“Use It in Our Daily Lives”
Likening the Scriptures
A teenager spoke in Sacrament Meeting on the topic of
“likening the scriptures to ourselves”. She said she looked
through the scriptures and found multiple passages that
she could not liken to her life such as Alma and four sons
of Mosiah going around destroying the Church and
Abraham nearly offering Isaac. What an interesting insight
she had. Other examples that she could have included are
good people who fell in character such as King David,
Solomon and Samson, or of scoundrels like King Noah and
Korihor.
Are there sections of scripture that we cannot practically
liken to ourselves? We could take the examples above
and say that we should liken them but in an opposite way.
However there are other sections that seem mostly
removed for our time and circumstance, such as the very
specific sacrifices and rituals detailed in the book of
Leviticus. Taking that entire book in its entirety we can
apply an overall message “that God requires the
sanctification of the whole man, body as well as spirit”
(Bible Dictionary, “Leviticus”). However its 27 chapters of
complex directions are not required to deliver a message
so simple.
Are then all parts of scripture for our likening and use?
Nephi famously said –
… For I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be
for our profit and learning. (1 Nephi 19:23).
The 1828 Websters Dictionary defines all as –
Every one, or the whole number of particulars. (1828
Websters Dictionary.)
Nephi’s brother Jacob said of the writings of Isaiah –
And there are many things which have been spoken by
Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are
of the house of Israel. (2 Nephi 6:5)
Jacob did not say “all” but “many” thus there are some
parts of Isaiah that are not likened to us. Is it possible that
he and Nephi he did not use the word all in the same allinclusive sense that we do? The 1828 dictionary says that
all means everything, but it includes a second meaning –
This word, not only in popular language, but in the
scriptures, often signifies, indefinitely, a large portion
or number, or a great part.
Thus, all the cattle in Egypt died; all Judea and all the
region round about Jordan; all men held John as a
prophet; are not to be understood in a literal sense,
but as including a large part or very great numbers.
(1828 Websters Dictionary.)
In other words Nephi might have meant that while we can
liken “a great part” (from the dictionary) of the scriptures
to ourselves, some parts may not necessarily lend
themselves to doing so.
LDS scholar Kent P. Jackson wrote –
But a word of caution is in order, as one Latter-day
Saint commentator has pointed out: "To 'liken' a
scripture to a different situation than that in which it
originated is not always to learn the original message
of that scripture. To correctly interpret a scriptural
passage is to learn its original meaning … There is a
distinction between the interpretation of a scripture
and some personal application of the same scripture to
show a principle or lesson."
Readers should not assume that every statement of an
ancient prophet must have a specific meaning in the
latter-day setting. (From his chapter in Studies in Scripture, ch.
11, “Nephi and Isaiah.” He quotes from Monte S. Nyman, Great Are
the Words of Isaiah, p. 12.)
Daily Lives
Currently in the Church we have expanded on Nephi’s idea
of likening to using, and we frequently hear and say this
phrase: “that we may use it in our daily lives.” Our
intention is that every lesson must be applied on a daily
basis. Some of us have taken it further to believe that
anything in the gospel that does not apply here and now,
and that does not result in a correction in our behavioral,
should not be taught.
These ideas are not supported in scripture. The word
pairs “daily lives” and “daily life” do not exist in scripture.
The word “daily” used alone does not appear anywhere in
association with applying principles. The famous line
“Choose you this day” (Joshua 24:15, Moses 6:33, Alma 30:8)
appears to be an exception but it is more of a one-time
decision or occasional re-commitment.
The fact that the phrasing of using principles in daily life is
not scriptural should signal caution, and upon reflection
indeed there are multiple problems with the concept. The
first is the timeframe: daily. A lesson about the Sabbath is
mostly applicable on that day along and not for the other
six days of the week. Likewise home teaching is normally
once per month and preparing for baptism, whether for
oneself or for helping someone else, is infrequent at best.
Another problem is that some doctrinal topics do not fit
into the timeframe of mortality at all such the final
judgment, the resurrection, and the three degrees of
glory. Seeing those events as lofty goals allows us to
implement some aspects here and now, but the majority
of the meaning and power is yet to come. Other topics
involve events that will happen sooner but are still distant,
such lessons for the youth about preparing for a mission
and preparing for marriage and parenthood.
“Using It” – Practical
