Christmas Break

Last Thursday we enjoyed wonderful Christmas music and food ... and we will be back with our first class of the year taking place on Wednesday 7th January. For now, in the words of the 2013 First Presidency Christmas Message, " Let us make Christmas a time of rejoicing and celebration, a time to share the marvelous truth that Almighty God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world! May the joy of that knowledge be with each of us this Christmas season and throughout the coming year."

Alma 32 - 35

Our lesson started with a self-assessment, the Faith Maturity Scale, which was developed in 1993. Based on Matthew 22:34-39, the assessment which looks at faith behaviour along two intersecting axes; love of God and love of fellow-man.  Researchers conclude than when the levels of faith along these two axes are similarly high, a deep and mature faith exists in individuals. The questionnaire proved to be interesting and was a starting place to think about different ways in which Faith can be assessed.

We then turned to a detailed discussion of Alma 32:27-31, 37-41 which contains a description of how faith is developed in an individual.  We identified 9 distinct phases in the development of faith and started to define basic questions to help us understand our progress in relation to that stage of faith.

I Desire to Believe (Alma 32:27)
The desire to believe is described by Alma as a "particle of faith" which should be allowed to work in us with the aim of "giving place" for a portion of Gods word. In Elder Eyring's words, "acting on even a twig of faith allows God to grow it".
Do I desire to believe?
How much do I want this?

II Planting the Word of God (Alma 32:28)
The actual word of God is now compared to a seed, which is planted. The good, or true seed will, with the appropriate nurture, begin to grow.
How much effort am I prepared to put in?

III Believing and Accepting the Spirit (Alma 32:28)
If the desire to believe remains present, then the seed will begin to grow.  If there is unbelief, the seed is cast out.  In this stage, accepting the Spirit of the Lord encourages the seed to germinate, where resisting the Spirit of the Lord will not allow the seed to germinate. 
Do I believe what the Holy Ghost is telling me?

IV Recognising and Acknowledging the Good/Change/Growth (Alma 32:29-30)
The recognition of the soul being enlarged, of the understanding being enlightened, of the 'taste' of delight are key in this stage. Alma indicates that at this stage, there is an increase in faith.
What is different?
What has changed for me now?

[At this point, Alma digresses to a discussion of perfect knowledge an light and then moves back into the original point of growing of faith left off in verse 30.]

V Nourishing and Strengthening (Alma 32:37)
In this stage, Alma stresses the importance of nourishing with great care, so that the seed of faith "gets", or develops roots. Neglect at this stage will lead to the seedling being scorched by the sun and withering away.
What will I do to nourish the seed?

VI Get Roots (Alma 32:27)
Although this stage could also be seen as part of of nourishing and strengthening, we decided to separate it as it relates to an outcome of the activities of nourishing and strengthening.  Pres Uchtdorf's statement to "doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith" is apt in this stage, as doubts can lead one to uproot a young seedling. 
How confident am I in this matter?
Am I willing to put my doubts aside and trust my developing faith?

VII Nourish with Diligence, Patience and a Vision of the future (Alma 32:41)
This stage represents the nourishing, not of a germinating seed that has yet to get roots, but to a seedling, that has root, and requires ongoing care.  The quality of nurture is different here - rather than nurturing with "great care" we are nurturing with diligence, with patience and with a vision of the future fruit.  At this stage we are able to better distinguish the specifics of the tree which is being nourished and see envision specific fruits.
What do I see this leading to?
What is the end result? 

VIII Take Root (Alma 32:41)
This taking root is a process we observe with plants - there appears to be a time, when the leaves are out that 'nothing' seems to be happening - this is when things are happening underground, when roots are growing and developing, no longer reliant on the germ which sustained the seedling, but developing and firmly rooting and anchoring the plant.
Am I steadfast, firm and immovable?
Am I rooted and anchored in Christ?

