Revised Gospel Principals Manual

[jkfrost]

I think it interesting that some of the source citations have been altered to reference books in the "Teachings of the Presidents of the Church" series. This tells me that these manuals for Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society classes have an official status, as it were, that is not necessarily accorded other Church books, such as the old Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and President Kimball's Miracle of Forgiveness.

I think this is good, especially in the case of the current manual on the teachings of Joseph Smith, which incorporates very recent scholarship growing out of the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

My thoughts on this have to do with these Priesthood / RS Manuals are also more available

for more people.

They the leaders want us to study the teachings in them.

Not saying that other books are not still used -

these newer manuals refer to the afore mentioned sources.

[David T]

Not the whole chapter, just altered selections:

Chapter 24: The Sabbath Day

The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word meaning day of rest. The Sabbath day commemorates Before the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Sabbath day commemorated Godâ??s day of rest after he finished the Creation. It was a sign of the covenant between God and His people. We read in the book of Genesis that God created the heavens and the earth in six periods of time, which He called days: â??And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified itâ? (Genesis 2:2â??3). Now the Sabbath also commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sabbath day is every seventh day. It is a holy day ordained by God for us to rest from our daily labors and worship him.

Until the His resurrection of Jesus Christ, he Jesus Christ and his disciples honored the seventh day as the Sabbath. After His resurrection, Sunday was held sacred as the Lordâ??s day in remembrance of His resurrection on that day (see Acts 20:7;1 Corinthians 16:2). From that time on, His followers appointed observed the first day of the week as their Sabbath. In both cases there were six days of labor and one for rest and devotion.

The Lord has given us a direct commandment in these days that we, too, should honor Sunday, the Lordâ??s day, as our Sabbath (see D&C 59:12).

What kinds of things may we do on the Sabbath? The Lord has told us to prepare only simple foods on that day, keeping the purpose of the Sabbath in mind (see D&C 59:13). The prophet Isaiah suggested that we should turn away from doing our own pleasure and should â??call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourableâ? (Isaiah 58:13).

We should do consider righteous things we can do on the Sabbath. For example, we can keep the Sabbath day holy by 1. Attending Church meetings; 2. Reading the scriptures and the words of our Church leaders.3. Visiting the sick, the aged, and our loved ones;4. Listening to uplifting music and singing hymns; 5. Praying to our Heavenly Father with praise and thanksgiving; 6. Performing Church service that we have been assigned to do. 7. Preparing family history records and personal histories; 8. Telling faith-promoting stories and bearing our testimony to family members and sharing spiritual experiences with them; 9. Writing letters to missionaries and loved ones; 10. Fasting with a purpose; 11. and Sharing time with children and others in the home.

In deciding what other activities we should could properly engage in on the Sabbath, we should ask ourselves: Will it uplift and inspire me? Does it show respect for the Lord? Does it direct my thoughts to Him?

[David T]

In addition to the below, a few parentheticals indicating one should seek references in other books (Gospel Doctrine, Principles of the Gospel) were removed. I have not noted those when it is only references that are removed, only when associated text is changed or removed:

Chapter 25: Fasting

We can fast for our nonmember friends to become converted to to help others embrace the truth.

One Sunday each month Latter-day Saints observe a fast day. On this day we neither eat nor drink for two consecutive meals, thus making a fast of twenty-four hours. If we were to eat our evening meal on Saturday, then we would not eat or drink until the evening meal on Sunday.

Everyone who can do so All members who are physically able should fast. However, â??many are subject to weakness, others are delicate in health, and others have nursing babies; of such it should not be required to fast. Neither should parents compel their little children to fastâ? (Gospel Doctrine, p. 244). We should encourage our children to fast after they have been baptized, but we should never force them.

Isaiah tells us of the blessings that come when we fast: â??Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I amâ? (Isaiah 58:8â??9).

Fasting helps us gain strength of character. This reason alone makes fasting important (see David O. McKay, True to the Faith, p. 81). When we fast properly, we will learn to control our appetites, our and passions, and our tempers. Solomon said, â??He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a cityâ? (Proverbs 16:32). Even fasting for only two meals can give us a feeling of success. We are a little stronger by having proved to ourselves that we have self-control. If we teach our children to fast, they will develop the willpower spiritual strength to overcome greater temptations later in their lives.