As already mentioned, the emphasis of applying principles
immediately has at times unwisely gone to the point of
deriding anything that goes beyond it as impractical. In
contrast the Lord asks us to widen our vision –
Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ,
the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in
your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest
upon your minds. (D&C 43:34.)
Here the timeframe is eternity, which has a much different
feel than daily. The practicality of treasuring up words
and letting them rest within us is like planting orchards
where the benefit is in the distant future. Most of the
things of the temple are of the same sort. While we often
emerge from the temple refreshed, or calmed, or
enlightened, the blessings promised therein span well
beyond mortality.
Behavioral Change
In “using” principles in our daily lives, the focus is usually
on those points that result in changes in the near term in
how we act. Generally those points fall into three overall
categories –
1. Being a better person.
2. Being more obedient.
3. Serving others more.
There are teachings in scripture that do not fit those
categories or do not result in an immediate reorientation
of our actions, for example –
… Things which are at home, things which are abroad;
the wars and the perplexities of the nations … and a
knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms. (D&C
88:79.)
That passage lists specific examples of the Lord’s
commandment in the preceding verses to “teach ye
diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be
instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in
doctrine …” While those words are somewhat familiar to
us, less well remembered is the reason the Lord gave for
them –
That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send
you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have
called you, and the mission with which I have
commissioned you. (v. 80.)
Thus getting an understanding of “the perplexities of the
nations” is part of preparing to adequately magnify our
future callings and missions. How often is that in
missionary preparation or leadership classes? Likely it is
bypassed because it does not quite result in immediate
changes of heart, or it is not seen as a practical
commandment in our daily lives.
Daily and Practical, Part 2
There is a tantalizing twist on these points however. If we
accept that God’s commandments are indeed practical –
even including those best described as “theory” – and if
we realize that pondering “perplexities” and “wars” are a
commandment, along with “treasuring up” (D&C 84:85) the
Lord’s wonderful ideas, then we can indeed do such things
in our daily lives.
Pondering and treasuring truths that extend beyond our
space and time have a value that is hard to measure
immediately but is real. Joseph Smith gave taught –
What is the object of our coming into existence, then
dying and falling away, to be here no more? It is but
reasonable to suppose that God would reveal
something in reference to the matter, and it is a
subject we ought to study more than any other.
We ought to study it day and night, for the world is
ignorant in reference to their true condition and
relation. If we have any claim on our Heavenly Father
for anything, it is for knowledge on this important
subject. (History of The Church, v. 6, p. 50.)
If we take Joseph’s counsel as sensible, and because he
understood the nature of reality far more than any of us
have, doing what he said then is practical. And because
most of us are not doing this already, it would also lead to
behavioral change.
Groups
The above points are somewhat easy to grasp. There is
however something more difficult to discern in scripture,
and is evidenced in the quote from Nephi about likening –
… For I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be
for our profit and learning.
The words us and our are odd in that context. If we in our
time had written it we would say “unto me” and “for my
profit.” The same nuance exists in Jacob’s words about
likening but it is more subtle –
… may be likened unto you, because ye are of the
house of Israel.
English does not have a separate word to denote plural
you, and Jacob is clearly speaking to a group because
earlier it says –
… Which he spake unto the people of Nephi (v. 1)
Secondly his specific likening was because they were “of
the house of Israel.” He did not say “because each of you
are an Israelite.” He spoke in plural, likening one group of
people (the Nephites) to another group of people (the
house of Israel).
That is slightly odd because when nowadays we speak of
“using it our daily lives” we mean that each of us as an
individual should go to our individual homes and apply it
in our own individual activities.
We might respond that the difference is unimportant, it is
just a manner of speech. Besides, a group is simply a
collection of individuals. By doing so we reveal a bias that
is ingrained into our culture; in other words a way of
looking at things that in fact other cultures see differently.
Seeing a group as just a bunch of individuals denies the
concept of “holism” –