IX Tree Springing up to Everlasting Life (Alma 32:41-43)
The small plant of faith, once firmly established and rooted, and nourished and over which we exercise diligence, patience, long-suffering and waiting, yields fruit which is described as precious, sweet and pure.  Some of the fruits we anticipated were peace, joy and love.
What fruits am I reaping from this tree?

Our articulation of this model of faith was an enlarging experience for us, and we contemplated that the many talks on faith from general conferences were likely addressed at different stages, and felt that this model could provide opportunities for further understanding of faith.

Resources:
Faith Maturity Scale (Description)
Faith Maturity Scale (Test and scoring)
Dieter F Uchtdorf : Come Join with Us
Jeffrey R Holland : Lord I Believe
Neal A Maxwell : Grounded, Rooted, Established,and Settled

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Alma 30 - 31

Thank you Zena and class for a lively lesson.  Tonight we discussed what I broadly term "the doctrine of Korihor", which is found mainly in Alma 30:13-18 and 23-26.

I would like to explore some of the ways this passage of scripture is relevant in our lives today, with focus on how we understand this kind of teaching and how this kind of teaching could be responded to on an individual level and on an official level.

Firstly - what did Korihor claim?  As discussed in our lesson, Korihor asserted 'there is no God'.  That was his fundamental premise, although he did not seem (from the records we have) to actually mention that up front.  However, when confronted by Alma, he admitted that he did not believe there was a God (Alma 30:37-38).  I suspect there are several reasons that Korihor acted in this manner, not the least being that it would be very difficult to win followers if this was stated up front?  He no doubt would have lost his audience if he had started off by saying, "Guys, there is no God so why don't we ...".  Instead Korihor used a oblique angle, using, for example social issues to ground his arguments, saying "priests usurp power and authority over the people" (Alma 30:23); "priests keep people in ignorance" (Alma 30:23); "priests bring people down" (Alma 30:23); "priests glut on the labors of the people" (Alma 30:32).  

If we try to put Korihor's argument in simple terms, prefacing each claim he makes with his unspoken fundamental premise, his arguments look like this:
There is no God > therefore > there is no Christ; (Alma 30:13)
There is no God > therefore > prophets cannot exist and must be foolish traditions; (Alma 30:14)
There is no God > therefore > there is no sin (no good and evil); (Alma 30:17)
There is no God > therefore > you prosper purely on your own effort/talent/strength; (Alma 30:17)

This gives us a basic idea of Korihors argument.  However, there is a lot more to the philosophy of what he is saying, and an article in the July 1992 Ensign by Gerald Lund (see Resources below) is a superb resource to use to look at the philosophical layers of Korihors argument. 

How is this relevant today?  As we found in our class, most class members could identify someone, somewhere who promoted Korihor-like teachings.  They are not new or unique, although every proponent seems to want to declare them as "new" or "modern" thinking.  In a February 2014 BYU Forum address, Dr Albert Mohler outlined the philosophy behind some recent international social "Korihor" doctrines.  Taking the approach used above, some recent issues which are receiving social and political attention are:
There is no God > therefore > marriage is a man-made institution;
There is no God > therefore > human life is ours to give or take at will;
There is no God > therefore > the family can be defined in any way we please.
Once again, there is a lot more, philosophically, to these arguments and I recommend listening to Dr Mohlers' forum address (link in Resources).

Second: How do we respond individually to modern-day Korihors?  Looking to Alma, the people in the land of Ammon had a simple strategy, one described as wise:  they took Korhihor, they bound him and took him to Ammon, their spiritual leader, who evicted him from their lands (Alma 30:20-21).  As we discussed in class, the people of Ammon knew first-hand what a society who bought into Korihors values would look like - they had lived the reality of such a society. And they were having no part of it, so they drew a line!  In explaining a principle which relates to this behaviour, that of tolerance, Elder Russell M Nelson said: "Your gracious tolerance for an individual does not grant him or her license to do wrong, nor does your tolerance obligate you to tolerate his or her misdeed. That distinction is fundamental to an understanding of this vital virtue."

