To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.

com

The cloud stones, pictured above, are located on the east center tower of the Salt Lake Temple, and represent the gospel piercing through superstition and the error of the world.
(see Deseret News, Symbolism Can Be Seen in Architecture of Salt Lake Temple, November 27, 2008)

Because the Doctrine and Covenants is an important means of accomplishing this, they will be on our handouts this year as a reminder. #1 Elder Bruce R. McConkie: In the temples the faithful enter into many covenants pertaining to exaltation. And so it goes, the more faithful and devoted a person is, the more of the covenants of the Lord he is enabled to receive, until he receives them in full and his calling and election is made sure. (Mormon Doctrine, Covenants, 167) #2 A poorly educated, twenty-six-year-old farmer was planning to publish ten thousand copies of his revelations that called his neighbors idolatrous, commanded them to repent, and foretold calamities upon those who continued in wickedness. Joseph was, by his own admission, no writer. He felt imprisoned by what he called the total darkness of paper, pen, and ink and a crooked, broken, scattered, and imperfect Language. He thus considered it an awful responsibility to write in the name of the Lord. Yet the Lord had given him that responsibility. He had called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandment and declared to Joseph that this generation shall have my word through you (D&C 1:17; 5:10). (Steven C.
Harper, Making Sense of the Doctrine & Covenants), 5)

thing I know.... I saw the ... imperfections in [Joseph Smith].... I thanked God that He would put upon a man who had those imperfections the power and authority He placed upon him ... for I knew that I myself had weakness, and I thought there was a chance for me. (Cited by Neal A. Maxwell, in Conference
Report, October 1984, p. 10)

#3 President Lorenzo Snow: I can fellowship the President of the Church if he does not know every-

#4 Alexis de Tocqueville, the French observer of American life, was touring the States when the Lord gave this revelation. He observed what the Lord decried and called it individualism. Writing a decade later, Ralph Waldo Emerson called it self-reliance. No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature, Emerson wrote. Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution; the only wrong what is against it. He did not want to be told of what he called my obligation to put all poor men in good situations. Are they my poor? he asked. I grudge the dollar, the dime, the cent I give to such men as do not belong to me and to whom I do not belong. Historians see in this period the installation of ambition as the one common good. Aspiration to acquire property and power grew to become false gods. Religion

too often assisted rather than checked these worldly ambitions. A popular 1836 tract was called The Book of Wealth; in Which It Is

the Pearl of Great Price, which we say are our standards in doctrine. The book of Doctrine and Covenants to us stands in a pecuProved from the Bible, That It Is the Duty of liar position above them all. Every Man to Become Rich. By the time JoI am going to tell you why. When I seph and his brethren began making plans say that, do not for a moment think I do not to publish the revelations, pride of self, once value the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the mark of the devil, was now not just a le- the Pearl of Great Price, just as much as any gitimate emotion but Americas uncontested man that lives; I think I do. I do not know of god. And since everyone had his own self, anybody who has read them more, and I apeveryone had his own god. (see #2, p. 3) preciate them; they are wonderful; they contain doctrine and revelation and command#5 President Heber J. Grant: I ments that we should heed; but the Bible is wish that I possessed the power to a history containing the doctrine and comimpress upon the hearts and the mandments given to the people anciently. minds of the Latter-day Saints the That applies also to the Book of Mormon. It necessity of becoming familiar with is the doctrine and the history and the comthe commandments contained in the D&C, mandments of the people who dwelt upon and not only becoming familiar with them, this continent anciently. but that I might have the power to impress But this Doctrine and Covenants conupon their hearts and souls a determination tains the word of God to those who dwell to keep those commandments, to live them here now. It is our book. It belongs to the in very deed and in their every-day lives. (CR, Latter-day Saints. More precious than gold, October 1928, 7) the Prophet says we should treasure it more than the riches of the whole earth. I wonder #6 President Joseph F. Smith: In if we do? If we value it, understand it, and my judgment there is no book on earth yet come to man as important know what it contains, we will value it more than wealth; it is worth more to us than the as the book known as the Doctrine and Covenants, with all due respect riches of the earth. (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:198 99.) to the Book of Mormon, and the Bible, and

Other thoughts too great not to include:

President Joseph F. Smith: If we will put (the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants) into practice, we will know the truth and there shall be no weapon formed against us that shall prosper. There shall be no false doctrines, no teaching of men that will deceive us If we will search these revelations then we will be fortified against errors and we will be made strong. (CR, Oct, 1931) Elder Neal A. Maxwell: Thus, in many ways the Doctrine and Covenants is modern equivalent of the thundering directness of Sinai (The Doctrine and Covenants: The Voice of the Lord, Ensign, Dec. 1978)

