The Restoration

Note: The following doctrinal mastery activities could be done over the course of several class sessions or in a single class session. Because there are no Book of Mormon doctrinal mastery passages listed for doctrinal topic 4, “The Restoration,” in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, these activities provide only a general review of the topic.

Understanding the Doctrine (25 minutes)

Segment 1 (15 minutes)

Write the following topics on the board: Dispensation, Apostasy, The Restoration.

Invite students to imagine that they have been asked to explain each of these topics to someone who is not a member of the Church. Invite a few students to briefly explain the meaning of each topic. If needed, you could ask the class to add to what these students explained.

Show the video “Dispensations: The Pattern of Apostasy and Restoration” (6:48), which is available on LDS.org. This video uses much of the content in the “Apostasy” and “Dispensation” sections of doctrinal topic 4, “The Restoration,” in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document. You could show the entire video at once, or you could pause periodically to ask students to explain what they are learning.

After the video, invite students to scan the “Apostasy” and “Dispensation” sections of doctrinal topic 4 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document. (If you were unable to show the video, you could read these sections together as a class.) Ask students to look for phrases or insights that help them further understand these subjects. Invite students to consider marking these phrases in their copies of the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document.

What additional insights did you gain about the three topics on the board?
(If students watched the video) What patterns did you notice occurring throughout the history of the world? How do you think the analogy of water relates to apostasy and dispensations?
Why is it important for us to understand that after the Lord’s Apostles died, the world lacked priesthood authority and revelation through prophets? (Knowing this helps us understand the need for the Restoration of the gospel in the latter days.)
What is unique about our current dispensation?

Segment 2 (10 minutes)

Display a picture of The First Vision (Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 90; see also LDS.org). Invite a student to explain what is happening in the picture.

How is the world different today because of this event?

Invite a few students to take turns reading aloud portions of the first three paragraphs of doctrinal topic 4, “The Restoration,” in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document. Ask the class to follow along, looking for events in addition to Joseph Smith’s First Vision that were major parts of the Restoration of the Lord’s gospel in the latter days.

Restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood, The

Restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood, The

What other important events occurred as part of the latter-day Restoration of the gospel? (As students respond, you could display the following pictures: Joseph Smith Receives the Gold Plates [see LDS.org], John the Baptist Conferring the Aaronic Priesthood [Gospel Art Book, no. 93; see also LDS.org], Melchizedek Priesthood Restoration [Gospel Art Book, no. 94; see also LDS.org], and one of the organization of the Church.)
In what ways were each of these events necessary in the Restoration of the gospel to the earth?
Notice the last sentence in the second paragraph of doctrinal topic 4, “The Restoration.” How is the Book of Mormon “a witness of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling”?

Invite several students to choose one of these events and explain how it has impacted their lives. You may also want to share your testimony of these events.

Doctrinal Mastery Review

This doctrinal mastery activity can help students review the statements of doctrine taught in doctrinal mastery passages and help them remember the references of those passages.

First, choose up to 10 doctrinal mastery passages that students have previously studied that you would like them to review. Next, write the scripture reference for each of those passages on a separate piece of paper. Then lay out the papers on the floor or post them on the wall where the class can see them.

Invite the class to gather around the papers. Review the references together by asking students to explain a doctrine or principle that each doctrinal mastery passage teaches.

Explain that you will call out a key phrase (use the ones in the Doctrinal Mastery Reference Guide), and as soon as a class member points to or touches the paper with the correct reference, you will call out a key phrase for another doctrinal mastery passage. You could invite students to work together to point to or touch as many of the correct passages as they can within a certain amount of time (such as 90 seconds). The class could repeat the exercise to try and get a better score. You might also limit the number of touches one student can have in order to foster participation by all of the students.

Consider repeating this activity on other days to help students remember the doctrinal mastery passages and the doctrine they teach.