probably supply a very basic internet-less phone for our teen drivers. There is absolutely no reason for it.
But my children will be given their very own set of scriptures (a triple and a Bible) for their 8th birthdays and we will have LOTS of scripture chases at FHE.
And I’m gonna smoke ’em all.
I’m grateful for the digital format, and think they can be a great tool, but I still prefer reading scriptures from real books. I also require the boys in deacons quorum to bring “real” scriptures since I have noticed many of them have a hard time ignoring all of the other apps on their I-phones. I think it will be sad when we have a generation of missionaries who struggle to find scriptures without being able to key in a search.
I like my iPad and iPhone. I like being able to pull up a verse right away or, when reading an article or following the Gospel Doctrine lesson, linking to a reference. I like to have the world virtually at my fingertips. That said, there’s a part of me that loves books. My friends father once told me one could learn “volumes” about a family by observing the titles and the number of books in a home library or by the bedsides. Also, as a late bloomer (former agnostic baptized 6 years ago), I remember the challenge of learning the placement of all the books in the scriptures. Even trying to remember in which scripture a particular book was found, was a challenge at first. I fear our grandchildren will not experience that. Times change..,
As a former teacher, I believe it is extremely important to be able to navigate a book; especially the scriptures. I no longer teach in schools but my daughter who taught in high school would confiscate any phone she saw. And since she was right out of college at the time she new all the tricks the students would use to hide what they were doing. Apparently, they were able to get away with some texting etc with the older teachers. Why should church be different? As you said, they have more than the scriptures on them. There some good reasons for using digital…many of our much older members use the tablets because they can make the print huge and not have to carry the very heavy extra large print scriptures. Of course, they already know how to use a book.
I’m the Sunday School Secretary in my ward & we’ve had the discussion plenty of times about whether the youth should have phones & such in their classes. We haven’t come to any solid conclusion yet, but most current teachers don’t let the kids have technology in the classroom. I love the portability of being able to take my phone or Nook to church with me for classes, and sometimes like reading on the phone, Nook or computer at home too, but I often find that when I really want to concentrate on the scriptures, I still default to my paper scriptures. I still cherish my old seminary scriptures (that are on our stuffed bookshelf) too! I’m a lover of digital technology too, but I don’t think paper books or scriptures or bookshelves will completely go away any time soon!
I teach the 16 year olds in SS. I agree with you, they need the book form for all the reasons you mentioned. They bring their smart phones. I bring them my old sets of scriptures so they can see HOW I mark things. I really do worry about them going out in the mission field not knowing where 3rd Nehpi is found or if Galations is in the OT or the NT.
I have always have my 2 sticks and I think it should be that way!
I like to take digital to church – you have it all in one light, compact unit.
It is true, that one can sometimes stray, but I managed to fall off track when I was all paper, too. Also, I have low tech digital and our chapel is not yet on the internet, so no Facebook or blogs. ; )
At home, we mix it up as the mood suits.
I’m totally for bringing my actual scriptures and manuals to Church. I have seen far too many people texting and surfing when they are “pretending” to be reading scriptures (pretty easy to see when they’re sitting in front of you). It’s distracting to see people on their phones/pads/pods during church. It looks like their not paying attention and fully engaged because it LOOKS like they are playing around. Whether they are or aren’t, it is distrcting.
I agree with you! My daughter got a Kindle. She has her scriptures on it. The first Sunday with her new “toy” she asked if she could take it to church. I gave her a choice but told her that under no circumstances should her Kindle Fire be used for games or anything else except scriptures. An hour later, my daughter grabbed her quad and went to church. When I asked her where her Kindle was, she said she didn’t want to be tempted by games and Facebook. YEAH! She’s an amazing girl!