Whilst this is a straightforward approach, it is very rich and multi-dimensional.  Attributes such as tolerance, forbearance and patience are part of "how" we engage even though we choose to not have part in or support such philosophies. While a deeper discussion of this would take far more space and time than we have, one challenge for this weeks lesson is to contemplate how you can appropriately "have no part" of philosophies which are anti-Christ in nature ...  Valuable resources in this regard are the talks by Elder Nelson and Elder Oaks referenced below. 

Thirdly,  how do we understand official responses to such issues? I recall in early 1990's when I was a ward Relief Society President, a popular magazine in South Africa running a so-called "expose" on "The Mormons".  The article was factually accurate about church membership numbers and statistical data and for the rest either was totally inaccurate (e.g. in referencing polygamy as a current church practise) or quite distorted (e.g. about the temple garment).  The article caused a lot of distress among church members, and in our stake, Bishops and auxiliary presidents were counselled specifically to:
1.  remind members that is was the responsibility of the Area Presidency to make an official response to the article and that they would determine how to appropriately address the matter;
2. address any specific doctrinal concerns which arose in members minds;
3. discourage ward members from writing letters to the magazine, its editors or the journalist who wrote the article;
4. advise ward members to not defend the church's position in an argumentative way if their friends/acquaintances raised the matter; and
5. to invite friends/acquaintances who were genuinely curious to hear more from the missionaries.

In speaking of the difficulties which are experienced in dealing with this kind of opposition, Elder Dallin H Oaks stated: "Some of life’s most complicated decisions involve mixtures of good and evil. To what extent can one seek the benefit of something good one desires when this can only be done by simultaneously promoting something bad one opposes?"  This dilemma faces the Church in dealing with Korihor-like challenges. (see "Alternate Voices" referenced below.)

In the case of Korihor, Alma, in his role as the High Priest, responded directly to Korihor.  It is important to note that Alma did not get caught up in a philosophical debate - he responded directly to the matters Korihor raised.  Using his priesthood authority he responded to Korihors demands for a sign by granting exactly that - a sign.  And then Korihor was, once again, cast out.  

It is instructive to note that, in the end, Korihor lived and died among a society that lived the values that he had preached;  they had rejected the "foolish traditions of their fathers" (Alma 31:9); they refused to believe in prophets or prophesying (Alma 31:22); and they refused to be bound by a belief in Christ (Alma 31:17).  

This scripture block is rich ground for contemplation and investigation, for self-reflection and for determination to act.  I hope that it is a satisfying journey for your growth!

Resources:
Gerald N. Lund : Countering Korihors Philosophy
(Ensign, July 1992)

Dr Albert Mohler : Strengthen the things that Remain
(BYU Forum 25 February 2014) 

Dallin H. Oaks : Alternate Voices 
(General Conference, April 1989)

Russell M Nelson : Teach us Tolerance and Love
(General Conference, April 1994) 

Dallin H Oaks : Balancing Truth and Tolerance
(CES Fireside, September 2011) 

Wikipedia : Korihor (well referenced article!)

Alma 23-29

This week our lesson focused on the experience of conversion.  In previous lessons we had spoken about conversion, and this definition which captures the essence of conversion as being alignment with God, was one of the principles we discussed.

Speaking about conversion, Elder Bednar has said: 

"For many of us, conversion is an ongoing process and not a onetime event that results from a powerful or dramatic experience. Line upon line and precept upon precept, gradually and almost imperceptibly, our motives, our thoughts, our words, and our deeds become aligned with the will of God. Conversion unto the Lord requires both persistence and patience." (Converted Unto the Lord, October 2012) 

 Sister Oscarson elaborated on other aspects of conversion: - obedience and time.  Sister Oscarson also stated:

"True conversion is more than merely having a knowledge of gospel principles and implies even more than just having a testimony of those principles. It is possible to have a testimony of the gospel without living it. Being truly converted means we are acting upon what we believe and allowing it to create “a mighty change in us, or in our hearts.” In the booklet True to the Faith, we learn that “conversion is a process, not an event. You become converted as a result of … righteous efforts to follow the Savior.” It takes time, effort, and work. " (Be Ye Converted, October 2013) 

In our lesson, we discussed aspects of our individual conversion experiences.  As we shared, we pondered on the background to our conversion experiences, any preparations that we noted in relation to the experience and events leading up to our baptisms.

