Scott Lloyd Posted March 1, 2012 Posted March 1, 2012 (edited) For the record I am not taking a side on Sunday School being mandatory or not. However your word of wisdom example isn't completely analogous because "hot drinks" was later clarified by modern revelation to mean tea and coffee and D&C specifically prohibits "hot drinks" D&C 124 does not specifically instruct members to attend "helps and governments" it just says that they are given for the bishops use. No analogy is perfect, but this one is serviceable. The tea and coffee prohibition amounts to an inspired implementaton of Doctrine and Covenants 89. The priesthood auxiliary organizations -- currently Relief Society, Primary, Young Women, Young Men and Sunday School -- amount to inspired application of the divine purposes of the priesthood and the Church. Again, it strikes me as inconsistent to sustain the Lord's priesthood and its purposes and then to be casual about sustaining the inspired means of implementing those purposes.... it just says that they are given for the bishops use.It would not be the prerogative of an individual bishop to opt out of holding Sunday School in his ward. Nor would it be proper to give the impression to his ward members that it is acceptable for them to skip attending Sunday School every week. The clear intent is that Sunday School -- like the other auxiliaries -- be implemented Churchwide and that all members over 12 be encouraged to attend Sunday School. Edited March 1, 2012 by Scott Lloyd
Saints Alive Posted March 1, 2012 Author Posted March 1, 2012 (edited) It would not be the prerogative of the Bishop to discontinue Sunday School because I guarantee that there are members in every ward that can benefit from it. That does not mean that there are not member who would not be harmed by missing it. Edited March 1, 2012 by Saints Alive
cinepro Posted March 5, 2012 Posted March 5, 2012 Next week my ward is only doing Sacrament Meeting. Sadly, it's not a pilot program. They just need the building for some sort of meetings, so they need to clear us out.
cinepro Posted March 12, 2012 Posted March 12, 2012 (edited) Next week my ward is only doing Sacrament Meeting.Sadly, it's not a pilot program. They just need the building for some sort of meetings, so they need to clear us out.So I had to give a talk yesterday during our shortened block schedule. There's nothing like the feeling of standing at the podium and having several hundred people looking back at you and you know all they're thinking about is what they're going to do as soon as the meeting is over and they get to go home early. I started my talk by saying that "the Spirit has told me that there is a person in the chapel who is praying that my talk will be really short. If that is you, know that your prayer has been heard." Apparently, Elder Perry was there for the meeting, but I didn't get to see him. Edited March 12, 2012 by cinepro
Scott Lloyd Posted March 12, 2012 Posted March 12, 2012 That does not mean that there are not member who would not be harmed by missing it.If you mean habitually, I think that is impossible to say. We are commanded to teach one another the doctrines of the kingdom, and one of the appointed means for doing that is Sunday School. So long as that remains the case, it strikes me as a duty to attend Sunday School, if for no other reason than to strengthen others through one's own participation. Are we personally harmed by the neglect of duty? You tell me.
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