awesome! 😀
I find the digital options very convenient but I always prefer to read and study my physical scriptures. I don’t know if I could feel like I was really studying them without handling them, flipping back and forth, making notes, etc. That being said, I have been very grateful to have my smartphone when I’ve forgotten a class manual or when my husband takes the Ensign to Priesthood for the TFOT week. Quite handy having it all right there on my phone. And I know some women who cannot physically carry their scriptures anymore, let alone manuals too, so having a Kindle or iPad or some other technical device allows them to have scriptures with them not only at church but wherever they go. 🙂
I definitely agree with you that the youth should use their books. For all of the reasons you mentioned. It’s just like in school when you could use a calculator to figure out the math problem, but your teacher requires you to actually write it out. You learn more and understand it better. At least, that’s how I think of it. 🙂
I got a Kindle Fire at Christmas this past year and have used it exclusively for personal, family and church scripture study, and it has been unexpected awesome. I fully expected to continue using the hard-copy scriptures I’ve been using for nearly 20 years, but it’s been so exciting to start “fresh” marking and noting all over again. I’m reading the OT (to keep up with my son’s Seminary class) and the Book of Mormon in family & personal study and to keep up with Sunday School.
I am a fairly regular sub in my 15-year old’s class and I teach from my Kindle Fire. I am not the regular teacher, so I have not asked the students not to be electrified.
I usually do not teach HP group (about once a month) from my Kindle Fire, mostly because the podium we use in that room is too far away for me to see it easily, and I need may page of notes in addition to the manual (though my latest update of the LDS app has page numbers, so I can even cite page numbers if I do teach from the Kindle.
*My* kids, however, are still in paper. No data plans on the phones. And I don’t buy smart phones. (I’d rather have smart kids.)
amen.
My personal scripture study is done on my real books. Since I am the Primary President I have found it easier to move all my manuals, class lists, schedules, etc to my tablet for Sunday. Around Christmas time I had a few Primary children start bringing digital scriptures. One of the first things I did was tell all the children (and parents)that anyone caught using their device for games or non lesson related activities I will have to hold it for them until after church. So far so good.
I will NOT give up Miracle Whip or my real books. Besides where would I put my glue-ins? I am getting a new set of scriptures (2 books) as mine are pretty worn out and can’t wait to start marking, entering new thoughts, annotating and putting in new glue-ins. (and don’t tell me to put my glue-ins in my Miracle Whip that you obviously think tastes like glue anyway)
Easy girl! No need to equate Miracle Whip (evil) with Scriptures (righteous).
“Tastes like glue” is a nice way to phrase it.
I guess I must be really old, but I remember never needing a phone in church, and there never seemed to be a problem with that. I still see no reason to bring my phone to church, though a tablet with the scriptures and other manuals needed would be much lighter, like Jenny in NC stated. I like my scriptures both ways.
I CAN’T use digital – due to some weird electromagnetic-whatever inside of me that prevents me from using even a laptop with a wireless connection without messing it up – which makes me love my “book format” scriptures even more.
Not only that, but I think I’m building up a collection. (Okay, I don’t think – I know.) One quad, two sets of Bible and triple (one of which I recieved at my baptism 17 1/2 years ago), a German triple, several copies of the Book of Mormon in English (including an 1830 replica and the Doubleday edition), one in French, one in Spanish.
Plus, it’s more personal to me to use them in book format. Using them even at scriptures.lds.org when I happen to have a few minutes at the library doesn’t quite feel right. When online or otherwise digital, I can’t underline, highlight, write notes in the margins, follow footnotes and otherwise mark up the pages to my heart’s content. So trust me, MMM, you are not out-of-date.
–Or maybe we are both out of date. 😉
Yup. 😉
Smartypants
I totally agree. I use my old-school books (yup, 2 of them… no quad and i was born in the 80s). I like the feel and ease of books so much better. In our stake they have asked seminary students to use their actual scriptures (no devices) and recently our ward has asked the youth to only use their actual scriptures at church. They all seemed fine with it… but thought that adults should have to adhere to it too. I agree with them! I see so many adults playing on their phones, kindles, etc. Or they give them to their children to entertain them in sacrament meeting! Drives me insane!
I prefer real books, but a few months ago I broke down and bought an ipad. Why? On any given Sunday I would have to carry the following in my church bag: triple combo, BofM, Sunday School Study Guide, Teachings of George Albert Smith manual, my family history charts, Daughters in My Kingdom manual, hymnbook, handbook 2, ward list, visiting teaching assignments, printouts of a dozen emails. My ipad is lighter. Jenny in NC
I totally agree, but then I am around your age, so that could be why. Ohhh, I hope books never become obsolete. I, too, LOVE books.
