Mission Prep Unit 2
What four things were necessary before the church could be officially organized?
1. Book of Mormon 2. Authority of Christ 3. Doctrine and laws of Christ 4. Knowledge of basic procedures and duties as disciples of Christ
Four fundamental truths from the first vision
1. God and jesus are two separate, distinct beings 2. Father and Son have glorified bodies of flesh and bone 3. God still speaks to man 4. the full and complete church of christ wasn't upon the earth
Religious freedom provided joseph smith with two blessings/opportunities. What were they?
1. He could question which of all the churches was right 2. He could seek an answer from God bc bible was allowed to be translated into english
Moroni taught that the saints in his day conducted themselves after the manner of the workings of the spirit. He identified two fundamental workings of the spirit that we should emulate. What were they?
1. Holy ghost teaches in a personal way 2. teaches by inviting, prompting, encouraging, and inspiring us to act
What questions asked by joseph and oliver led to the restoration of the aaronic priesthood?
1. How can we obtain the blessings of baptism and the gift of the holy ghost for ourselves? 2. How can we obtain the authoriy to administer the same blessings to others?
After christ's death, wicked people persecuted and killed many of the apostles. Three results noted in PMG?
1. Priesthood keys and authority were taken from the earth 2. Doctrine and principles corrupted and changed 3. People relied on human wisdom to interpret scripture, principles and ordinances
3 keys to improve quality and power of teaching and help investigators understand the importance of the restored gospel
1. Rely on the Spirit to give you what to say and do 2. Studying and developing 3. Using skills taught to you
What three things are required to teach by the spirit?
1. clean through repentance 2. Preparation 3. Desire to be lead
President benson taught 3 reasons why we should make the study of the book of mormon a lifetime pursuit. what were they?
1. keystone of our religion 2. written for our day 3. helps us draw nearer to god
Three keys associated with the aaronic priesthood?
1. ministering of angels 2. gospel of repentance 3. baptism by immersion
President benson promised power would come into our lives the moment we begin a serious study of the Book of Mormon. 3 examples?
1. resist temptation 2. avoid deception 3. stay on straight and narrow
How many accounts of the first vision do we have?
9
Martin Luther
95 theses, protested practice of paying money to be forgiven of sins
Elder Callister noted two other key doctrines restored through the prophet joseph smith. what were they?
???
Who was inspired to invent the printing press?
Johannes Gutenberg
Who restored Aaronic priesthood and when?
John the Baptist May 15 1829
Most powerful resource a missionary has in facilitating the conversion process of those they teach?
Book of Mormon and their testimony of it
Confucius
Chinese teacher, moral and social thinker
Who did Nephi see being led by the Spirit to discover new lands?
Columbus
What did elder oaks say was the most important single event that led to the modern Christian concept of deity, the three in one theory of the godhead?
Council of Nicaea
Teaching in unity with your companion is very important. How can you accomplish that?
Don't fall into routines, support by being a second witness to their testimony, follow spiritual impressions, pray for companion when they speak
Puritans were instrumental in establishing religious tolerance
False, believed they had true faith and wouldn't tolerate other religions
The book of mormon and the bible support each other. As you use both books to teach, what guideline is given in PMG?
Give priority to the book of mormon but also to show that they teach the same principles
Religious climate in eastern US when Joseph Smith was growing up?
Great awakening--religious renewal and excitement, different groups causing division
We are often left, elder oaks said, to work out problems without the direction of the spirit. What promise did he give to us if we are doing our best but get off course?
He will restrain us by the promptings of the spirit
What were some consequences of the fall?
Mortality, cast out, suffering, death, pain, sickness, temptations
As quoted in PMG, what did President Benson say missionaries need to do?
Need to show how the book of mormon answers the great questions of the soul
Fourth argument that Joseph had a mental illness like schizophrenia?
No evidence he had any form of mental illness, a mental illness can't make an illerate man into a skilled writer, and the book itself isn't a characteristic of the mentally ill
Fifth argument that Joseph was a creative genius?
No reference suggesting he read or conversed with any historical sources, no evidence that he visited libraries where histories were located, Emma never said he referred to any of those books, he had no books present when he translating. He couldn't have written such a complex and correct book on native american life without any notes or mistakes
Three witnesses of the Book of Mormon
Oliver Cowdery, David whitmer, Martin Harris
A second argument against the book of mormon is that someone else (Oliver Cowdrey or sidney rigdon) must have written it. How did callister refute that argument?
Oliver testified that he wrote what joseph read to him and that the book is true, even after he left the church Rigdon was converted by book of mormon so he couldn't have written it, his daughter testified he never saw it until it was presented to him, already printed, and he testified of its truth on his deathbed
Who restored the Melchizedek Priesthood?
Peter, James, and John
What is the significance of the point that "heavenly father reveals his gospel in every dispensation" in teaching the apostasy?
In the bible there are stories of wicked people killing/rejecting the prophets so they are taken away by God for a time then eventually restored. it's showing that pattern hasn't changed since Biblical times, god still gives prophets to restore what is lost
What scripture inspired Joseph Smith during his time of confusion?
James 1:5
In addition to teaching by the spirit, what did elder oaks says should always accompany our teaching?
Reason and logic
Reformation vs. restoration
Reformation is changing something, restoration is bringing back the same things
Elder oaks said we believe in continuing revelation, not continuous. What's the difference?