During the discussions, we noted similarities in our experiences.  These included:
1. The role of sincere personal PRAYER;
2. Experiencing PEACEFUL FEELINGS about the gospel and experiencing the influence of the Spirit;
3.  The progression of TIME- learning and changes that happened line upon line, slowly;
4.  The significance of OBEDIENCE to promptings received; and
5. The significance of studying the SCRIPTURES.

Another common, and highly significant experience to the class was the "person who influences",  In each case, some significant person had influence over us leading us towards accepting the gospel.

So - ponder and write about your conversion experience, and see if the same principles come up as we have mentioned.  And then reflect on the significance of these things in your ongoing conversion ...   

Alma 17-22

Thanks to Zena for her lesson! 

This scripture block focuses on the missionary work done by the sons of Mosiah2 among the Lamanites. The missionary stories of Ammon, Aaron, Omner and Himi are both a well-loved and significant aspect of the book of Alma.

In Elder Bednar's talk in the most recent (October 2014) conference, he stated:

“Devoted disciples of Jesus Christ always have been and always will be valiant missionaries ... a missionary is a follower of Christ who testifies of Him as the Redeemer and proclaims the truths of His gospel.”

Elder Bednar further explained that an invitation to hear the gospel was an invitation:

“to hear the restored truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ so you can study, ponder, pray, and come to know for yourself if the things we are sharing with you are true.” 

It seems that much of Elder Bednar's talk rings true for the sons of Mosiah:- after their conversion they became devoted disciples of Christ with Ammon expressing his testimony as follows: "Therefore, let us glory, year, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full;  yea, we will praise our god forever."  In the course of their missionary labours, they invited many, including King Lamoni, to hear and come to know of the gospel of Jesus Christ for himself. 

Commenting on the purpose of an invitation to hear the gospel, Elder Bednar said:

“Many of us as adults behave in precisely the same way when we find a treatment or medication that alleviates pain with which we have long suffered, or we receive counsel that enables us to face challenges with courage and perplexities with patience. Sharing with other people things that are most meaningful to us or have helped us is not unusual at all.”

Ammon, speaking about the experience he and his brothers shared, said "Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state? ... Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us? ... behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls" (Alma 26:17-20).  In speaking about the conversion of many of the Lamanites, Ammon confirms the similar experience of the Lamanites, who "were in darkness, yea even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvellous light of God" (Alma 26:3).


As we go about and respond to the challenge to share those things that are most meaningful to us, or those things that have helped us to alleviate pain or to face challenges and perplexities, may we, with Ammon, testify "this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work"!

Alma 13-16

Boyd K Packer observed that "there is no way to make sense out of life without a knowledge of the doctrine of premortal life.  The idea that mortal birth is the beginning is preposterous. There is no way to explain life if you believe that ... when we understand the doctrine of premortal life, then things fit together and make sense." (Conference, October 1983) 

Starting with Alma 13, this scripture block contains many hints and insights as to our premortal identity and character.   Expanding on the first two verses, President Kimball taught "In the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks.  While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to. You are accountable for those things which long ago were expected of you just as are those we sustain as prophets and apostles." 

Moving onto the concept of premortal agency and its impact on our choices in mortality, Joseph Fielding Smith noted that our Father "knew not only what each of us could do, but also what each of us would do when put to the test and when responsibility was given us." 

During our lesson we considered the great privilege of being part of the house of Israel - noting Romans chapters 9 - 11 which give more detail of that doctrine.  A rough calculation of current world population vs current church membership shows that we, as Latter-day Saints, make up .02% of the worlds population - a privileged minority indeed!