[cinepro]

Less emphasis on "24-hours" as the recommended period for fasting?

[Scott Lloyd]

Less emphasis on "24-hours" as the recommended period for fasting?

It would appear so. Perhaps specifying a time period was deemed too Pharisaical.

[cinepro]

At the Grand Council we also learned the purpose for our progression: to have a fulness of joy. However, we also learned that not all of our Fathers children would want to receive a fulness of joy. some of us would be deceived, choose other paths, and lose our their way. (see Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball [2006], 15-16) .

That is a fascinating change. It totally eliminates the idea that some of Father's children would knowingly choose against the plan (I've known at least one person who told me they still had a testimony of the Gospel, but they chose not to follow the Plan of Salvation because they didn't think it would bring them eternal happiness, and it sure as heck wasn't helping them be happy in this life.)

Not to mention that the quote doesn't seem to appear in the SWK "Teachings" Manual!

[Joseph Antley]

That is a fascinating change. It totally eliminates the idea that some of Father's children would knowingly choose against the plan (I've known at least one person who told me they still had a testimony of the Gospel, but they chose not to follow the Plan of Salvation because they didn't think it would bring them eternal happiness, and it sure as heck wasn't helping them be happy in this life.)

That person would come under the "deceived" category, methinks.

[Calm]

That person would come under the "deceived" category, methinks.

It doesn't specify after all what they were deceived on and whether or not it was self deception (as in convincing oneself that wickedness could be happiness type of thing).

[Larrin]

Not to mention that the quote doesn't seem to appear in the SWK "Teachings" Manual!

It doesn't look like a quote to me. The general thoughts are definitely in the Teachings manual (look at Chapter 10 for being deceived), but you'd really have to read between the lines to find those things on pp. 15-16. I wonder what happened there.

[BCSpace]

That is a fascinating change. It totally eliminates the idea that some of Father's children would knowingly choose against the plan (I've known at least one person who told me they still had a testimony of the Gospel, but they chose not to follow the Plan of Salvation because they didn't think it would bring them eternal happiness, and it sure as heck wasn't helping them be happy in this life.)

That person would come under the "deceived" category, methinks.

Or choose other paths. It doesn't appear that anything was changed in terms of doctrine and it's implications.

[BCSpace]

Below, also, for context, is the entire chapter:

Chapter 47: Exaltation

You know, it doesn't seem like anything is being changed here or anywhere in the GP manual as far as doctrine. What seems to be happening is:

1. Removal of redundancies.

2. Shortening and simplification.

3. Dumbing down the language to accomodate the less well read.

[BCSpace]

Any confusion on an investigator's part comes only from your side of the argument. For example:

1. Why do some members of the Church disagree with what the Church says?

2. Why would the Church publish in it's manuals that which is not doctrine without identifying it as such?

BC, the Church's statement is very specific on where official doctrine "resides". Manuals are not listed among those places.

Indeed. But the Church's statement is also very clear as to who "establishes" the doctrine and where it is published; a reiteration of 2 Peter 1:21. In other words, neither you nor I by reading the scriptures can establish what the doctrine of the Church actually is. So when we read them, the doctrine we see must conform to what the prophets have established in officially published works such as the manuals. There is no need for the scriptures to state explicitly a doctrine as it is up to the prophets to infer what actually resides there.

Again you are faced with the question of why would the Church publish that which is not doctrine without identifying it as such?

[cinepro]

It doesn't look like a quote to me. The general thoughts are definitely in the Teachings manual (look at Chapter 10 for being deceived), but you'd really have to read between the lines to find those things on pp. 15-16. I wonder what happened there.

Upon further inspection, it appears they use a lot of paraphrasing throughout the book, and then reference other materials for people who want additional study on a subject. They aren't actually providing a reference for a quote. I guess that makes sense.

[Calm]

I was taught to use footnotes for specific ideas as well as quotes.

I have not had a chance to see if it's really that hard to pull the idea from those two pages, but it wouldn't be the first time that a page was wrong in a footnote. Always unfortunate when it happens, but as long as it's in the general vicinity, not too unfortunate.

