Last year in our Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine class a sister read this verse of scripture:
Mosiah 19:1 And it came to pass that the army of the king returned after searching in the veins of the people of the Lord. (Were they looking for heroin or what?)Bless her heart, she's one who constantly says she reads the scriptures but doesn't understand them and marvels at my knowledge and grasp of them.
Well, this is what the verse actually says: "And it came to pass that the army of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord."
Big difference!! Can I rant for a moment? These good hearted brothers and sisters butcher every verse they read. They drop words, add words, mispronounce words, change words, and just generally make the scriptures unintelligible. And these are the same people who, suppossedly, would be offended at the offer of a literacy class. So we protect their feelings and offend mine!
The Gospel Doctrine class is taught at an elementary level. It is painfully boring for me to sit through it. I learn more on my own than in that class. I have never been to the Gospel Essentials class, nor would I want to as it is taught by another illiterate whose gospel understanding is based on her protestant upbringing. I feel for the newly baptized members in that class.
I enjoy many things about living in Iowa. The church is not one of them. I long to go back to a ward full of literate, educated brothers and sisters.
If the Glory of God is intelligence, in other words light and truth, why can't we have some of it out here in the Heartland? It is no wonder to me that the Branch here has been shrinking for many years. My friend, the YW's President tells that when they moved here about 18 years ago the branch was flourishing with a huge (40 children) Primary and they routinely took 10 or 11 girls to summer camp, the largest group in the Stake. What happened? A combination of factors, but I have to ask, how can a unit grow without literate members and a climate of excellence rather than one of mediocrity?
Oh wow Rozy, that is bad. I would be offended too. The Lord is teaching how important being educated is, that's seems apparent to me.
ReplyDeleteCan you plan some type of RS activity where you could have a workshop or something to encourage better reading skills?
I am working through the Branch Council; we're supposed to be getting a new Branch President this Sunday, so I'm hoping we can move forward. The new BP is a READER!!! Read my previous post on literacy to see what had happened. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteUgh! You hit the nail on the head! We have the same problem here. It makes me so sad and frustrated to see how much time people are willing to spend on Nascar, etc, and so little time on things of such great importance.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could try the book club. If no one comes, you could go back to you BP and report the lack of success. Maybe he'll be able to come up with a different idea.
"The Gospel Doctrine class is taught at an elementary level. It is painfully boring for me to sit through it. I learn more on my own than in that class. I have never been to the Gospel Essentials class, nor would I want to as it is taught by another illiterate whose gospel understanding is based on her protestant upbringing. I feel for the newly baptized members in that class."
ReplyDeleteIt was like reading my own thoughts!!!