Journal what it means to you to be a part of the house of Israel?  What impact does it have to read Alma 13 and realise that those are attributes you possessed in the premortal world? What are the implications of those statements on who we should be as followers of Christ in mortality?

October General Conference

Book of Mormon studies took a two-week break as we prepared for general conference and then shared our personal conference highlights ... We hope that conference was a blessing to you all!

Alma 8 - 12

Our lesson started with a quiz - see how you do on our "FAQ's of Judgement" quiz ...

Teachings relating to Judgement are outlined in Alma 11 and 12.

Alma 9 presents more of Alma's teachings on remembering, starting with a short story illustrating the principle of resisting valuable knowledge from a previous generation as the inhabitants of Ammoniah reject the knowledge and wisdom proposed by Alma and Amulek.

In Alma 9:9-13, Alma outlines 5 things that the society and generation of the day had forgotten:

• The traditions of their fathers;
• The commandments of God;
• Lehi being brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God;
• The deliverance of their fathers from the hands of their enemies;
• The promise of God to Lehi that those who were obedient to the commandments would prosper.

What significant spiritual legacy of our forefathers have we FORGOTTEN?  How do we bring these things to our REMEMBRANCE?

In verses 20 - 22 Alma outlines the spiritual blessings which come from obedience:

• Being highly favoured of the Lord;
• Having "all things" about that which "has been, and which is, and which is to come" made known according to their desires, their faith and their prayers;
• Being visited by the Spirit of God and conversing with angels;
• Having the spirit of prophecy and of revelation and of many spiritual gifts;
• Being delivered by the hand of God;
• Being brought out of bondage "time after time" and "kept and preserved".

If you think about your family, which blessings have come to you from obedience?  Journal your thoughts, and reflect on why it is helpful to remember past spiritual experiences.

Further Resources

Wilford Woodruff  : Remembering our Spiritual Heritage

Loren C Dunn : Our Spiritual Heritage

Institute Calendar October - November 2014

Alma 5 - 7

Alma 5 contains the most wonderful questions for reflection and pondering and for this weeks lesson blog I would like to focus a little on how we can potentially unlock some of the value in these questions for us.

Alma starts questioning in verse 6, saying "... you that belong to this church, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers?" 

First, a look at two words, "retain" and "remembrance" 

retain (v.) 

late 14c., "hold back, restrain;" c.1400, "continue keeping, keep possession of," from Old French retenir "keep, retain; take into feudal service; hold back; remember" (12c.), from Latin retinere "hold back, keep back, detain, restrain," from re- "back" (see re-) + tenere "to hold" (see tenet).

remembrance (n.) 

c.1300, "a memory, recollection," from Old French remembrance (11c.), from remembrer (see remember). From late 14c. as "consideration, reflection; present consciousness of a past event; store of personal experiences available to recollection, capacity to recall the past."

Art by Leighton Autrey

So, a sense of what Alma asks here is "have you sufficiently held / do you sufficiently continue keeping a memory / recollection of the captivity of your fathers?"  Another sense of the question is "do you have a store of personal experiences of the captivity your fathers available for recollection?" Perhaps the question could be rendered as "do you consider and reflect on the captivity of your fathers?" or "do you have a consciousness of the captivity of your fathers?"

This is Alma's starting point - the captivity of our fathers.  As I contemplate this, I am deeply aware of a long line of ancestors hailing from what is now the southern France - a place which, when my ancestors lived there in the 12th and 13th centuries was a spiritual battle ground as the Catholicism of the day fought the "heresy" of the Albigensian (Puritan) viewpoint.  Certainly ancestors on both sides of that divide were in captivity.  What holds the later generations captive - even if for a while?  Are our more recent fathers captive to ideologies, to wars and contentions, to addictions and substances?  Take some time to ponder and journal experiences or knowledge that you have of "the captivity of your fathers".