[David T]

I was on vacation for the weekend. But now I'm back

Chapter 26: Sacrifice

From the time of Adam and Eve to the time of Jesus Christ, the Lords people practiced the law of animal sacrifice (see Moses 5:5). It was an ordinance of the gospel. They were commanded to offer as sacrifices the firstlings of their flocks.

Christs atoning sacrifice marked the end of blood sacrifices sacrifices by the shedding of blood . Blood such outward sacrifice was replaced by the ordinance of the sacrament. The ordinance of the sacrament was also given to remind us of the Saviors great sacrifice. We should partake of the sacrament often. The emblems of bread and water remind us of the Saviors bruised body and of His blood, which he shed for us.

Even though blood sacrifice sacrifice by the shedding of blood was ended, the Lord still asks us to sacrifice. But now he requires a different kind of offering. He said: Ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood, . . . and your burnt offerings shall be done away. . . . And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit (3 Nephi 9:1920). A broken heart and a contrite spirit means that we offer deep sorrow for our sins as we humble ourselves and repent of them.

If we are to be a living sacrifice, we must, if asked, be willing to give everything we have for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to build the kingdom of God on the earth and labor to bring forth Zion (see 1 Nephi 13:37).

Like the disciples, we can offer our daily activities as a sacrifice to the Lord. We can say, Thy will be done. Abraham did this. He lived on the earth before Christ, in the days when blood sacrifices and burnt offerings were required. As a test of Abrahams faith, the Lord commanded him to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Isaac was the only son of Abraham and Sarah. The command to offer him as a sacrifice was extremely painful for Abraham.

[robuchan]

I was on vacation for the weekend. But now I'm back

Chapter 26: Sacrifice

Where are you getting the strikethrough text? Are you creating it yourself or copying it from somewhere?

[David T]

I take my copy of the GP 2009 manual, and study it in parallel with my pdf of the 1997 one, and document the changes in an Open Office text document (usually by cutting-and-pasting from the 1997 edition, and then manually crossing out the deletions, and typing in the additions as I discover them). Then I transpose them over here, for the benefit of the interested.

[robuchan]

I take my copy of the GP 2009 manual, and study it in parallel with my pdf of the 1997 one, and document the changes in an Open Office text document (usually by cutting-and-pasting from the 1997 edition, and then manually crossing out the deletions, and typing in the additions as I discover them). Then I transpose them over here, for the benefit of the interested.

Wow, that's a lot of work but a cool service. Thanks.

[David T]

Chapter 27: Work and Personal Responsibility

He created every living thing in the sea or on the land. Then he placed Adam and Eve on the earth to take care of it and to govern the other creatures have dominion over all living things. (see Genesis 1:1â??28).

In this century, a prophet of God has said, â??Work is to be reenthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membershipâ? (Heber J. Grant, in Conference Report, Oct. 1936, p. 3 Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant [2002], 115 ).

God condemns receiving gain from evil and idle pursuits. Elder Spencer W. Kimball said, â??I feel strongly that men who accept wages or salary and do not give . . . [fair] time, energy, devotion, and service are receiving money that is not clean.â? He also said that money obtained by evil or idle practices, such as theft, gambling (including lotteries), graft, illegal drugs, oppression of the poor, and the like is unclean money. Elder Kimball defined the difference between honorable work and evil work: â??Clean money is that [pay] received for a full dayâ??s honest work. It is that reasonable pay for faithful service. It is that fair profit from the sale of goods, commodities, or service. It is that income received from transactions where all parties profit. Filthy lucre is . . . money . . . obtained through theft and robbery, . . . gambling, . . . sinful operations, . . . bribery, and from exploitationâ? (in Conference Report, Oct. 1953, p. 52).

We should each find the proper balance between work, recreation, and rest, and relaxation.

On other days of the week, in addition to working, we should schedule some time when we can visit with family, friends, and relatives. We may spend time to improve our talents and enjoy our hobbies, recreation, or other activities that will refresh us.

