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An attempt at a reminder

An attempt at a reminder

Last updated on: December 30, 2023 at 11:40 am by Dan Peterson

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An attempt at a reminder 2023-12-30T11:40:41-07:00 Dan Peterson

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Gordon Huston (cinematographer) and Lincoln Hoppe (“Martin Harris”) on one of the sets for the Interpreter Foundation’s 2021 theatrical film, “Witnesses.” (Still photograph by James Jordan)

My day yesterday (Friday) was completely booked, from morning until late at night, and I posted nothing. Which means that I failed to note that a new article appeared yesterday in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. And it was just a bit unusual: For the first time in the history of the Interpreter Foundation, I think, someone other than, well, me wrote an introduction for a volume of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. Over the course of fifty-eight (58) volumes, this hasn’t ever happened. Now, though, in the fifty-ninth volume, it has. [Edited to add: See Allen Wyatt’s correction on this point in the comments below.] During the period in which I would otherwise have been writing it, I was slated to be busy with back-to-back tours of Türkiye and Egypt and (we expected) Israel, followed within just a few days by trips to visit family in Virginia and then in Mexico. Fortunately, Allen Wyatt, who serves as Interpreter’s Vice President of Operations and as the senior production editor for the Foundation’s journal, kindly stepped forward to assume responsibility for writing the introduction. And this essay, a very helpful description of some of the Foundation’s inner workings, is the happy result: “A Long and Winding Road,” written by Allen Wyatt

Abstract: Publishing an article in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Faith and Scholarship involves a process of which many people are not aware. I’m sure it is obvious to all that articles don’t just spring from the mind of an author and onto the printed page. In this essay I draw back the curtain just a bit to give readers a glimpse and, hopefully, an understanding of the process.

The day before, another interesting essay had appeared: “The Temple: Ancient and Restored Representing the Divine Ascent: The Day of Atonement in Christian and Nephite Scripture and Practice,” written by Shon D. Hopkin.

Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in The Temple: Ancient and Restored, Proceedings of the Second Interpreter Matthew B. Brown Memorial Conference: “The Temple on Mount Zion,” 25 October 2014 (2016) edited by Stephen D. Ricks and Donald W. Parry. For more information, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/the-temple-ancient-and-restored/.

In our theatrical film “Witnesses”, an elderly David Whitmer recounts some of the story to a skeptical visiting reporter. (Still photograph by James Jordan from the Witnesses film set)

The subject of this coming year in the “Come, Follow Me” curriculum of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will, of course, be the Book of Mormon. At the very beginning, the Witnesses of the Book of Mormon will be a focus.

Accordingly, it seems an appropriate time to call attention, yet again, to the Interpreter Foundation’s “Witnesses” project, which includes not only the Witnesses theatrical film but the closely related two-part docudrama Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, the still not-quite-complete flotilla of free, short, online Insights videos about the Witnesses, and the still-growing website Witnesses of the Book of Mormon.

We would very much like as many people as possible to see Witnesses and Undaunted and to make use of the other relevant resources that we’ve produced. And yet, many members of the Church are still completely unaware of these materials or, if aware, haven’t seen them. Even in the United States. Even in Utah! So I’m hoping that those of you who are aware of them will share them with others. You might mention them to friends and family. You might give them to friends and family. You might invite others over to your home to watch them with you. Heck, organize a viewing party! Make popcorn! If those who read this blog entry would share the “Witnesses” materials that we’ve created with people in their wards and neighborhoods and families, that would make a real difference.

However, I’ve been told by some people in England and even in Canada that they have been unable to watch Witnesses or Undaunted. I understand, for example, that DVD and BluRay devices in Europe (and probably elsewhere) may be incompatible with the DVD and BluRay units featuring our two films, and that, for reasons of copyright and etc., the international offerings of Amazon Prime and similar streaming services may not include Witnesses and Undaunted. But I recently received the following from Michelle Moore, at Living Scriptures. I have italicized the phrase throughout the world so that it won’t be missed:

The award-winning Witnesses film and its accompanying two-part docudrama, Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, are streaming on Living Scriptures throughout the world and offer a captivating and enriching experience for viewers of all ages. With a vast collection of family friendly and faith-based films, Living Scriptures allows you to immerse yourself in inspiring stories that promote values, morals, and uplifting entertainment.