The next question Alma raises is "... have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them?" (In the context of this question, he is referring to the Lord.) How has the Lord shown mercy and long-suffering to my fathers?  Certainly in the case of my fathers from Provence (southern Mediterranean France), a long heritage of protection and mercy as they fled France and eventually found refuge and a new home in August of 1688.  In more recent times, the tender mercy of missionaries tracting along a dusty farm road ... Take some time to ponder and journal experiences of knowledge that you have of the Lords' long suffering towards yourself and your immediate family.


Alma then moves to the question "... have you sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell?"  Did our fathers have a remembrance of the Saviours atonement and resurrection?  Did our fathers hold in remembrance the grounds of "hope of salvation"? Then Alma moves into the defining questions - has this knowledge of the Saviour brought about and "mighty change in their hearts" and has this brought about a spiritual rebirth for us? 

From verse 14 to the end of the chapter, Alma asks deep and searching questions about the quality of our individual spiritual rebirth.  These are significant questions to ponder and journal.  Work through them verse by verse, and search your heart for each question.  Where do you stand with that question?  Can you REMEMBER a time when that question was significant in your life, and can you RETAIN, through your journal writing, this remembrance? 

A closing thought for this weeks blog from Alma 5 : "Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life: yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely;  Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness ..."

Further Resources:

Seminary video presentation of Alma 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjM2dQfT7aI

Alma 1 - 4

I find these jam-packed introductory chapters to Alma's teachings and proselyting fascinating.  Among these teachings I find the the observations on discipleship valuable. The initial challenge presented in these chapters relates to priestcraft - and the differentiation between priesthood and priestcraft.  (Initial thoughts/markings are noted in the passages that follow.)

Priesthood
Alma 1:26–27

And when the priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the people also left their labors to hear the word of God. And when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength. And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely.

Alma 13:6, 10–12

And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest—
Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;
Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.
Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.

Jacob 1:18–19

For I, Jacob, and my brother Joseph had been consecrated priests and teachers of this people, by the hand of Nephi.
And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day.

Priestcraft 
Alma 1:2–6

And it came to pass that in the first year of the reign of Alma in the judgement-seat, there was a man brought before him to be judged, a man who was large, and was noted for his much strength.
And he had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people.
And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.
And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money.
And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching.

Alma 1:16 

Nevertheless, this did not put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land; for there were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor.

2 Nephi 26:29 

He commandeth that there shall be no priestcrafts; for, behold, priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion.

Alma 15:15

But as to the people that were in the land of Ammonihah, they yet remained a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people; and they repented not of their sins, ascribing all the power of Alma and Amulek to the devil; for they were of the profession of Nehor, and did not believe in the repentance of their sins. 

These passages illustrate some facets of priesthood and priestcraft and the difference between the two, including hints to social issues which either predispose or preclude them from becoming ingrained in a society.  Journal which aspects of both priesthood and priestcraft come to the forefront as you read the passages.  What similarities do you see to culture around you, and do these similarities help or hinder the purposes of priesthood? 


Our lesson focused on Discipleship, with two groups discussing discipleship.  The first group reviewed several conference talks and talks by members of the quorum of the twelve on Discipleship.  Their aim was to find behaviours that disciples exhibit.  

Some behaviours they listed include:

Serve our fellow men as He would serve them;
Sacrifice in obedience;
Bear witness of the truth;
Overcome mortal trials;
Develop spiritual literacy;
Uncompromised in devotion to the Lords' service;
Shed bad habits and worldly thoughts.






The second group created Discipleship collages, reflecting their feelings about discipleship, which are shown below.

Further Resources:
Elder Jeffrey R Holland : The Cost and Blessings of Discipleship

Elder James E Faust : Discipleship

Elder Daniel L. Johnson : Becoming a True Disciple

Elder Ronald A. Rasband : The Joyful Burden of Discipleship

Elder L. Tom Perry : Discipleship

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf : The Way of the Disciple

Elder Neal A. Maxwell : The Pathway of Discipleship

Mosiah 25 - 29

Once again, a wonderful lesson from Zena - thank you!  We started our lesson by contrasting Mosiah 5:1-5 with Mosiah 26:1-4.  