I am fighting the same losing battle in SS. My class is 16, I emphasize the importance of knowing where the scriptures are on the page, seeing it highlighted in my mind, etc. I think a fundamental understanding of where things are in the physical book is important. That being said, when grown men text pictures of the backs of others heads to each other during Sacrament meeting I understand why kids see more value in the digital. (eye roll)
For the most part, my SS class will leave their phones in their pockets. I bring a BOM from the library for every teen so they never need to say, “I’m just looking at my scriptures”.
I’ve been using an Acer tablet (similar to the ipad) for the last 6 months. There are definitely bonuses. My favorite is that I can access almost any church written manual or article from church magazines with a few finger taps. I also love that I can type many more notes than I could ever fit into the margins.
The draw backs. I’m constantly concerned that my tablet will crash or be lost or stolen then all my notes, highlights etc. will be gone. We’ve had terrible luck with keeping a hold of technology. My kids have all lost their ipods or had them stolen…I’m wondering if it’s just a matter of time for me.
My other draw back. My husband keeps making jokes about how he wants to take it so he can play Angry Birds. He says it like a joke, but I’m a smart wife. He’s trying to desensitize me. I can picture it now…I look over in sacrament meeting to see my husband surrounded by my children as they quietly cheer him on or show him where they think he should aim. Maybe I should go ahead and lose it now.
I was a smart phone user for about 2 years, maybe. A few times I tried the “use a smart phone for scriptures at church” for the same reason many above have used: less to carry.
I am no longer a smart phone user. I ditched internet on my phone for internet on my computer (for me it had to be one or the other.)
Anyway, having done both, I must say that I prefer the physical copy, and not the digital. Sure, it makes my bag heavier, but I still don’t take all that much to church with me (diaper bag with a couple of diapers for the 21-month-old, precautionary spare clothes for the 3-year-old, scriptures, and a smaller bag for my YW manual, personal hymn book, and a little notebook.)
I just feel like it’s too easy for the device to become a distraction.
Pet Peeve.
I think there is a time and place (and maturity level) for digital things.
I honestly believe that there are very few YM/YW or children that are able to use a digital device properly and reverently. Some adults are achieving their goal to be “like little children” in this as they are also incapable.
I LOVE books, the texture, the smell, the physical act of turning pages. BUT, I can understand the ease of having the whole kit and caboodle on your ipad. I just wish everyone would understand that checking FB or Twitter in sacrament is probably not the best thing to do. 🙂
Teaching both primary and young womens, yes! I had a 7 yr old who got an ipad for Christmas and wanted to connect to the builing wifi–what? My husband brought his smart phone out of convenience once, unitl he realized that the children around him really thought he was only using it to play games and check mail–and asking to plat games…they didn’t believe him that he was referencing scriptures.
I feel sad that my YW don’t have any familiarity with the physical standard works–they almost can’t differentiate whether a reference is for BoM of Bible, let alone Old or New Testament.
MMM-I also request that my class bring only the hard copy scriptures; sadly, I can’t seem to get them to bring any without bribing which I won’t do.
to clarifiy, “I had a 7 yr old IN MY PRIMARY CLASS who got an ipad…” =)
That still doesn’t qualify as a denial that you are talking about your kid.
Like every useful tool, it has its limits. I see lots of people shooting short-tempered feathered friends instead of paying attention in class. It’s always awkward for everyone in the room when that person is asked to read the next scripture. “What scripture was it again?”
I think the technology can easily distract from the spirit, which is why I personally only take the real two books with me to church. And that is what Hubby and I use for our family scripture study, too.
That being said, we just let our paper subscription to the Ensign time out (gasp!). It’s so much easier to search online. And no storage space in the closet is required!
I can’t describe the guilt I felt when I didn’t renew our Ensign subscription. There’s just no need for a paper copy anymore. However, I did renew my kids’ Friend subscription for the next 5 years! The kids aren’t digital yet and we still love to read The Friend together.