â??The happiest man is he who has toiled hard and successfully in his life work. The work may be done in a thousand different ways; with the brain or the hands, in the study, the field, or the workshop; if it is honest work, honestly done and well worth doing, that is all we have a right to askâ? (Theodore Roosevelt, A Nation of Pioneers, quoted by Richard L. Evans, Improvement Era, Nov. 1963, p. 984). President David O. McKay said, â??Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that the power to work is a blessing, that the love of work is successâ? (quoted by Franklin D. Richards, â??The Gospel of Work,â? Improvement Era, Dec. 1969, p. 103 Pathways to Happiness [1957], 381 ).

[David T]

I'd like to note that the big cross-out Spencer W. Kimball quote was most likely removed because it's subject matter was less to do with Work than it was with Honesty (which is covered separately in another chapter).

[Rommelator]

Thanks for the good work nackhadlow.

I see a lot of anti-Mormons like Aaron Shaf and others getting really indignant over the changes in the manual. Could someone explain to me the big deal about the Church making corrections and changes to this manual?

[Calm]

In the past, changes have been used to claim (wrongly imo and I think I and others have demonstrated quite well that while changes have been made in how something is said, the essential doctrine is still present in the text) that the Church is downplaying their more heretical doctrines such as exaltation and attempting to appear more mainstream.

I remember one example where a poster was positive that because a sentence about us being God's children was no longer present, that it was an obvious attempt to mainstream....he ignored the fact that essentially the same sentence was located in the next paragraph and that it had most likely been moved for better transition and to avoid repetition.

Other claims were based on sentences that were actually absent, but the fact that the doctrine had already been taught in previous chapters (and again likely removed to avoid endless repetitions) was again ignored. I don't believe in the several claims that poster presented (culled off of an antisite, he didn't actually do the work himself as far as I could tell), not one was an actual change, just a minor move or edit to improve the writing.

[David T]

Chapter 28: Service

All of us must be willing to serve, no matter what our income, age, condition of health, or social position

.

There are many ways to serve. We can help others economically, socially, physically, and spiritually. For example, we can give money, share food, or other articles to those who need them. We can help those in need by giving a generous fast offering. We can be a friend to a newcomer. We can plant a garden for an elderly person or care for someone who is sick. We can teach the gospel to someone who needs the truth or comfort someone who grieves.

President Specer W. Kimball said, "We become more substantive as we serve others indeed, it is easier to 'find' ourselves because there is so much more of us to find!" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, 85-86)

A husband can care for a sick baby when his wife needs rest. A wife can prepare a favorite dish for her husband. Husbands and wives serve and help each other. They can help each other take care of the children, and they can support one another in their individual interests and pursuits. A mother and father may sacrifice to send a child on a mission. An older boy may comfort a little sister who is afraid of the dark or help her learn to read. Our prophets have told us that a family is the most important unit in society. We must serve our families well (see Mosiah 4:1415).

We do not need to know the people we serve, nor do we need to be fond of them. We should look for ways to serve as many of our Heavenly Father's children as we can.

Jesus Christ loves all of us more than we can understand. When he was on earth he served the poor, the ignorant, the sinner, the despised. He taught the gospel to all who would listen, fed crowds of hungry people who came to hear him, healed the sick, and raised the dead.

He is our God the Creator of the earth and our Savior and Lord of the universe, yet he did many humble acts of service.

[cinepro]

I don't believe in the several claims that poster presented (culled off of an antisite, he didn't actually do the work himself as far as I could tell), not one was an actual change, just a minor move or edit to improve the writing.

I agree. I haven't seen anything that I would consider a "change". It seems to be shifts in wording and emphasis, with editing for clarity and succinctness. There also seem to be updates to the current LDS view of things, like saying "moral agency" instead of "free agency". But these aren't what I would consider "changes". It's just bringing the manual more inline with the way the modern leaders understand the gospel, and want it taught to the members. I find it fascinating and interesting, but hardly disturbing.

[sethpayne]

I take my copy of the GP 2009 manual, and study it in parallel with my pdf of the 1997 one, and document the changes in an Open Office text document (usually by cutting-and-pasting from the 1997 edition, and then manually crossing out the deletions, and typing in the additions as I discover them). Then I transpose them over here, for the benefit of the interested.

I hope you are saving this somewhere to post on a blog or website...

These changes will be of interest to anyone in Mormon Studies for years to come, methinks.