A theory or belief that the whole is greater than
the sum of the parts.
(http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/holism)

Any doctrine that a system may have properties
over and above those of its parts and their
organization.
(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/holism)
Nephi and Jacob both spoke to a group that was “greater
than the sum of its parts.” The group of Nephites, or a
group of Israelites, have a character and power beyond
the sum of the individual people within it. And the
scattering of Israel for example is more than a set of
individuals who happened to do the same thing, likewise
the repeated fall and rise of the Nephites throughout the
Book of Mormon, or the Israelites in the book of Judges,
and so forth.
Individualistic vs. Collectivistic
Americans, Canadians, Australians and most Europeans
see life in terms of individuals –
Individualistic cultures are those that stress the needs
of the individual over the needs of the group as a
whole. In this type of culture, people are seen as
independent and autonomous. Social behavior tends
to be dictated by the attitudes and preferences of
individuals. Cultures in North America and Western
Europe tend to be individualistic.
(http://psychology.about.com/od/iindex/fl/What-AreIndividualistic-Cultures.htm)
To most of us modern members of the Church there is no
practical alternative: the individualistic approach is just
the nature of reality. However other groups on earth,
including people in ancient scripture, saw reality
differently –
Collectivistic cultures emphasize the needs and goals
of the group as a whole over the needs and wishes of
each individual. In such cultures, relationships with
other members of the group and the
interconnectedness between people play a central role
in each person's identity. Cultures in Asia, Central
America, South America, and Africa tend to be more
collectivistic. (http://psychology.about.com/od/cindex/fl/What
-Are-Collectivistic-Cultures.htm)
The two perspectives are not necessarily entirely
different. An individualistic culture can see that an entire
group may need to repent, and a collectivistic culture can
accept that repentance requires a change of heart of each
individual. Yet the overall difference between them is
significant. Notice how strange this response sounds by
the Nephites to King Benjamin’s speech –
And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we
believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us;
and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of
the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a
mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no
more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.
(Mosiah 5:2.)
Their response goes on for another three verses and
continues in the same language. Verse 5 starts with –
And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our
God to do his will …
“We are willing to enter into a covenant …”? None of us
now enters into a covenant except individually, whether at
baptism or in the temple. The idea of a group doing so
seems counter the very nature of the gospel to us. A
group of us would not cry out saying about “a mighty
change in us” at the end of a talk. It is not our prerogative
to speak for someone else, especially something so
personal.
Collectivistic cultures however differ not just in the way
they go about things, but people in them see even their
own identity differently –
Wikipedia – Louis Dumont has contrasted "holism" to
"individualism" as two different forms of societies.
According to him, modern humans live in an
individualist society, whereas ancient Greek society, for
example, could be qualified as "holistic", because the
individual found identity in the whole
society. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holism#In_sociology)
By seeing a gospel tenant only as something I (me) must
use in my daily life misses the nature and power of many
major doctrines and covenants: the council in heaven, the
fall, the flood of Noah, the house of Israel, the scattering,
the gathering, the book of Isaiah, Christ’s visit to the spirit
world, his forty-day mission after the resurrection, the
restoration, the signs of the times, the millennium, the
spirit world, etc.
Me, Me, Me
As mentioned earlier the phrasing “daily lives” does not
appear in scripture. In fact the idea of applying principles
in “daily lives” has become popular in the Church only in
recent decades. Inasmuch as the idea is presented mostly
to reform “me,” perhaps it is no coincidence that those
same recent decades have been called “the me
generation.”
Wikipedia – The "Me" generation in the United States
is a term referring to the Baby Boomer [post-WWII]
generation and the self-involved qualities that some
people associated with it. ... The phrase caught on
with the general public, at a time when "selfrealization" and "self-fulfillment" were becoming
cultural aspirations among young people, who
considered them far more important than social
responsibility. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_generation)
National Institutes of Health; 58% more college
students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009
than in 1982.
Millennials [people born since 1980] received so many
participation trophies growing up that 40 percent of
them think they should be promoted every two years –
regardless of performance. They are fame-obsessed:
three times as many middle school girls want to grow
up to be a personal assistant to a famous person as
want to be a Senator, according to a 2007 survey; four
times as many would pick the assistant job over CEO of
a major corporation.
They're so convinced of their own greatness that the
National Study of Youth and Religion found the guiding
morality of 60% of millennials in any situation is that
they'll just be able to feel what's right. ("Millennials: The
Me Me Me Generation," Time, May 20, 2013.)
We might respond to the italicized part with, “Well, we’re
teaching them so that when they respond with what they
feel, those feelings will be right.” That however misses
the point of the study: millennials have been so puffed up
A possible concern for us then is this: Does stressing “use
by adults over time that they tend to rely
it in our daily lives” subtly promote or
on their own confidence and skimp on
It seems to be a difficult
enable an inappropriate focus on the self?
building a solid foundation through hard
thing to eliminate from
Certainly there are also many talks and
work in the scriptures.
the minds of some of our
lessons topics on service, which widen our
brethren cherished
The problem stands in contrast to the
vision beyond our individual selves to the
notions that are contrary
example of the greatest missionaries in the
needs and of others and their existences
to the revealed word.
Book of Mormon –
outside of our own. But does the narrow
Many questions have
focus of applying almost everything to the
… And they had waxed strong in the
been answered time and
here and now, and to me particularly,
knowledge of the truth; for they were men
time again … yet the
reduce the gospel too much to selfof a sound understanding and they had
error continues to exist.
centeredness?
searched the scriptures diligently, that they
might know the word of God. (Alma 17:2.)
– Joseph Fielding Smith
If this is true at all it would of course not
(Answers to Gospel Questions,
be total. In other words it would be a
(Personal note: I recently asked a Course 17 class if
v. 1, p.xvi. He quotes 2 Nephi
they had ever actually searched the scriptures for
matter of degrees. However even if the
32:6-7.)
something, instead of just reading them for an
problem exists only slightly, it may be
assignment. Only one person answered yes, she had
worth caution and some correction. Thus
