Gospel Doctrine Lesson 24: Be Not Deceived, but Continue in Steadfastness

Wow, did I hate this lesson upon first reading.  Basically, this lesson asks us to talk about the reasons people leave the Church and get all judgey about how silly those people are, while we shake our heads and make tsking noises at their shortsightedness.  Seriously, 2/3 of the lesson asks us to talk in painful detail about well-known apocryphal stories from Church "history", highlighting the myths that people leave because of pride, because they're offended, or because they want to sin.

Except, the stories in this lesson are either not true, or at the very best could be called half-truths.  

And, of course, the lesson doesn't express the real reasons people leave the Church, because that would mean actually talking about those reasons. (A friend of mine told me she used some information from the Why Committed Mormons Leave presentation, and I really need to ask her for details about how that went down.)

I put a lot of thought into what I would teach because I knew I needed to get outside of the manual and figure out a different direction to take in order to not feel like a complete hypocrite by the time I was done teaching.  My first stop was the Mormon Stories Sunday School blog and podcast, where I printed off a bunch of talks, plus the reading notes that Jared Anderson prepared (Thank you!).  After reading through the materials, I decided rather than talk about apostasy, I would instead talk about discernment and personal revelation.  It's really not a big leap, given the actual scriptural texts in the lesson, and it was something I felt comfortable doing.

If you're looking for a more direct discussion about deception and apostasy, without skirting the issue like I did, fmhLisa prepared a great lesson outline for By Common Consent.

I wrote out my lesson in meticulous detail, because I wanted to stay focused and I didn't have a printed lesson to rely on. (Also, there are a couple of very vocal people in the class who don't always stay on topic, so I wanted to make myself a clear road map.)

Since I started teaching Gospel Doctrine a few weeks ago, I always like to start with a little history to place things in context.  I read the following,which I poached from the Mormon Stories Sunday School reading notes, after first explaining that Levi Hancock was a recent convert to the Church:

Then one day three elders—Edson Fuller, Heman Bassett, and Burr Riggs—visited the home where Levi was working. He had not met them before. They preached and baptized in the area. Then the three elders began receiving revelations and seeing angels while falling down and foaming at the mouth. Burr Riggs jumped up and down, swung from the roof's crossbeams for a few minutes, and then fell down as if he were dead. After an hour or two he awoke and prophesied about what he had seen while unconscious. Edson Fuller fell down and Heman Bassett imitated a baboon. He testified that an angel had given him a revelation, and he read it to his companions. Levi was confused. These things seemed ungodly to him, but he had never experienced such dramatic manifestations. He concluded that perhaps he was not as pure as the other elders. He didn't dare question them for fear that would be doubting the Holy Ghost. Similar experiences continued through the winter of 1830 and 1831. Oliver Cowdery had led his missionaries to Missouri. Joseph remained in New York. He had sent John Whitmer to preside over the hundreds of new converts in Ohio. Even so, they lacked experience and leadership, and it showed. Whitmer was bewildered at what he found: Saints pretending to fight with Laban's sword or sliding across the floor like snakes, saying they were on their way to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. When he returned from Missouri, Parley Pratt visited the branches of Saints in Ohio and saw some swoon, fall into what he called "ecstasies," make unnatural gestures, and claim revelations and visions that did not teach anything sanctifying. "In short," Parley wrote, "a false and lying spirit seemed to be creeping into the church." He recognized that this infection had occurred while the Church in Ohio was without discerning leadership, between the time he and his companions left and Joseph arrived. Harper, Steven C. (2010-11-01). Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants: A Guided Tour Through Modern Revelations (Kindle Locations 3229-3255). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition.

I discussed these odd manifestations briefly with the class, and highlighted that Levi Hancock didn't question them initially, even though he felt uncomfortable, because he was new to the Church and thought the other men knew better than him how to discern things of the Spirit.

