Feel the Truth & Importance of Doctrines & Principles

Tonight in my institute classes I want to help my students feel the truth and importance of doctrines and principles. The Gospel Teaching & Learning Manual for Seminaries & Institutes states, "Although students may identify and understand principles and doctrines of the gospel, they will often not apply them until they feel their truth and importance through the Spirit and sense some degree of urgency to incorporate the principle in their own lives" (p. 29). I think then, and it almost goes without saying, that the principles I will attempt to teach tonight need to be clear to the students, or else how can they feel the importance of a principle and go and practice living?

In my Religion 121 class we will be covering Enos, Jarom, Omni & Words of Mormon and in my Religion 341 (LDS Church History) we will cover Chapter 11: The Saints Expulsion from Jackson County. The content of both classes provides a fertile ground for identifying principles and helping students feel the importance of them. But what will I do precisely to help? I just noticed, that in the quote in paragraph one says, "[students] will often not apply [doctrines and principles] until they feel their truth and importance through the Spirit..." Ah-ha! That is the key, the Holy Ghost will help the student feel the importance of a doctrine or principle! The Gospel Teaching & Learning Manual also says, "The Holy Ghost can impress upon the minds and hearts of the students the significance of a doctrines or principle and can give the students a desire to implement the principle and the strength to do so" (p. 30). Its the Holy Ghost which must do the teaching and impressing! Now, how to allow that to happen becomes the question....

An example. When I was released as a full time missionary from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I had the opportunity to sit and visit with my Stake President. He created the environment during the interview to help me learn four principles I have used to guide my life by ever since; he told me that if I would: 1. always strive to attend Church meetings regularly and partake of the sacrament; 2. read the scriptures daily; 3. pray every day, morning and night; and 4. pay a faithful and honest tithe, then I would always have the help of the Lord and the blessings I would need in life. It has been almost 20 years since that interview occurred and I have lived by those principles ever since, and found his inspired direction to be absolutely true! As I cast my mind back on what my Stake President did, I am not sure precisely as to details, but I know I sat in the presence of someone I trusted, admired, and who had the Spirit of the Lord with him or else how could I still remember his clear council? (See John 14:26). In addition to who he was, and what he did, here are a few more ideas as to how you and I might help our students feel the truth and importance of doctrines and principles of the gospel.

The how. The Gospel Teaching & Learning Manual shares several insights into how we can help our students feel the importance of doctrines and principles. We can help our students reflect on their personal experiences related to the principle, ask inspired questions to help them search their memories for instances when they have already experienced the blessings of living a principle, a teachers and students may share stories from their lives or the lives of others who have felt the importance of a doctrine or principle, as well as inviting students to bear witness of the truthfulness of a principle or doctrine, and there is more on page 30. But probably the most powerful preparation prior to class comes from Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who encouraged teachers, "Will you pray for guidance in how to have the truth sink deep into the minds and hearts of your students so as to be used throughout life? As you prayerfully seek ways to do that, I know that the Lord will guide you" (italics added, "To Understand and Live Truth," an Evening with a elder Richard G. Scott, 4 Feb 2005, as cited in Gospel Teaching & Learning Manual, p. 30).

Well, it is not going to be easy, but now I have to get to work and see how I can help the Lord help my students feel the truth and importance of doctrines and principles. But I have some tools as listed above, I am not alone, this is the Lord's work and He will assist and enable my efforts! I can count on Him and so can you.