This week I was able to teach a lesson on the importance of teaching pure doctrine. I thought this topic was easy and hard at the same time. Easy because I loved the first half of the lesson where it discussed what teachers should be doing, hard because the second half discussed what teachers should not be doing and sometimes I find it hard to "come down on" the members of my class like they are doing something wrong. Luckily, I have given enough lessons about the importance of following the manual that I just follow the manual and know that God will lead and inspire me and the class members in what direction the lesson should go. HERE is the link to the lesson on lds.org. I found some of the questions I used in this lesson on the youth lesson questions on pure doctrine HERE.
Intro
- I decided to start the class with a discussion about the sacrifices that have been made to bring the pure doctrine to us. What is or has been the cost of the book of mormon coming forth? The doctrine and covenants? What are some of the prices that have been paid? Here are some ideas I had and the class contributed a lot more:
- Mormon/Moroni living to literally record to dictate and annotate
- 1 N 6:6 “commandment unto my seed, that they should not occupy these plates with things which are not of worth unto the children of men.”
- Gold plates were a valuable resource and Nephi’s family spent their gold on the scriptures. (also other plates on other valuable metals)
- Laban gave his life so that we could have the BoM. God saw fit that he could die so that we could have them. “It is better that one man should perish than an entire nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.” 1 N 4:13
- Martyrs: Abinadi, Joseph Smith, Laban, David W. Patton (apostle), Hyrum Smith, etc.
- What do you think it means to “keep the doctrine of the church pure”?
- Why is this so important? What are some of the potential outcomes - good or bad?
Your Responsibilities as a Teacher
- I used THIS talk as a resource. I printed out each topic and taped it up on the board as we talked about it, read scriptures, quotes about each, etc.
- What are some specific things you can do to keep the doctrine pure? or how do you, as a teacher, make sure you are teaching pure doctrine? Is feeling good about it enough?
- I believe this was the thesis to this lesson: What is the difference between “teaching so plain that students understand” and “teaching so plainly that no one can misunderstand”?
Cautions for Gospel Teachers
- What can you do as a teacher if a comment is speculative, a private interpretation or not doctrinal (& not hurt feelings or make things awkward)?
- Speculation: What should you do if you don’t know the answer?
- Gospel Hobbies - Quote by Elder Cook 2003, Additional insight by Dallin H Oaks
- Sensational Stories - Hunter Quote from Lesson 9
- Reshaping Church History - Pres Benson’s talk
- Private interpretations: How is this different from a regular comment in sunday school or your opinion on the scriptures?
End
- When have you felt the power that comes with teaching pure doctrine?
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