I am 26 with 2 kids and I am still pretty sure my kids won’t have cell phones until they move out of the house. I think it all boils down to your previous church reverence posts and the inherited respect for Sunday services if a kid sees a parent checking e-mail at church they will do the same some parents even play games with their child in church on their phone so I’m not sure it matters what you are using if you have the discipline and reverence to pay attention and feel the spirit at church because It doesn’t really matter if you have a hard copy book in your hands staring off into space is just as big of a time waster as angry birds though less addictive. Personally I use my Iphone because my 1 year old can’t shut it and I can easily pull up reading material when I inevitably end out with him in the Lobby
For scripture study at home (personal or family) I go with my quad. I have to be able to flip back and forth to references and so on. At church I use my ipod touch with the WiFi disabled. It’s just easier to carry that and manage my 7 little ones (including the two children not yet old enough for nursery in my arms!).
However I never ever ever play games on there, and I wouldn’t hand it to a child to keep them quiet in Sacrament meeting either – which is something I’ve seen lots of families do with their ipad or ipod. So wrong!
During a stake conference last year we let our boys have our iPods because we had the illustrated scripture stories (put out by the Church) to keep them still during the extra long meeting. But I would never let them play games!
After sitting all high and mighty because I just finished reading MMM’s reverence I considered myself (puffed myself up more like) a great Sacrament family. From the time I started dating my husband (who has 2yo and 4yo boys) I expected reverent behavior. No food, toys, coloring etc. He was shocked to see his rarely disciplined boys sitting there quietly. It was just expected so that was it. They saw my 4yo and 9yo so that helped. I did see this though and realized that I used to hand the younger 2 my scriptures to finger through that had the “stickers” on some of the pages, as well as the maps and portraits etc. My head deflated a bit at that and the humility set in that we all do what it takes, so pay attention to your own pew and do the best you can. I can’t imagine not having those “old school” scriptures. I may have had to resort to finger chase or…. ACK even back rubbing lol.
I love the look, feel and smell of the real deal BUT I also have a kindle and my Hubby uses the Ipad. Just this past Sunday I had a bucket full of things I needed for church, including the real deal large-print heavy quad. However I realized with all that I had, I had not put in my lesson book for RS. Luckily, I had it on my kindle and was able to pull it up and follow along. Some days I feel like I’ve brought luggage to church and the light weight digital tools are helpful. 🙂
I think it’s great how the bible started out on tablets and has circled it’s way back around. I use digital scriptures for just about everything now. I LOVE that I can sync my notes and highlights to the church’s servers and then my phone, tablet, and online scriptures are all the same. BUT, having grown up using the paper versions and served a mission using the paper scriptures I have a memory of where certain passages of scripture are found on the page. Upper right, lower left, etc. Sadly, this is one thing I’m not able to do with my iScriptures. But that’s where the search feature comes into play!
And with digital you lose the ability of saying “it’s on the top of page 265”, because everyone has a different format.
I can’t believe this hasn’t dawned on me before! My family all has a mixture of different books, quads, sizes etc, but all of them have the same paging, something that me newly converted husband finds helpful (he never learned to hum to find the books lol) He has done great with digital since Christmas so I will have a new topic for a good discussion on a slow day (lol only married for 4 years, but already have some “married forever” moments of silence lol)
My sweetie uses a Kindle and my daughter her IPOD, but I still prefer turning the pages. Guess that dates me a little too.
Sandy
I personally love my old school scriptures, but love having the technology at church, too. Unfortunately, my little primary class LOVES my nook, too and won’t stop talking about it when I use that for my lesson manual. I had to go old school again and carry all the books. Good thing we take a stroller to church, to carry not only the baby, but all our manuals and scriptures 🙂
I’m not much of a book buyer or collector, but they have their place. Kids are exposed to too many screens on a daily basis, so it’s good to sit down and read a book with them. I echo what Sharline said about the ease of using my phone rather than having to drag a scripture case along with my 6 little ones and a diaper bag (which no longer contains snacks btw). The main disadvantages I see with digital scriptures is highlighting and taking notes. I know the devices all have those features, but in my experience they are cumbersome and not easy to review. I love having the scriptures on my phone wherever I go, but personal study is better with a hard copy.