Then we discussed Joseph Smith's resulting inquiry and the revelation of Doctrine and Covenants Section 50, which has the following introduction:

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, May 9, 1831. Joseph Smith’s history states that some of the elders did not understand the manifestations of different spirits abroad in the earth and that this revelation was given in response to his special inquiry on the matter. So-called spiritual phenomena were not uncommon among the members, some of whom claimed to be receiving visions and revelations.

We read verses 1-24 of Section 50 as a class, which is a big chunk of scriptures, but important to the idea of discerning the things of God.  Then I pointed out that all of the members of the Church who experienced these manifestations were probably good people, who thought they were being guided by the Spirit.

The big question is, how do we know what is good and what is evil?  Or, how do we know what is good and what is better?  How do we know the things of God?

I opened these questions up to the class, who responded with answers like prayer, scripture study and the Holy Ghost.  I then read the following quote from President Uchtdorf:

"You actually have a powerful companion and trustworthy guide in this ongoing search for truth. Who is it? It is the Holy Ghost. Our Heavenly Father knew how difficult it would be for us to sift through all the competing noise and discover truth during our mortality. He knew we would see only a portion of the truth, and He knew that Satan would try to deceive us. So He gave us the heavenly gift of the Holy Ghost to illuminate our minds, teach us, and testify to us of the truth. 

The Holy Ghost is a revelator. He is the Comforter, who teaches us “the truth of all things; … [who] knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment.” 

The Holy Ghost is a certain and safe guide to assist all mortals who seek God as they navigate the often troubling waters of confusion and contradiction. 

The Witness of truth from the Holy Ghost is available to all, everywhere, all around the globe. All who seek to know the truth, who study it out in their minds, and who “ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, [will know] the truth … by the power of the Holy Ghost.” 

And there is the additional, unspeakable Gift of the Holy Ghost available to all who qualify themselves through baptism and by living worthy of His constant companionship."

We had just had a confirmation in Sacrament Meeting an hour before, so I was able to point that out and discuss receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.  

Next, we read Moroni 7:15-17 and discussed testing our choices by the results they give.  Does something ultimately bring us closer to Christ?  Then that's the path to follow.

Question: What do we need to do to receive personal revelation?  How can we prepare ourselves to receive personal revelation?

D&C 112:2-3, 10 (Have humility)

Ether 12:27 (Have humility and faith, acknowledge our own weaknesses)

D&C 64: 8-10 (Forgive others, be in the proper frame of mind to be open to the Spirit)

Quote from Elder Nelson:

"To access information from heaven, one must first have a firm faith and a deep desire. One needs to “ask with a sincere heart [and] real intent, having faith in Jesus Christ.”   “Real intent” means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given. 

The next requirement is to study the matter diligently. This concept was taught to leaders of this restored Church when they were first learning how to gain personal revelation. The Lord instructed them, “I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.”

Finally, I circled back to the Levi Hancock story about the visions of some of the early members of the Church.  Some of those members claimed to be receiving revelation for the Church as a whole.

D&C 43:1-3, 5-6 (Only the prophet can receive revelation for the Church as a whole)

Per Elder Oaks, Joseph Smith said, when asked how he could govern such a diverse group of Saints, "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves."

Elder Oaks goes on to say:

"As a General Authority, I have the responsibility to preach general principles. When I do, I don’t try to define all the exceptions. There are exceptions to some rules…. But don’t ask me to give an opinion on your exception. I only teach the general rules. Whether an exception applies to you is your responsibility. You must work that out individually between you and the Lord."

I'm not saying we should look for exceptions to rules.  However, Heavenly Father knows us best.  He knows our own unique circumstances.  If we take our concerns and struggles to Him, He will help us.  I truly believe that Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to turn to him, even in all of our imperfections, rather than just give up.  We can take our struggles and questions to Him in prayer, and He will help us discern the things that are good and of God.  ITNOJC, Amen.

So, yeah, not too much about personal apostasy.  But I felt good about this lesson as I was writing it and as I taught it.  A couple of people came up to me afterward and told me they enjoyed it, so I figure that's a good sign.  We're supposed to teach to our class, right?  That's what I'm trying to do.