Revelation isn't constant, we have to work out our own problems due to mortality
What is one of the most important things to do before you begin teaching another lesson to an investigator?
Review/make sure they understand and don't have any questions about previous lessons
Which colony was first to have religious toleration?
Rhode Island
Which religion settled Maryland and established first religious toleration act in US?
Roman Catholics
Third argument is that the Book of mormon was plagiarized from other books. How did callister refute that?
Spaulding manuscript: They eventually found the manuscript the Book of Mormon was supposedly plagiarized from and it was compared to the Book of Mormon by non members and they concluded it had no resemblance at all The View of Herbrews is another book that Elder Callister said has different writing style and focus, it focuses on connecting Native Americans to Hebrews rather than a testament of Jesus Christ. Book of Mormon is a cohesive narrative while the View of Hebrews is not, it's a compilation of quotes and historical facts to prove it's theory
Besides the plates, what were the 3 witnesses shown?
Sword of Laban and urim/thummim
One argument against the Book of Mormon is that Joseph Smith wrote it. How did elder callister refute that argument?
The Book of Mormon is too complex for an unlearned man to write it
What was the Great Awakening?
religious revival, rekindling of religious commitment
While translating, Joseph and oliver read about baptism. This led to what?
restoration of priesthood
What is important to establish with your investigators before you begin to teach them?
Understand religious background and their expectations, give overview of what you're going to teach
Once we have a foundational testimony of the book of mormon, what did elder callister say we can do?
We can approach any question or challenge with faith instead of doubt because the Book of Mormon is a witness of Jesus Christ
John Knox
scottish reformer
What promises did President Nelson give if we prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day?
We'll make better decisions every day, the windows of heaven will open and we will receive answers to question and direction in life, we'll be immunized against the evils of the day
President nelson urged us to consider which three related questions about the book of mormon?
What would your life be like without the book of mormon? What would you not know? What would you not have?
Mohammed
Writing found in Koran, sacred book of Islam
What was the date of the organization of the Church?
april 6, 1830
What led to the creation of the many protestant churches?
attempts to reform teaching and practices they believed were corrupt to achieve greater spiritual light and truth
Why is "the gospel blesses families" a good place to start when teaching the apostasy?
because families are the center of the plan, the gospel needed to be restored because the power to seal families for all time was lost during the apostasy
fourth significant event of restoration after book of mormon is printed?
church is organized
Define spiritual death
distance from god
Having both the book of mormon and the bible fulfills what law?
The law of witnesses
3 ways the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion?
foundation of testimony, fulness of the gospel, simply taught
Buddha
hindu teacher
Elder Callister said "because the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion, the Church rises or falls on the truth of it." What did he mean?
if Book of Mormon is proven manmade, then the church is manmade. If one is god given, the other is god given, Joseph smith is a prophet, and if he's a prophet then the church is true
During the apostasy, many ordinances were altered or added without authority. Examples?
infant baptism, celibacy, burning incense, body is evil, god is a spirit, worshipping martyrs
John Wycliffe
made scriptures available to common people
What did elder hales say was the first step to the restoration?
making scriptures available to everyone
What did Ezra Taft Benson say is the best teacher?
The spirit
Joseph smith testified that the book of mormon was translated by the _____ and ______ of God
power and gift
Joseph was told that none of the churches were the church of jesus christ. What did the savior say about the other churches?
They draw near unto him with their words but their hearts are far from him
If adam and eve hadn't eaten the fruit, what would've happened?
They never could've progressed, remained in state of ignorance
In PMG we are taught a number of things about adam and eve in the garden of eden, what can you identify?
They were in an immortal state in the presence of god, incapable of having children, state of innocence
After Moroni's initial visits to Joseph, he had to wait four years before getting the plates. Why?
To teach joseph to rely on the lord and move forward on faith until the time is right
Brother richardson noted that we are all teachers. However, what should we always remember?
the Holy Ghost is the real teacher and witness of all truth
Besides losing a correct understanding of the Godhead, what else did elder oaks say was lost in the apostasy?
the nature of god (the knowledge that God has a body, that he is incomprehensible and mysterious, etc.)
How can we discover truth of book of mormon?
the spirit
Central purpose of the book of mormon?
to convince that jesus is the christ
William Tyndale
translated the Bible into English
Joseph translated by putting a single seer stone in a hat then putting his face in the hat
true
complete religious freedom was not achieved in America until after the revolution
true
What does apostasy mean?
turning away from the truth
What things cause people to distance themselves from god and begin to live in spiritual darkness?
using their agency to disregard or disobey God's commandments, failure to endure in faith
Restoration began with the first vision, what was the second important event?
visited by angel moroni, received the gold plates
What did elder oaks say we needed to do to realize a fulness of joy?
we had to prove our willingness to keep the commandments while not remembering premortal life
Towards what is Satan's most strenuous opposition directed?
whatever is most important to the father's plan
President Benson said we should use the book of mormon to respond to objections investigators have about the church. What did he say is the only problem the objector needs to resolve?
whether the book of mormon is true or not because if it's true, Jesus is the christ, joseph was his prophet, church is true, and we have living prophet
Those who teach after the manner of the spirit understand they teach _______and not ________
people & lessons
ELder Oaks taught that the lord will speak to us through the spirit in his _____ _____ and in ___________
own time & his own way
Define physical death
spirit leaving the body
