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By Mark Wright
Proctors Bring Their Mormon Views to the Web
WASHINGTON, DC -- Scot and Maurine Proctor are the proud parents of
11 children and "Meridian," an on-line magazine that reflects the
beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That
said, Meridian is more than just another on-line magazine. For the
Proctors, the magazine provides an alternative media viewpoint
calculated to counteract mainstream media outlets that are
increasingly dismissive of religion and faith-based living.
In addition, it gives the Proctors something to work on as a family.
The Proctors believe that the main goal of the Meridian effort is to
support the Church's values as expressed in The Proclamation on the
Family. Listening to Scot, editor-in-chief, you get the feeling that
he believes in his message and in what he's doing. "I have a passion
in getting the message out to the people," he said. "Not only the
gospel message, but a message of goodness and truth that teaches
correct principles."
Apparently, the Meridian message contained in the publication is
rapidly gaining "traction" with an ever-growing audience. Launched
just a little more than two years ago, Meridian now has 4-5 million
hits per month and a million page views a month, along with readers
that hail from at least 85 different countries.
The three main sections of Meridian magazine illustrate the focus of
the magazine and the subject areas that are explored in a Gospel
context. "Line Upon Line" is a section that discusses the practical
application of Gospel principles, including personal scripture study
and journal writing. The "Measure of the World" section explores
current issues in the world through the unique viewpoint of the
beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ. Finally, the section entitled
"Coming Home" examines issues surrounding the family unit and
includes articles that deal with family relationships and building
successful families.
Recently, the Proctors left Utah for the east coast. The move was
made, in large part, to further the mission of Meridian magazine by
relocating to the place that serves as information central for the
United States of America. In Washington D.C., Scot has noticed a big
difference in his access to various sources of the news. "It is
amazing how much more we see being in the heart of the news where
instead of a church on every corner, there is a news agency," he said.
While Meridian was eventually slated for hard copy production, the
Proctors have decided to stay with the on-line format, at least for
the time being. "It's fun to explore the gospel and ask questions
knowing that every one of life's questions can be answered within the
context of the gospel of Jesus Christ," he said. "We can explore
science, family, relationships, gambling and hundreds of other topics
because we have a foundation of faithfulness."
While they may have left Utah behind, the Proctor family demonstrates
with every issue of Meridian that the Gospel beliefs they've
established remain firmly in place.
Editor's Note: the on-line version of Meridian magazine can be found
at (
http://www.meridianmagazine.com ).
Source:
Couple runs online church magazine
BYU NewsNet 6Mar01 I2
By Alecia Burningham: NewsNet Staff Writer
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