LESSON 1 OUTLINE

To begin our study of the Doctrine & Covenants, lets define doctrine and covenants! ~What is doctrine? (teachings) Teachings can be classified as either true or false. ~Where do true doctrines come from? (God) ~And how does He disseminate them? (revelation) ~And how can we know they are true? (revelation gained as a result of obedience to them, see John 7:16-17) This brings us to covenants. ~What is a covenant, in a gospel sense? (an agreement between God & man) ~Who sets the terms of this agreement? (God) ~How does God make known gospel covenants? (revelation to His prophets, and to each of us individually) So a covenant stipulates what we must do to receive a specific blessing, and we know a doctrine is of God by obeying it. ~What is the purpose of doctrines and covenants? (to enable us, through the Atonement, to become like Christ and thus be able to live with Him eternally.) So you could say gospel doctrines and covenants are synonymous! ~What are some examples of covenants? (baptism, marriage, priesthood ordinations) ~How about tithing? (yes, we obey and God promises specific blessings) ~Sabbath observance? ~Word of Wisdom? ~How about the Book of Mormon? Is the Book of Mormon a covenant? D&C 84:57 (The Lord was not pleased that the Saints treated lightly the Book of Mormon) Notice the Book of Mormon itself is a new covenant for our day! ~What is it we are to do to satisfy our part of this covenant? (conform to its teachings) ~And what is the promise if we do? (see verse 58, the celestial kingdom) ~What is the new and everlasting covenant? (the fullness of the gospel it em braces all other covenants past and future, see Mormon Doctrine, covenants.) Quotation #1 Obviously we cant cover every doctrine and covenant today, but Id like to point out one more:

D&C 98:3 2 (As we strive to keep our covenants, the Lord makes this comforting promise to us) ~What is the promise? (that all our afflictions shall work together for our good) Lets turn to the history of the Doctrine & Covenants. Perhaps you, like me, have always had the impression that it evolved in an orderly mannerthat Joseph received revelations, they were written down, collected, and eventually printed. Now I see it more as Heavenly Father revealing a flood of knowledge to Joseph, and the Church trying to keep up with it all! The early Saints were thrilled with Josephs revelations. They read them over and over. They committed them to memory. They would copy them by hand and then others would copy the copies! Obviously access to them was limited, and the potential for error great. So in November of 1831, Joseph gathered with Church leaders to discuss how best to publish the revelations. ~How much formal education had Joseph received? (3rd grade) Everyone at this meeting was more educated, at least formally, than Joseph. Some of them recommended that the language of certain revelations be improved prior to their publication. Think of it! How would you feel? Intimidated? Inadequate? Quotation #2 And so, Joseph suggested that they pray. In response, section 1 was revealed to Joseph, which is the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants. And by the way, as President Benson said, the Doctrine and Covenants is the only book in the world that has a preface written by the Lord Himself. (CR, Oct 1986) Lets turn to the Lords preface: D&C 1:24 ~How does the Lord answer the criticism of the language of the revelations? (revelation is given for our benefit and understanding, not Gods!) You would think this would silence the critics, but William E. McLellin had had more formal education than any of the others. He was an impressive man, and he continued to question Joseph. Again the Prophet sought the help of God, and a second revelation of the day was given: section 67. D&C 67:5-8 ~What is Heavenly Father suggesting here? (that they choose someone to try to write a revelation as good as the least of the Lords to Joseph) ~Whom did they choose? (William McLellin)

Well, Josephs history says that William McLellin endeavored to write a 3 commandment like unto one of the least of the Lords, but failed. (Dean C. Jessee, The Papers
of Joseph Smith, 1:367)

The next day he meekly offered his sustaining vote that the revelations be published as they were revealed, and apologized to the youthful prophet. Lorenzo Snow had this to say about Josephs weaknesses: Quotation #3 Id like to touch on the spiritual state of the world at the time the Doctrine & Covenants was first published. Again, if youre like me, you hold an idealistic view of life in the early 1800s: everyone was religious, every family studied the bible each evening, the leaders of the government were great men, and so forth. Well, the Lord describes our world at that time in different terms: D&C 1:13, 15-17 Steven Harper in his book Making Sense of the Doctrine & Covenants, quotes writers and historians of the time: Quotation #4 In stark contrast, the Lord says in D&C 38:39: ...the riches of the earth are mine to give, but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old. In 49:20 the Lord tells us ...it is not given that one man should possess that which is above another In 38:35 He commands us to ...look to the poor and the needy, and administer to their relief that they shall not suffer. The revelations reject selfishness and offer to the world Zion as an alternative. -In 1833 only a few incomplete copies of what they called A Book of Commandments was published because enemies destroyed the printing press. -In 1835 another edition was published. -In 1844 seven revelations were added, but publication was delayed due to the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. Section 135 was then added as well, which is a eulogy to Joseph. -The next several editions were published in England, beginning in 1845 by Wilford Woodruff. -Orson Pratt edited the 1876 edition, under the direction of Brigham Young. He added 26 new sections, rearranged the order of the sections and divided them into verses. -There were more editions in 1879, and 1880. -In 1908 Wilford Woodruffs declaration to end the practice of plural marriage was added.

-In 1921 Heber J. Grand directed another edition, which revised the footnotes 4 and set the type in double columns. Josephs Lectures on Faith was removed as well. -In 1981 the edition we use today was printed, which added sections 137 and 138, and the Official Declaration-2, on the priesthood being given to all worthy men. Continuing revelation is a hallmark of the restored gospel. Do we appreciate the blessings of living in this day? Lets end with a quote from President Heber J. Grant: Quotations #5 & #6 That we may gain a greater appreciation for our book as we study it this year is my prayer.