I have recently started to try the full digital route. I have tried it before on my Palm Pilot (even that seems old school these days) and it didn’t work because there weren’t any good note taking features. Now that my notes sync to my LDS Account, I am giving it a try again.
My wife and I also alternate between Nursery and Big People church with another couple. So, having pretty much the entire church libary in my pocket is useful, because I don’t forget to bring a manual when I am not in nursery.
Having said that though, I just ordered a physical book for certain notes after hearing Elder Scott’s talk.
I guess I am out-of-date as well. We don’t even have any of that technology in our house yet – just barely moved on to cell phones. I am in primary, and I am constantly having to tell some of the older children to put their iphones, ipods, etc away. They try to pretend that they are reading, but I have seen them sneak to games and reading email, etc. I love having a book in my hands. And how do you mark your scriptures when they are digital? So I think even once we graduate to all the technology, it will not go to church with us. Maybe I would feel differently if I actually had the technology already. Who knows.
PS Do they still do scripture chases in seminary? My kids will rock those because they have to know where the books are in the scriptures! Silver lining.
I drop my kindle fire into my purse. I teach nursery, and for the most part, my scriptures aren’t needed at church. But, I like to have them, and on my kindle I always do. The hard part is bookmarking more than one spot…which is why I use my quad for family scripture study. 😀
Sorry MMM. While I ADORE books, (I was a librarian) and have literally over 2000 of the lovely creatures, I bring my phone to church. No, I don’t text (unless one of my children seems to be MIA, or I forget an essential and the perpetually late can still retrieve it) or ever play games. I’ve been known to check facebook during the second sharingtime in primary however as I’m stuck hidden behind the piano. I love the feel of paper and ink, and my morning devotional has both my mini-quad (That I can barely make out the words these days) and my zoomable Droid at my side. Balance isn’t a bad thing.
That is one of the great benefits of an iPad – the text is so crisp and bright, that my aging eyes can see it much better than I can see my scriptures.
I’m right there with you! I was in a single’s ward for… 7 years, and it drove me crazy seeing SO many people sitting through all 3 hours of church meetings on their phones. For a good chunk of that 7 years it was mostly texting… and often a person on the other side of the room. That’s one of the reasons I no longer bring my phone to church. At all. Ever. There’s really no need for it.
And I LOVE my scriptures – hard copy – not digital. I love that I still have my scriptures from seminary all marked up. I love that I have my mission scriptures – also completely covered in notes. I love being able to hear something profound in a meeting and writing it directly on the pages of sacred text. It makes them that much more personal to me. It makes me want to look at them more frequently. And, when a question is asked about a scripture, I often feel quite smart when I have one of those profound things written down and I can raise my hand to share something I’ve learned.
I know you can highlight and make notes in digital copies… but it’s not the same. It’s not in your own handwriting. It’s not something your children will look at as completely personal to you.
My scriptures, in a way, have become like my journal. And I love them.
Plus, you’re right. Unless the Church starts equipping missionaries with iPads (which I don’t see happening in most missions), these kids will have to learn to use “old school” scriptures some day. I’d rather my kids be familiar and ahead of the game.
Long story short: I agree with you.
I use digital for church (and pretty much only for church). Its faster and more convenient for me when I feel like I have to take 3 or 4 bags to church every Sunday. It was great when I didn’t have to bring my scripture bag, too! I do have to admit I was more against using digital scriptures until Elder Oaks came to speak at our Stake Conference and he lifted up his iPad as he referenced using the scriptures. I then didn’t feel like I needed to give my husband such a guilt trip about using digital scriptures.
BUT! For personal scripture study, I use my book. A Quad. Sometimes I do wish I had 2 books instead of one, but a Quad was easier when I was going to school to carry around. I love my scriptures!! I love how they feel, I love to mark them and write in the margins and jot down little inspirations I get as I read. I love flipping the pages and choosing just the right spot to start reading. And I really like my boys to see me reading them, instead of my device.