done it only once, and the particular purpose was to answer a bit of
a closer look at the problem in western culture in general
trivia.)
might be in order.
Is narcissism slipping into our teaching approaches,
narcissistic personality disorder - A personality
especially regarding our youth? We are each Mormons
disorder characterized largely by an overinflated sense
but simultaneously we are members of western culture.
of self-importance typically caused by unbalanced
As such are we feeding narcissism to some extent, in
parental valuation during
particular regarding the “daily lives” problem?
childhood. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/narcissistic_personalit
An example could be the war parts of the Book of
y_disorder)
Mormon. Many members of the Church, whether
In an article in Time magazine titled "Millennials: The Me
millennials or older adults, are daunted by the challenge
Me Me Generation" author Joel Stein wrote –
of finding much to liken in those sections, which occupy a
large part of the book. Many of us secretly see little value
The incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is
in them and skim through them in our assigned readings.
nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for
We fail to note that the 15 major wars out of over 100
the generation that’s now 65 or older, according to the
instances of armed conflict each had its own specifically
detailed cause and outcome from a gospel perspective. If
the book wanted it all boiled down simply to pride it could
have saved over a hundred pages of text. We skip
searching and studying more deeply and we are confident
in reaching conclusions of those passages in the light of
our own understanding.
A millennial filled with positive affirmations and
“convinced of their own greatness” can not only miss the
deeper importance of such passages, but can suffer
another disadvantage –
When people with high self-esteem uses positive
affirmation, it acts as a buffer for constructive criticism
that goes against the self-perception …
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmations_(New_Age) )
In other words, a person who might otherwise be
comparatively humble can have an internal resistance to
some needed areas of repentance when principles conflict
with their self-esteem or cultural predispositions.
Other Cultural Perspectives
There are more ways that our native culture can
predispose us to certain approaches in understanding the
scriptures. An example is our tendency to value the
sermons in the Book of Mormon while devaluing the
historical sections as mere details. In contrast other
cultures can see those details as highly important. An
American who served a mission to New Zealand
recollected –
The Maori read the Book of Mormon differently than I
did … They saw it as a tragic story of families in conflict
and sub-tribes and tribes quarreling with each other
and bent on revenge for personal insults and factional
quarrels. … They tended to focus on story instead of
just the sermons, on the reports of evils inflicted on
communities by pride and ambition … (“A Maori View of
the Book of Mormon”, recollections of his mission, Journal of Book
of Mormon Studies, v. 8, no. 1.)
Not only do those insights help in understanding the
importance of history, they also support a collectivistic
approach. Additional insights are available from other
cultures and humble us in being hasty and overly selfconfident in “feeling what’s right”.
Summary
Expecting all scripture to be applicable to daily lives of
current mortals has disadvantages and perhaps even
dangers. Inherent in the approach is the risk of perceiving
that everything is about me in an overindulgence of the
self.
Does the emphasis of likening the scriptures, often with
only superficial explanation of the particular passage at
hand and with little attempt at fully understanding the
author’s original intent, further invite a “millennial” to
walk too much in the light of his or her own self? Perhaps.
At the very least, requiring that gospel truths must apply
to our immediate behavior today may diminish their
grandeur and power and even demean the more sublime
ones, such as those that take us beyond the here and now.
As Neal A. Maxwell wrote –
Eventually, the veil that now encloses us will be no
more. Neither will time. (D&C 84:100) Time is clearly not
our natural dimension. Thus it is that we are never
really at home in time. … Whereas the fish is at home
in water, we are clearly not at home in time—because
we belong to eternity. Time, as much as any one thing,
whispers to us that we are strangers here. (All These
Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p. 11.)
The greatness of God transcends our fractional moment in
time and our tiny locale in space –
And were it possible that man
Could number the particles of the earth,
Yea, millions of earths like this,
It would not be a beginning
To the number of thy creations;
And thy curtains are stretched out still;
And yet thou art there,
And thy bosom is there …
(Moses 7:30.)
Joseph Smith is the greatest example in modern times of a
leader and a teacher. He sets the bar well beyond the
confines of what is immediately practical and applicable –
Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto
salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens,
and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss,
and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must
commune with God. (History of The Church, v. 3, p. 295.)
Extra Material
In the relating the tribulations of the early saints to our
own lives, a teacher can ask the students how it would be
if someone stole their MP3 player or cell phone. While
effective for the basic principle, it can trivialize the events
of the saints being expelled from their homes in early
winter. Such a thing back was more than a loss of
property because people depended on their homes and
stored foods for their very lives. Especially for parents
with children and for the elderly, being thrust from their
homes in winter could be consider attempted
manslaughter – and in some cases the victims did indeed
die. Modern students can identify with the loss of
important property but they should also be helped to
empathize with sacrifice beyond their experience.
To some degree this occurred in the DVD example of
Moses’ arms being supported. The principle of supporting
our leaders is taught but the original story becomes
somewhat of a caricature. There was indeed a real battle
going on with real casualties. Likewise with Ammon in the
sword and sling battle at the waters of Sebus: some of the
Lord’s children died in the process of bringing light and life
to others.
For a given situation, if we cannot think of a better way of
teaching the principle, perhaps we should at least be
mindful of the gravity of the historical event.
There is yet another potential problem. While we should
relate the scriptures to ourselves we should probably
never do so at the expense of a sound understanding of
the original events. Our time has yielded a self-absorbed
culture, and we can inadvertently be an enabler if the
virtue of relating to oneself is stretched into a vice of selfcenteredness.
A definition of empathy is as the ability to "put oneself
into another's shoes" (Wikipedia.org). Sometimes we are too
quick to cut the garment to our own size before
appreciating those who originally wore it.
Groups within the Church should be more than just
individuals who are going in the same direction. We
should be more like a basketball team with no-look
passes. There is a whole category of stats kept in
basketball on “assists”, which is where one player is
responsible in part for another players scoring. The
accomplish that both players must be in sync in mind and
in action.
“Daily” –


