“Doctrinal Mastery: Alma 41:10—‘Wickedness Never Was Happiness,’” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual (2024)

“Doctrinal Mastery: Alma 41:10,” Book of Mormon Teacher Manual

Doctrinal Mastery: Alma 41:10

“Wickedness Never Was Happiness”

In Alma 41:10, you learned that “wickedness never was happiness.” This lesson can help you memorize the doctrinal mastery passage and key scripture phrase for Alma 41:10, explain the doctrine, and practice applying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in real-life situations.

Help learners become active participants. Students are active when they engage their minds and hearts in gospel learning. Some ways to invite active participation include helping students discover relevancy in gospel truths; encouraging them to ask questions and seek answers; and inviting them to share their insights, experiences, and feelings and to practice scripture study skills and take time to ponder and pray.

Student preparation: Invite students to memorize Alma 41:10.

Possible Learning Activities

This doctrinal mastery passage lesson is designed to be taught after the lesson “Alma 41,” which is the contextual lesson for the doctrinal mastery passage Alma 41:10. If this doctrinal mastery passage lesson needs to be moved to a different week, be sure to teach the corresponding contextual lesson during that week as well.

Memorize and explain

Consider encouraging students to memorize as much of the doctrinal mastery passage as they can.

Use the following activities or another effective method to help students memorize the scripture reference and key scripture phrase for Alma 41:10 and explain the doctrine taught in this passage.

Divide students into pairs. Have the first student say the first word aloud: “wickedness.” Have the second say the first and second words aloud: “wickedness never.” Continue adding a word each time and finally the reference so the last student says the entire phrase and reference: “wickedness never was happiness (Alma 41:10).”

Invite students to repeat this process multiple times, alternating which student goes first each time.

Think of a situation where it would be helpful for someone to know the doctrine taught in Alma 41:10. Then explain how the doctrine could help in the situation.

Consider inviting students to interact with one another by sharing with their classmates the situation they thought of. Once the situation is shared, the classmate can explain how the truths in Alma 41:10 could help.

Practice application

Divide the class into groups of three. Ask each student to select a different principle of acquiring spiritual knowledge and to read the corresponding paragraphs for his or her principle in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023). When students finish, invite them to explain the principle to their group. The following matching exercise could help students recall what they learned. The answers to the matching exercise are (1) B, F; (2) C, E; and (3) A, D.

Review each of the following three principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023). Then match statements A–F to the appropriate principle. Each principle has two statements that relate to it.

“The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles—the Lord’s prophets upon the earth today—are a vital source of truth.”
“As we seek to develop our understanding and to resolve concerns, it is important that we rely on the testimony that we already have of Jesus Christ.”
“We consider [questions] in the context of the plan of salvation and the teachings of the Savior.”
“Learning to recognize and avoid unreliable sources can protect us from misinformation and from those who seek to destroy faith.”
“We seek the help of the Holy Ghost in order to see things as the Lord sees them.”
“As we continue to seek for answers, we must live by faith—trusting that we will eventually receive the answers we seek.”

If students were put into groups to review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge, it might be helpful to keep them in groups.

Display the following scenario so students can refer to it as they work on it together.

Carlos, a member of the Church, is struggling to see the importance of keeping God’s commandments. He recently said to you, “I know a lot of people who break the commandments and seem to have great lives. How can you say that you have to keep the commandments to be happy?” You can see the sincerity of Carlos’s question but feel you need some time to get all of your thoughts together to respond. The two of you agree to talk more about his question the next day.

Use what you have learned and felt while studying Alma 41:10 and the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to prepare to discuss Carlos’s question.

Seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources

The scriptures are divinely appointed sources that can help us answer our questions. Read Alma 41:10 and find at least one other doctrinal mastery passage that could help you respond.

Students could work in their groups to find and discuss additional doctrinal mastery passages that could help Carlos. Some helpful passages include 2 Nephi 2:25, 27 and Mosiah 2:41.
Think about some sources you would invite Carlos to review for additional information. You could even explain what makes a source reliable regarding spiritual matters.

Examine concepts or questions with an eternal perspective

Students in groups could each answer one of the following questions alone, then share their answers with their group.

Help students identify assumptions Carlos may have. If students need assistance, consider sharing one or more of the following: Carlos may think that commandments are restrictive or that they limit his ability to choose. He may falsely think that happiness can be found in temporal pleasures.

The following questions can help you identify the assumptions Carlos is making:

What assumptions might he have about commandments or happiness?
What gospel teachings relate to or provide answers to his question?
What do you think Carlos needs to know about Heavenly Father, His plan, and how He deals with His children?

Act in faith

Students in groups could be invited to work alone to identify commandments, then come together to share their examples. They could then work together to offer suggestions on how Carlos could act in faith either by seeking greater understanding or by making a plan to follow commandments.

Carlos can act in faith by seeking to better understand Heavenly Father’s commandments. Choosing to keep the commandments as he seeks greater understanding about their importance would also be acting in faith. Pick at least two commandments and identify how keeping them could help Carlos experience happiness or how breaking them could lead to misery. You could also share how keeping these commandments has brought you happiness.

Invite students to share what they prepared. If there is time, consider inviting the class to think of various ways Carlos might respond. Then invite students to go back to their groups to adjust their plans. Students could do a role play in front of the class or in their groups. They could also text one another as a role play.

Doctrinal mastery review

The following review can be done in a future lesson. Ask students if they can remember the key scripture phrase for Alma 41:10. As needed, remind them of the memorization activity they completed in this lesson. Invite students to repeat the reference and key phrase until they have them memorized.