Tweet
I teach SS to the older youth in our ward. As everyone know, this year we are "studying" or "teaching" the Old Testament. I put both the words studying and teaching in quotes, because I just don't feel like anyone is studying the Old Testament, and the lesson manual hardly makes any pretense of teaching that book.
Instead, I see most lessons as an attempt to highlight a few verses that tend to support either the Book of Mormon, or the teachings of the modern church. I will take this week's lesson as an example.
The lesson covered the books of Amos and Joel. The manual gives no help in the background and historical setting of these 2 prophets. On that point, it would be difficult, as the 2 were not contemporaries, their ministries were hundreds of years apart, and little is know of either--especially Joel.
The first point of the lesson is Amos 3:7 which most are familiar with (The lord reveals his secrets to his servants, the prophets). There is no discussion of the context of this verse. If there were, we'd see that this was not the main point that Amos was trying to make. Yet, of the first 2 major sections of Amos, this is the only point teachers are asked to make.
Why? Because that verse alone tends to support one of the major foundations of our religion--that we must have modern day prophets because the Lord will always reveal his word to prophets. I find nothing wrong with pointing that out and even using that verse out of context to support that proposition. But what about what Amos was really talking about? What about the much more interesting prophesying that Amos does including his condemnation of the surrounding nations for war crimes, his condemnation of Israel for its crimes? What about the point Amos makes about the Israel not being the exclusive people of the LORD i.e. the LORD guiding other peoples in their own exoduses (amorites, edomites, etc)?
The lesson was much more about affirming our beliefs than about what Amos and Joel actually said. I understand that we are to liken the scriptures, but I feel like the SS manuals go well beyond likening and I feel like we are worse off for it. We are treated to more of the same week after week.
I can, of course, teach my own lesson, not from the manual. But, on the one hand, that is verboten (though i generally do it), and on the other, it would require much more preparation. Besides, my youth students are pretty tough to get very excited about any lesson.
Instead, I see most lessons as an attempt to highlight a few verses that tend to support either the Book of Mormon, or the teachings of the modern church. I will take this week's lesson as an example.
The lesson covered the books of Amos and Joel. The manual gives no help in the background and historical setting of these 2 prophets. On that point, it would be difficult, as the 2 were not contemporaries, their ministries were hundreds of years apart, and little is know of either--especially Joel.
The first point of the lesson is Amos 3:7 which most are familiar with (The lord reveals his secrets to his servants, the prophets). There is no discussion of the context of this verse. If there were, we'd see that this was not the main point that Amos was trying to make. Yet, of the first 2 major sections of Amos, this is the only point teachers are asked to make.
Why? Because that verse alone tends to support one of the major foundations of our religion--that we must have modern day prophets because the Lord will always reveal his word to prophets. I find nothing wrong with pointing that out and even using that verse out of context to support that proposition. But what about what Amos was really talking about? What about the much more interesting prophesying that Amos does including his condemnation of the surrounding nations for war crimes, his condemnation of Israel for its crimes? What about the point Amos makes about the Israel not being the exclusive people of the LORD i.e. the LORD guiding other peoples in their own exoduses (amorites, edomites, etc)?
The lesson was much more about affirming our beliefs than about what Amos and Joel actually said. I understand that we are to liken the scriptures, but I feel like the SS manuals go well beyond likening and I feel like we are worse off for it. We are treated to more of the same week after week.
I can, of course, teach my own lesson, not from the manual. But, on the one hand, that is verboten (though i generally do it), and on the other, it would require much more preparation. Besides, my youth students are pretty tough to get very excited about any lesson.
Comment