Things that do not occur every day.
Things that occur very few times during a life, such as


baptism.
Things that will occur a few years later, such as
preparing for a mission. (perplexities of the nations)
Things that will happen after this life. (Should we
study those things or do we consider them
impractical (Joseph Smith quote on the 3 degrees and
that we should study them now and of greatest
importance.)
Beyond this life –
One-to-one relationship between principle-actionblessing. Add explanatory, repeating sentences. Look up
terminology. “Is this always the case?”
House of Israel – scattering, gathering, BoM prophecies of
a people, tribes (patriarchal blessing of lineage), families.
“Enlarge thy soul without hypocrisy”. Find other passages
about enlarging – Alma 32, JSH
Topics not easily applied to our daily lives –
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Pre-mortal existence
Council in Heaven
Creation
Fall
Flood of Noah
House of Israel
Scattering of Israel
Gathering of Israel
Isaiah
Birth of the Savior
Crucifixion
Garden of Gethsemane
Christ’s Visit to the Spirit World
Christ’s Resurrection
Forty-Day Ministry
First Vision
Restoration
Signs of the Times
Millennium
Spirit World
Judgment
Resurrection
Three Degrees of Glory
Nature of the Godhead
Christ is "the way, the truth and the life" (John
14:5)
26.
L. Tom Perry – The lesson that week was on justification
and sanctification. It was evident, as the lesson began,
that the teacher was well prepared to instruct his
brethren. Then a question prompted a response that
changed the whole course of the lesson. In response to
the question, one brother commented: "I have listened
with great interest to the lesson material. The thought
has crossed my mind that the information presented will
soon be lost if we do not find application to put the
material presented into practice in our daily lives.” Then
he went on to propose a course of action.
The night before, a citizen of the community had passed
away. His wife was a member of the Church, but he had
not been. This high priest had visited the widow and
offered his sympathy. Leaving the home after the visit, his
eyes wandered over the beautiful farm of the deceased
brother. He had put so much of his life and labor into
building it up. The alfalfa was ready to cut …
The balance of the meeting was spent in organizing the
project to assist her. (“Called of God”, General Conference, Oct.
2002.)
Personal notes:

