Scripture equity and lesson rotation -- four year cycle

[jay santos]

Teaching the lessons out of the primary manual for D&C/Church history this year, I've come to an opinion on how we do the four year cycle of NT, OT, BoM, D&C. I don't think it's right. It's out of balance to give each of these exact 1/4th treatment in our seminary program, gospel doctrine classes, etc. Sad that we spend only 1/4th of our lesson time on the NT and 1/8th on the gospels. We are becoming more in line with mainstream Christianity (not a bad thing), but this is one area we could really use improvement.




This is the lesson that prompted this post. Teaching primary kids about Zion's Camp. Here are two different stories the lesson goes over. I'm quite certain you could open up to any page in the NT or BoM and find something more meaningful, inspiring, and testimony building. I find a lot of these little stories from the the manual for church history a) forced and b) many times counterproductive.

One evening there was an argument between Sylvester Smith (who was not related to the Prophet) and some of the other men. They asked the Prophet to settle the argument. Because Sylvester Smith and some of the other men were so rebellious, the Prophet told them, they would have more problems before they left the place where they were currently camped. The next morning almost every horse in camp was sick. The Prophet told the men that if they repented and humbled themselves before the Lord, their horses would be made well again. The men did repent, and by noon all of the horses were well except Sylvester Smith’s, which died.

As they marched, members of Zion’s Camp were spied on and bothered by members of the Missouri mobs. One mob leader named James Campbell swore that “the eagles and turkey buzzards shall eat my flesh if I do not fix Joe Smith and his army … before two days are passed.” Campbell and his companions tried to cross the Missouri River, but their boat sank in the middle of the river and James Campbell and six other men drowned. Campbell’s body floated downstream, and eagles, buzzards, and other birds and animals ate his flesh before his remains were found.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Those stories are in the primary manual? Good grief.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

My 11 year old says they didn't talk about horses, just mainly about "camp Zion". So I don't think he was paying attention.

[Katy Lied]

I'm getting to the end of my teaching a 4-year cycle, and I'm planning on asking for a 6 month sabbatical. Just enough to get refreshed and recharged. They'd just have to find a replacement for 6 months. That would be enough to get me going for another 4 year cycle.
Otherwise I will suffer serious burnout.

[Moliere]

I'm not a fan of the 4 year cycle either. The NT should be studied in much more depth. I do love studying the OT and look forward to next year as it's always fun to hear the anti-science high priests whine about the evolutionists and old earth theorists.

[Goatnapper'96]

I agree. I had to laugh and publicly make fun of the manual this sunday as I taught the Mizzou Expulsion lesson to my rising 10 year olds. One quote was "Independence was a rough frontier town where most of the people could not read or write." Hell, that line was written by Frank Arnold after a hoops game in Laramie. Now, I was able to take the Mizzou expulsion and turn it into a fabulous primary lesson on faith made complete by watching a youtube vid of MoTab singing "Now Let us Rejoice" as I taught the kids how WW Phelps' poem demonstrates a great example to us all of finding peace and hope through faith no matter how difficult our circumstances - after giving them a longwinded history lesson on slavery and how Joseph's sending Northeasterner abolitionists to Mizzou might have been a bit of a powder keg. I also ended the lesson with our final revenge as we watched Steve Young put the dagger in the heart of the Show Me state as he stumbled, rumbled and bumbled his way to touchdown glory in the '83 Holiday Bowl. I am sure hearts were warmed and tears were shed, but not all primary teachers are like me.....which I am sure the Primary Presidency likely appreciates!

[Indy Coug]

I'm not a fan of the 4 year cycle either. The NT should be studied in much more depth. I do love studying the OT and look forward to next year as it's always fun to hear the anti-science high priests whine about the evolutionists and old earth theorists.

I assume that if you think the NT and its 403 pages should be studied in more depth that you also believe that the BOM and its 531 pages should likewise have greater attention given to it?

[Moliere]

I assume that if you think the NT and its 403 pages should be studied in more depth that you also believe that the BOM and its 531 pages should likewise have greater attention given to it?

Yes, I'd love that. We blow through so much in those lessons as it is, and I understand GD is supposed to just supplement our own personal study, but it's tough to plow through 5-10 chapters a week in personal study if you really want to understand what's going on and why it was written the way it was written. I will say that I'd put more emphasis on the Gospels than anything else....except maybe 3 Nephi, which is mostly a copy/paste from the Gospels anyway.

[Harry Tic]

I assume that if you think the NT and its 403 pages should be studied in more depth that you also believe that the BOM and its 531 pages should likewise have greater attention given to it?

Well, it would stand to reason that if all scripture before Christ points forward to him and all scripture after Christ basically looks back and explicates his doctrine then it might make sense to give that little window in which he was, you know, actually on the earth more than 1/8 of the curriculum. Not that the war chapters in the BoM aren't wonderful.

[Harry Tic]

The real correction I would like to see is for us to drop the topical approach to the Doctrine and Covenants. It's terrible for many reasons.

[Sleeping in EQ]

I assume that if you think the NT and its 403 pages should be studied in more depth that you also believe that the BOM and its 531 pages should likewise have greater attention given to it?

Well, some of the NT has been grafted into the BoM, but mostly you get more of the OT in the BoM (and it's usually taught in an odd context, as though Christ didn't fulfill The Law, and The Law can be grafted into how I treat gay people, black people, Corianton, and other neighbors).

[Jeff Lebowski]

Well, some of the NT has been grafted into the BoM, but mostly you get more of the OT in the BoM (and it's usually taught in an odd context, as though Christ didn't fulfill The Law, and The Law can be grafted into how I treat gay people, black people, Corianton, and other neighbors).

The BOM is an interesting study on early 19th-century protestant theology. But we certainly don't discuss it that way.

[Sleeping in EQ]

The BOM is an interesting study on early 19th-century protestant theology. But we certainly don't discuss it that way.

Indeed.

[Harry Tic]

Indeed.

Why would the Olmecs have been worried about 19-century protestant theology?

[Northwestcoug]

It's ridiculous that Zion's Camp is in the official curriculum for Primary. But if you're going to teach it, I suppose you need to put a positive spin on it.
But seriously, is this any different than what is taught in the OT? God's revenge on the wicked is all over in that.