Among other characteristics the earlier generation (Mosiah 5):

• were believing;
• had changed hearts
• received manifestations of the spirit;
• enjoyed the gift of prophesy to the degree that they had "great views" of what was to come;
• had faith;  and 
• were willing to covenant with God.  

The later generation (Mosiah 26) 

• were unbelieving;
• had hardened hearts;
• refused to call upon the Lord their God;  and 
• would not enter into a covenential relationship with God.  

The experiences and the conversion of Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah2 offer hope of the change which can take place.  In the context of our own, line-upon-line conversion and speaking of his own change of heart in 1975, R. Quinn Gardner mentions four vital signs to monitor our conversion:

"I would name, as the first sign of a changing heart, an increased capacity for meaningful prayer. “Watch and pray always,” the Lord instructed. And why? President Clark supplies the answer: “Because the royal road to heaven is traveled through prayer.” Now, sisters, do you spend half as much time praying as you do combing your hair? I know you love your spirit more than half as much as you do your body. And brethren, do your lips form the words thee, thine, and thou with anything near the frequency that they form sports, girls, homework? Tough questions? Perhaps, but not half as tough as the questions posed to those people in Zarahemla when Alma said, “Can you look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?” I say, “Can you look up, having the image of God engraved upon your consciences?” From Adam to Enoch, from Nephi to the Prophet Joseph, from Brigham Young to President Kimball—-each received what he sought because of mighty supplication, which bringeth forth a broken heart and a contrite spirit.

Second, I think a person can judge if he’s becoming mighty in the Lord and losing his propensity to sin by whether or not he is becoming increasingly sober—sober in the sense that Alma taught to his sons. I believe this means that our capacity for lightmindedness and frivolity simply decreases. Sacred things are more carefully handled, and taking the name of the Lord in vain is made nigh unto impossible. Respect increases for the Lord’s anointed and for all duly appointed priesthood leaders, and honor for parents is made most genuine. The sober-minded individual, I believe, characterizes his life by increasing calm and subdued feelings, and greater reverence is shown for every living thing. Further, one gives up excess, extravagance, and exaggeration, and from major and measured self-control he emerges a temperate person.

I think the third vital sign of our changing disposition to desire no sin at all is avoiding contention. Contention robs us of the Spirit. The less we fight back, the closer we come to the Lord. Most of you have roommates, and in dorms and apartments you develop what can be called “community property.” Sisters, the last time you reached for your can of hairspray and found that someone else had used the last drop, how did you react? The big date was at hand and your hair was going to be a mess. And when Dad’s letter came with no money in it but just counsel that those shoes would have to do for another month, did you think ill of your state of life? And brethren, how do you feel when someone else takes our your girl? Or better still, how do you feel when you are unfairly criticized or otherwise have your feelings hurt? Do you seek retribution? Do you fight back? Do you contend with the Lord or with your neighbor? When we can properly respond to these common occurences—so-called little things—then we will be responding to the Lord’s dictum when he said, “And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy; But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you” (3 Nephi 12:43–44).

Finally, I would name malleability. There are many words that could be used to express the sentiment—submissive, humble, meek—but so often we concentrate on the negative connotations of those words, and we conjure up in our minds the perfect milquetoast person. That’s not what the Lord meant. Paul, I believe, has given an apt word picture to describe what I consider malleability, in these most significant words: “O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay?” (Romans 9:20–21). The malleable soul listens to President Kimball with an active ear, seeking how to obey his counsel rather than determining in what ways that message does not apply to him. When the prophet states that every young man should go on a mission, the malleable soul says, “How can I get ready?” The unmalleable seeks excuses in education or finance or marriage. Seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. Eventually, as with Job, we must learn who is the master and who the servant. When we can do that—when we can understand that the Savior’s yoke is easy and his burden is light—then we can gracefully submit to being reforged in his image." 

Further Resources
Ezra Taft Benson : A Mighty Change of Heart
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1989/10/a-mighty-change-of-heart?lang=eng