It is unfortunate that “justification and sanctification”
have become a stereotype among us of useless gospel
information. They are serious doctrinal topics.

The story could have simply have recounted how a
quorum brought up a need, planned and met it.
Rather it purposefully included detail that the
instructor “was well prepared” to teach the topic, but
the wise comment from a class member redirected
“the whole course” of it.

The topic then switched into a practical application
about service. Should the Sermon the Mount, the
King Follet Discourse and others have done likewise?

According to our manuals, almost every lesson boils
down to any of three main themes: service,
obedience or being a good person. Are there valid
themes that taught, learned and pondered
independent of them? (The scriptures are full of them
such as Three Degrees of Glory.)


It is unfortunate that the themes of service, obedience
and being a good person are positioned in opposition
to other topics. They are not. Gospel topics are
harmonious, not contradictory.
The three big themes are designed to correct
behavior, however they do little to build faith. Many
individuals, peoples and organization worldwide do
great service and filled with great character, but few
build faith in Christ.
Bruce R. McConkie – Our tendency it is an almost
universal practice among most Church members is to get
so involved with the operation of the institutional Church
that we never gain faith like the ancients, simply because
we do not involve ourselves in the basic gospel matters
that were the center of their lives. (Doctrines of the
Restoration, Mark McConkie, p. 236-237.)
Besides over-involvement with the “institutional Church”,
can a heavy emphasis on service for example come at a
cost of building faith? It can certainly come at cost in
understanding and mastery of theory, which is a
commandment.
D&C 97:14 – That they may be perfected in the
understanding of their ministry, in theory, in principle, and
in doctrine, in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God
on the earth, the keys of which kingdom have been
conferred upon you.

While the topic of justification and sanctification can
segue into a lesson on service, not every topic can or
should do so.

The quorum member said “that the information
presented will soon be lost if we do not find
application to put the material presented into practice
in our daily lives.” We should not assume therefore
that the only way to retain important information is
through application.
Joseph Smith – … We believe in [the Holy Ghost] being
a comforter and a witness bearer, that it brings things
past to our remembrance, leads us into all truth, and
shows us of things to come. (History of The Church, v. 5, p.
27.)
Neal A. Maxwell – Very importantly, the Holy Ghost
brings needed things to our remembrance, so we
should prepare by "treasuring up" precious things in
our individual storehouses of memory. All of this can
come "into [our] hearts … in the very hour, yea, in the
very moment" (D&C 100:5-6). (Moving in His Majesty and
Power, p. 65.)
D&C 84:85 – … But treasure up in your minds
continually the words of life, and it shall be given you
in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto
every man.

Perhaps a better approach in the story would have
been to recognize the need and carve out a section of
class time to address it. (This is what some quorums
do routinely at the beginning of the meeting. The
person who conducts asks if anyone knows of any
needs and then the group discusses ways of
addressing them.)

While many concepts do benefit from application to
our daily lives, doing so in some cases may cloud the
higher topic and actually reduce retention and impact.

Doing so could also potentially demean a topic such as
the Crucifixion.