Whether you’re looking to strengthen your faith or simply enjoy a thought-provoking movie night, Living Scriptures offers a seamless and user-friendly streaming service that is sure to leave a lasting impact.

Signing up for an account on Living Scriptures is as easy as it gets. With just a few simple steps, you can gain access to a world of content, over 5,000 titles and growing each month. Begin by visiting the Living Scriptures website (www.livingscriptures.com), where you’ll find a straightforward sign-up process. Simply provide your basic information, choose a subscription plan that suits your needs, and you’re ready to start streaming. The platform offers flexible options, including monthly and annual subscriptions, ensuring that you can tailor your experience to fit your preferences. With its intuitive interface and hassle-free registration, Living Scriptures makes it very easy to get started. Once registered, simply type in the name of the movie you’d like to watch (e.g., WITNESSES or UNDAUNTED) or scroll through the countless playlists to start watching your favorite film immediately.

I would love to hear from people in Canada and the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Are you able to able to access Witnesses and Undaunted? Does Living Scriptures work for you? We put a lot of effort into these films and other materials. We would really, really, really like members of the Church (and others) to see them.

In that context, I need, yet again, to make something unmistakably clear: It’s recently been alleged once more (at the usual place) that I profit from these ventures. I do not. I earned nothing from the “Witnesses” project. (It will make absolutely no personal financial difference to me and my family whether you purchase two million DVDs of Witnesses for your closest friends or you purchase none at all.) I earn nothing from my involvement with the Interpreter Foundation. I will earn nothing from our Six Days in August films. My wife and I are donors to these efforts.

It’s now being suggested that the Church contributed a large sum of money to Witnesses. It did not. No portion of the overall “Witnesses” project was subsidized or “bailed out” by the Church. Not with tithing money. Not with blood diamonds. Not with crypto-currency. Not with gold bullion or barrels of crude oil or midnight shipments of blackmarket wheat. Not in any way at all. The Church covered no part of the expenses of the “Witnesses” project. Period.

Nor am I paid by the Church. Not directly. Not indirectly. Neither openly nor surreptitiously. I am not paid for apologetics. I am not paid for apologetics (or anything else) by the More Good Foundation. I receive neither money nor stock options nor free butler service nor complimentary onion rings. My wife and I are donors to the Interpreter Foundation. Like every other officer of the Interpreter Foundation, I’m a volunteer. My wife is a volunteer.

It is vitally important that people understand this, because I’m currently very much in fundraising mode. They need to know that no portion, however small, of any donation that they might make will go into my pocket, or my wife’s purse, or my children’s piggy banks, or any shell corporation or offshore bank account.

We have now completed roughly 82 percent of the filming for our current cinematic project, Six Days in August. We had to get most of our filming done while the trees outside still looked like, well, August. But now I have a steep fundraising mountain to climb in order for us to complete the filming and to do all of the postproduction work — the editing of the visual and audio materials, the cutting of raw footage, the assembling of that footage, adding music, dubbing, smoothing out the sound and sound effects, regularizing the color retrieved from different cameras, and a host of other things. These jobs are labor-intensive, and they’re expensive. And our hope has been, if possible, to get the film out by late-summer 2024. Will we make it? I don’t know. We’ll see. It’s always been an ambitious goal. I’ve always wondered whether we could meet that self-imposed deadline.

I confess that these matters are keeping me up at night. I have to force myself to stop worrying about them in order to get to sleep. (I didn’t do very well at that again last night. Perhaps I should instead have devoted my retirement to Solitaire and daytime soap operas? Much less stressful.) So I would appreciate your help. We need a lot of donations. Big ones, yes. But also small ones.

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