Skype for Baptisms

[CiVi]

I normally wouldn't ask this at all, but a friend who has been a member all her life suggested it, so I would really like to know if this is a legitimate possibility.

I know that photographs are not allowed during the baptism. I assumed it was solely for reverence or protection purposes, but my member friend believes (I think) that it is mainly concerning the recording aspect.

So, she wants me to ask if she can be "at" my baptism through Skype. I feel really awkward asking about it if it is an obvious no, so I wanted to see if anyone knew anything about it on here before I brought it up with the missionaries.

If there is any possibility that she can be part of it in any way, it would mean the world to me. I just moved to go to college 2000 miles away a few months ago, so the people in my ward, though friendly and good, aren't the friends who brought me to this point. For years, my friend and I have been building a friendship of an eternal nature (Doctrine & Covenants 18:15), and this is a huge leap that I would love for her to directly witness or be a part of.

Any ideas/answers/input would be wonderful! Thanks!

[skippy740]

I would ask the missionaries... who would then probably ask the Mission President.

My guess is that it wouldn't be allowed. While your intentions are good... someone has to 'man' the camera in order to hear the program and focus it correctly. This would distract from the reverence and the Spirit for everyone else in attendance.

I don't mind being wrong though.

[MarginOfError]

The bishop is more likely the one who will make this decision. If he allows it, he would probably do so on the same procedure that Sacrament meetings are broadcast--the camera is turned off during the ordinance. If this were permitted, your friend could view everything but the actual baptism. But she could still hear the talks and music.

[Connie]

There is a family in my ward whose son recently got baptized. One set of his grandparents are currently serving a mission in South America. They were able to attend his baptism via Skype or some similar program. The oldest son held his tablet computer outward so they could see what was going on the whole time. I thought that was pretty neat that they were able to do that and be a part of it even though they are thousands of miles away. I would say ask your bishop.

[Zeitgeist]

If you have to skip Skype at the baptism, why not just Skype your friend afterwards? Then you can share your feelings and description of what it was like, and in some ways it would be much richer than raw footage of the event itself.

Besides, baptisms aren't always photogenic. I knew a Baptist minister in Texas who baptized an elderly woman. As he pushed her head under the water, her wig floated neatly away. The minister (he claims) found himself holding the woman under water while he tried to poke her head back into the floating wig. I'm sure the woman would not want to post a video of that on YouTube.