Lesson topics are assigned months or even more than
a year in advanced. This system does not lend itself to
varying circumstances.
Joseph Smith – All men know that they must die. And it is
important that we should understand the reasons and
causes of our exposure to the vicissitudes of life and of
death, and the designs and purposes of God in our coming
into the world, our sufferings here, and our departure
hence. What is the object of our coming into existence,
then dying and falling away, to be here no more? It is but
reasonable to suppose that God would reveal something
in reference to the matter, and it is a subject we ought to
study more than any other. We ought to study it day and
night, for the world is ignorant in reference to their true
condition and relation. If we have any claim on our
Heavenly Father for anything, it is for knowledge on this
important subject.
Could we read and comprehend all that has been written
from the days of Adam, on the relation of man to God and
angels in a future state, we should know very little about
it. Reading the experience of others, or the revelation
given to them, can never give us a comprehensive view of
our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of
these things can only be obtained by experience through
the ordinances of God set forth for that purpose. Could
you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more
than you would by reading all that ever was written on the
subject. (History of The Church, v. 6, p. 50.)
David McCullough, Jr – You are not special. You are not
exceptional.
Contrary to what your u9 soccer trophy suggests, your
glowing seventh grade report card, despite every
assurance of a certain corpulent purple dinosaur, that nice
Mister Rogers and your batty Aunt Sylvia, no matter how
often your maternal caped crusader has swooped in to
save you… you’re nothing special. [The Book of Mormon
says multiple times that we are “less than the dust of the
earth” and Moses realized that “man is nothing”.]
… We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come
to love accolades more than genuine achievement. We
have come to see them as the point — and we’re happy to
compromise standards, or ignore reality, if we suspect
that’s the quickest way, or only way, to have something to
put on the mantelpiece, something to pose with, crow
about, something with which to leverage ourselves into a
better spot on the social totem pole. No longer is it how
you play the game, no longer is it even whether you win or
lose, or learn or grow, or enjoy yourself doing it… Now it’s
“So what does this get me?” [“How do I use this in my
daily life”?] As a consequence, we cheapen worthy
endeavors …
If you’ve learned anything in your years here I hope it’s
that education should be for, rather than material
advantage, the exhilaration of learning. You’ve learned,
too, I hope, as Sophocles assured us, that wisdom is the
chief element of happiness. (Wellesley High School
commencement speech, 2012,
http://theswellesleyreport.com/2012/06/wellesley-high-grads-toldyoure-not-special/)
Brigham Young – Our work is to bring forth Zion, and
produce the Kingdom of God in its perfection and beauty
upon the earth. We have no business here other than to
build up and establish the Zion of God. It must be done
according to the will and law of God, after that pattern
and order by which Enoch built up and perfected the
former-day Zion, which was taken away to heaven, hence
the saying went abroad that Zion had fled. By and by it
will come back again, and as Enoch prepared his people to
be worthy of translation, so we, through our faithfulness,
must prepare ourselves to meet Zion from above when it
shall return to earth, and to abide the brightness and glory
of its coming. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 443)
Jeanne Whalen – Screens have changed our reading
patterns from the linear, left-to-right sequence of years
past to a wild skimming and skipping pattern as we hunt
for important words and information.
More academics and writers are advocating a return to
absorbing, uninterrupted reading—slow reading, as they
call it. WSJ's Jeanne Whalen discusses with Tanya Rivero.
Photo: Getty
One 2006 study of the eye movements of 232 people
looking at Web pages found they read in an "F" pattern,
scanning all the way across the top line of text but only
halfway across the next few lines, eventually sliding their
eyes down the left side of the page in a vertical movement
toward the bottom.
None of this is good for our ability to comprehend deeply,
scientists say. Reading text punctuated with links leads to
weaker comprehension than reading plain text, several
studies have shown. A 2007 study involving 100 people
found that a multimedia presentation mixing words,
sounds and moving pictures resulted in lower
comprehension than reading plain text did.
… Slow readers list numerous benefits to a regular reading
habit, saying it improves their ability to concentrate,
reduces stress levels and deepens their ability to think,
listen and empathize. (Wall Street Journal, Sep. 16, 2014.)
nar·cis·sism – Psychology: Extreme selfishness, with a
grandiose view of one's own talents and a craving for
admiration, as characterizing a personality type.
Psychoanalysis: Self-centeredness arising from failure to
distinguish the self from external objects, either in very
young babies or as a feature of mental disorder.
(www.google.com. President Uchtdorf mentions “this age of
narcissism” in his talk in General Priesthood Conference, 10/4/2014.)