Seminary
Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 2: “Examine Concepts and Questions with an Eternal Perspective”

“Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 2: ‘Examine Concepts and Questions with an Eternal Perspective,’” Book of Mormon Student Manual (2024)

“Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 2,” Book of Mormon Student Manual

Introductory Pages of the Book of Mormon

Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge, Part 2

Examine Concepts and Questions with an Eternal Perspective

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One of the purposes of doctrinal mastery is to help you learn and apply principles for acquiring spiritual knowledge to become more like Jesus Christ. This lesson can help you examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective and see them more like the Savior does.

Principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge

When we experience life’s challenges or face unanswered questions, the following principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge can help us:

  1. Act in faith.

  2. Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective.

  3. Seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources.

In this lesson we will focus on examining concepts and questions with an eternal perspective.

A limited view

Find a drinking straw or roll up a paper as tight as you can, and look through it. Imagine if this were how you saw the world all the time. What challenges would you encounter? Which tasks would be easy, and which would be difficult or impossible?

  • How is this like making life-changing decisions or answering important questions with limited understanding of the plan of salvation?

Having a more complete view is helpful when interacting with the world around us. Likewise, an eternal perspective can help us as we acquire spiritual knowledge.

Consider marking the following sentence from paragraph 8 in the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge” section of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023): To examine doctrinal concepts, questions, and social issues with an eternal perspective, we consider them in the context of the plan of salvation and the teachings of the Savior.

Study paragraphs 8–10, looking for what can help you examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective.

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  1. Answer the following questions:

    • What are some issues and questions that you think the Savior might view differently than many people on earth do?

    • How does examining concepts and questions in the context of the plan of salvation help us see things more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do? (see Mosiah 4:9).

    • Why might this be an important skill for you to learn, practice, and use in your life?

An example from the scriptures

Alma the Younger showed us how to look at things with an eternal perspective as he answered difficult questions that his son Corianton struggled with.

Read Alma 40:1; 42:1, looking for two of the concerns that Corianton had. Consider paraphrasing his concerns in your own words.

Now read the chapter headings for Alma 40; 41; 42 to see a summary of what Alma taught Corianton as he addressed his concerns. Look for elements of the plan of salvation that Alma taught.

  • What elements of the plan did you see?

  • How may this have helped Corianton view his concerns from an eternal perspective?

Reframing

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woman making a frame with her fingers

Make the shape of a picture frame using your index fingers and thumbs. Choose anything in the room as the subject of your picture.

  • What did you decide to include in your frame? Why?

  • What did you leave out of your picture? Why?

Like pictures, questions also have a frame or context. The frame can represent a person’s beliefs and assumptions that lead them to view questions in a certain way. Sometimes those beliefs and assumptions are based on a misunderstanding or something that isn’t true. In those cases, it can help to reframe them. Reframing is when we examine those beliefs or assumptions in the context of the plan of salvation and the Savior’s teachings.

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:

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President Dallin H. Oaks

Because of our knowledge of this plan and other truths that God has revealed, we start with different assumptions than those who do not share our knowledge. As a result, we reach different conclusions on many important subjects that others judge only in terms of their opinions about mortal life. (Dallin H. Oaks, “As He Thinketh in His Heart” [evening with a General Authority, Feb. 8, 2013], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Imagine you had a friend named Adry who asked, “If there really is a loving God, why would He allow people to suffer?”

You may want to watch the video “Examining Questions with an Eternal Perspective” (2:55), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, to see an example of how this concern could be reframed.

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  1. Answer the following questions:

    • Why do you think it is helpful to think about the beliefs or assumptions that may have influenced Adry’s question about God?

    • How does the context of what we know about Heavenly Father and His plan allow us to see the question differently?

    • How do you feel about your ability to resolve difficult questions through reframing? What questions or concerns do you have about it, if any?

You will have many opportunities to practice reframing in seminary and in your life. As you seek the help of the Holy Ghost and broaden your understanding of the plan of salvation and the doctrine of Christ, your ability to examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective will increase. This will also build your confidence in sharing what you know and helping others with difficult questions and concerns.