What does learning by faith and reason mean to you? How might living the Gospel
make you a better creator? How does the reading and viewing examine these types
of choices?
Learning by faith is something that is very important for Latter Day Saints to understand, in my opinion, because it helps us to truly integrate and become something better instead of just learning about better things. With that being said, I believe that it is essential for those who aren't LDS as well. Learning by faith, as I understand it, differs quite a lot from passive learning. It requires trust that what one is learning is true and the commitment to change one's life in accordance with what was learned. This is so much more demanding, and likewise so much more rewarding, then passive learning. At the same time, learning by faith is not exclusive to learning by reason. However, if we are not careful we can allow our "reason" to reject the truths that we learn through our feelings and experiences. Thus a combination of understanding, believing, and acting accordingly is necessary to learn life's lessons to the fullest.
Now as budding young film makers, we must understand what learning by faith and reason is all about, so that we can do its companion well in the works we produce - teaching by faith and reason. We must believe that what we produce can and will impact the lives of those who view it. When we believe that what we are creating teaches important things, we gain a new insight into our responsibility as creators and have the opportunity to help others in a profound and powerful way. We must also teach with reason by understanding the principles of our craft and the audience we are targeting. Combining these essential tools allows us to help others to learn by faith. In the end it is their choice, but we can help enable that choice. To do so, we must live, understand, and have a firm testimony of the gospel. As we do so, we will be blessed with the Lord's help.
The Jeremiah series took a stab at this and for that it should be commended. In many ways it did a fine job as well. However, more importantly then how it did, is how we learn from it. If we were able to learn from it, it was successful, especially if it encouraged us to learn by faith. I believe that there were moments in the series where important questions were asked, that even those not of our faith can learn from. In summary of what the New York Times critique said, the spirituality in this film transcends religions. It both helps viewers think about their relationship with God and ask some hard questions about the measure of their faith. Those who act in faith on what they saw, will be greatly blessed by the Lord, not only with wisdom and knowledge, but with strength of character.
The statement you made about becoming better instead of just learning about something better really struck me. This statement is extremely profound. I believe that you are 100% correct and that is the whole purpose of the film program at BYU. We are learning something better but these better and extra things that we are learning incorporate into our lives and into our work as Mormon artists. At least, they should be. We must use what we have been taught and what we know to exemplify our faith. Faith can be interpreted in many different ways however and for this reason, it must be relatable and accessible to diverse groups of people. This is something that was accomplished in the production of the Jeremiah webseries. The webisodes appealed to Mormons and non-Mormons even though the gospel is such a large part of the show. This is an example of being led by the spirit when producing projects. We are taught to follow the spirit in everyday life, and we have the gift of the Holy Ghost so why not take advantage of it and use it in our work as Mormon artists as well?
ReplyDeleteI feel like you really thought this blog post through and in turn it made me think as well. I feel like all of us act on faith and reason to some degree automatically. However by consciously observing these actions we can better understand what we want to achieve, and how to achieve it.
ReplyDeleteI really liked what you said about being aware of what we produce and how it can and will affect the lives of those who view it. Having a greater sense of obligation to not only yourself but to your audience is an important factor.
-Nephi