Before I move on to the writings of Jacob, I'd like to address just part of one verse from 2 Nephi 31:3. Nephi had the challenge of teaching the Doctrine of Christ by referencing the writings of ancient prophets, i.e., Isaiah, to a group of people unfamiliar with the complex Hebrew poetic forms (like many of us!) Therefore, he presented the concepts to them first, in the words of the Prophet, and next, in his own words. Nephi wanted the points to be clear and understandable for, as he said, he delights in plainness.
The Lord, too, delights in plainness and understanding. According to Nephi, this is why the Lord speaks through the Holy Spirit in such a way that each person has access to gospel doctrine in words and concepts he or she can understand. That partial verse of 2 Nephi 31: 3, Nephi writes: For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding. This not only means that He will teach me in my native language, which is English, but also within the context of my culture and experiences. What He says to me may be far different from what He says to you; while different, both are correct if they come as pure knowledge from God.
Our lesson material asks us each week to record the impressions we receive while studying the scriptures. This is one way the Holy Ghost can teach us. I record my thoughts in my lesson manual, my scriptures (margins), my journal, and this blog. I invite others to read my blog, but I know that even if no one does, I still benefit by listening to what the Spirit is teaching me.
I love to write and have written several books, most of them about gospel doctrine. The latest is called Words of God. The people I know who have read it tell me they love it and have learned so much because I speak with plainness about gospel themes that are found in the Bible and supported in the Book of Mormon. But within my own family, few are reading it. I asked my brother one time why he hasn't read it and he said it is because I write like James E. Talmadge. While I don't agree with him in the least, it does say to me that what I write is plain to those who read with the Spirit and who are seeking to understand.
Here are five LDS authors whose works I have read and often reread. Each of them is profound. Each, is challenging to understand. But each presents crucial messages that can be understood through prayer, study, hard work, and the Spirit.
James E. Talmadge - Elder Talmadge was an apostle. He wrote his landmark book, Jesus the Christ while in the Salt Lake Temple. He is considered a great scholar.
Elder Talmage also wrote what is known as the definitive book on the LDS Articles of Faith, a book which one convert said was "the best book about Jesus Christ" he had ever read.
W. Cleon Skousen - Brother Skousen is a strict constitutionalist and has probably forgotten more about the U.S. Constitution than more of us know. He is a great patriot and has influenced the lives of men as disparate as Malcolm X and Glenn Beck.
He understands in a way few others do, the great covenant between God and the American nation. He would grieve what has happened to our Constitution today I am sure.
Steven, a Latter-day Saint business man and author, wrote a landmark book called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This text presents a model for success in both personal relationships and business. It is one of the most - if not the most - business and teaching models in the world.
I had an English teacher in high school that told us that we should never read without a pencil in hand. I always have a pencil and note pad beside me when I read Dr. Hugh Nibley. He was one of the great Latter-day Saint scholars of the 20th Century. As a professor at Brigham Young University, he is often known as one of the first apologetics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of his landmark works was Since Cumorah. He wrote several books and articles on the temple and temple themes.
Finally, the Apostle Neal A. Maxwell. Elder Maxwell was one of those rare men whose insights were so profound that I used to say I needed a dictionary beside me just to listen to one of his conference talks! Although he is remembered primarily for his spoken words, he was also a prolific writer. He created many word images such as "being caught up in the thick of thin things" that are often quoted by others who have no idea that he is the source.
I appreciate these men and their contributions to gospel knowledge. Often, they are difficult to understand because they operate at such a exalted level of understanding, one cannot just read them like pulp fiction. They require careful prayer and study. Using the excuse that it is just too hard to understand as a way of not studying 2 Nephi, Isaiah, Daniel, John's Book of Revelation, or any author whose works are laudable, is a poor one indeed. The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith to seek learning by knowledge and also by faith (Doctrine and Covenants 109:7) We need both. The Lord says He will teach us according to our own language, but that doesn't mean He will talk down to us. We still have to do our part of the work in understanding those truths He presents to us, even if it takes effort.
© March 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings
Buntin Danielson
No comments:
Post a Comment