Our first port of call is 2 Nephi 28:7-8, where Nephi defines a few "false and vain and foolish doctrines". We see several approaches to life and God in these verses; the "eat, drink and be merry" approach, the "eat, drink and be merry nevertheless fear God" approach and then the 'it isn't that bad "a little sin" is "justified" addition - so, "lie a little", "take advantage of another" "dig a pit for thy neighbour" - because, in the end "God will beat us with a few stripes". Where do we see these approaches to life being broadcast / advertised? Are those who advocate these lifestyles successful in promoting them? Are we tempted to believe these doctrines?
Our next discussion was on verses 2 Nephi 29:19-22. These are regarded as strategies used by the adversary and are perhaps more intense than the lifestyles discussed above. The first is found in verses 19 and 20 - where do we see people whose hearts are stirred up to anger against that which is good? How do we deal with those who choose to be angry and rail against things that are good? The next section describes the strategy of creating a false sense of security, leading people to conclude that "all is well". How can a sense of "all is well" be harmful? What is neglected when we think that "all is well"? The final strategy is to advocate that there is no hell and there is no devil. Where the first strategy is one acknowledging good and evil and twisting good to seem evil and worthy of scorn, the latter one is outright denial of evil - and by implication the denial of the existence of good? For if there is no bad/evil then good cannot exist. Where do we see this philosophy and what is the impact?
There is an interesting "bookend" as it were to these verses which is found in 2 Nephi 28:26 - it warns us not to follow these precepts and to not deny the power of God and gift of the Holy Ghost. It seem then that one clear way to avoid being caught up in those philosophies is to acknowledge the power of God and use the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Using a BYU devotional by Gerald Lund as an outline, we discussed principles around listening to and hearing the Holy Ghost. Our discussion included the impact of emotions and feelings and how those could be active in both counterfeit and real revelations. We distilled the following as we discussed how we invite the spirit, how we differentiate between the spirit and strong or intense emotions, the role that the Word of Wisdom plays in our ability to receive the spirit and how we cultivate the ability to work with the Holy Ghost to receive revelation ...The challenge for us this week is to work at "educating" ourselves about how our bodies impact on or are impacted by revelation. What blocks our access to the spirit and revelation? What "inner" voices like sin, anger & contention, irreverence, tiredness, stress, worry and wants are impacting our ability to hear the spirit? How can we use "outer" influences, such as reverence, scripture study, music and reflection time to enhance our sensitivity to the spirit? How can we block "outer" influences which either restrict our ability to access the spirit or provide counterfeit revelation?
SEE: Gerald N. Lund : The Voice of the Lord
http://speeches.byu.edu/index.php?act=viewitem&id=630
Additional Resources
Boyd K Packer: Personal Revelation: The Gift, the Test, and the Promise
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/10/personal-revelation-the-gift-the-test-and-the-promise?lang=eng
Boyd K Packer: The Candle of the Lord
https://www.lds.org/ensign/1983/01/the-candle-of-the-lord?lang=eng
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