Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions: Lesson 165

Turning to Divinely Appointed Sources to Help Find Answers

The Lord’s Divinely Appointed Sources

Because we live in a time when many “call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20), it can be difficult to recognize truth. However, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have provided needed help. This lesson can help students seek truth from sources that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have lovingly provided.

Student preparation: Invite students to consider which sources they turn to when they have a question about the following: homework, an interest or hobby, historical events, the Savior’s gospel and Church. Invite them to ponder why they turn to the sources they identify.

Possible Learning Activities

What is real?

Consider beginning class by displaying an object or image that is fake. For example, you could display the image within the lesson of the bicyclist and the bear. Ask students to share whether they believe the image is real. Then display the accurate picture that shows just the bicyclist.

• When have you seen or read something that made you question if it was true?

• What can make it difficult to recognize truth in our day?

Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord warned of a problem we would face in our day that would make it hard to recognize truth. Read Isaiah 5:20, looking for what the Lord taught.

• When have you seen something evil called “good” or something good called “evil”?

To add to the discussion, consider showing “In Search of Truth“ (3:03), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, from time code 0:00 to 1:27. Or you could invite students to read the statement below, which contains similar teachings. Invite students to look for any additional reasons it can be difficult to recognize truth.

To help us understand the need for caution when discerning between truth and error, President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency explained:

We live in a time of greatly expanded and disseminated information. But not all of this information is true. We need to be cautious as we seek truth and choose sources for that search. We should not consider secular prominence or authority as qualified sources of truth. We should be cautious about relying on information or advice offered by entertainment stars, prominent athletes, or anonymous internet sources. Expertise in one field should not be taken as expertise on truth in other subjects. (“Truth and the Plan,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2018, 25)

Ask yourself the following:

• How confident do you feel in your ability to recognize truth?

• Who can you trust to give you accurate answers to gospel and Church-related questions?

Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us and want to help us recognize what is real and what is not. Throughout today’s lesson, pay attention to whisperings of the Spirit to help you recognize what They have provided for us.

Divinely appointed sources

Read paragraphs 11 and 12 of the “Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge“ section in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2023) and mark teachings you feel are important to know when seeking answers to your questions.

You could invite students to share with a partner what they found and why they consider it important.

Invite students to summarize what they learned with the class. They may share truths such as:

• The Lord has given us divinely appointed sources to help us find answers and direction.

• The Lord will help us discern truth from error as we turn to His divinely appointed sources, including seeking guidance from the Holy Ghost.

• Why do you think it’s important to rely on the Lord’s divinely appointed sources as we seek answers to our questions?

Discern between truth and error

To give students an example of how the Lord helps us discern truth from error, you could study the scripture account of Satan confronting Moses in Moses 1. Consider displaying the picture within the lesson of Satan confronting Moses. Ask students what they know or remember about this account.

After Moses spoke with God face to face, Satan came and attempted to deceive Moses into worshipping him (see Moses 1:12).

Consider organizing students into pairs. Students could study the verses below individually and then share with each other their answers to the following questions:

Read Moses 1:13–16, looking for how Moses was able to discern between Satan and God.

• What did you find?

• How can we relate Moses’s experience to our lives as we choose sources to find truth and answers to our questions?

  Students may respond with answers such as: we can identify truth by reflecting on our experiences with God; we can rely on God as our ultimate source of truth; or God can help us discern between light and darkness.

  You could show the rest of the video “In Search of Truth,” from time code 1:27 to 3:03. Students could look for and share which sources the people in the video used to find truth.

  If helpful, consider displaying the following question and inviting students to write their answers on a small piece of paper. Students could fold their papers and place them in a container. Students could then pull out and read several answers that other students wrote.

• What are you grateful to know that you would not know without the divinely appointed sources Heavenly Father has provided in our day? Why?

Practice

The following activity is intended to help students practice turning to divinely appointed sources to find answers to their questions.

Organize students into pairs or small groups and display the following statements. You may want to adapt these statements to meet the needs of your students.

Choose one of the following false statements, or choose one of your own:

• False: God doesn’t really care how we live as long as we don’t hurt others.

• False: This life is all there is. We didn’t exist before we were born, and we won’t exist after we die.

• False: We really don’t need the Book of Mormon since we already have the Bible.

Using divinely appointed sources, find statements that correct the false statement you chose. Write what you find in your study journal.

The following are examples of divinely appointed sources you may consider using:

• Doctrinal mastery passages, Guide to the Scriptures, Topical Guide, or scripture index

• Topics and Questions at ChurchofJesusChrist.org

• General conference addresses

• Gospel Library

• Your parents or a Church leader

  If students need help, consider sharing the following sources as examples:

  • God doesn’t really care how we live just as long as we don’t hurt others. (Exodus 20:3–17; “Commandments” in Topics and Questions)

  • This life is all there is. We didn’t exist before we were born, and we won’t exist after we die. (Abraham 3:22–23; Jeremiah 1:4–5; Job 19:25–26; “Plan of Salvation” in Topics and Questions)

  • We really don’t need the Book of Mormon since we already have the Bible. (Ezekiel 37:15–17; 2 Nephi 29:6–10; “Book of Mormon” in Topics and Questions)

  After enough time, invite students to write on the board true statements for each of these false statements.

  Invite students to share what sources they turned to and what they found from those sources. Students could also share what they did to find their answers.

  To conclude class, consider asking the following question. You may also want to share your experience or testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s divinely appointed sources.

• What did you learn today about the divinely appointed sources that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have lovingly given us?

Additional Resources

Where can I find truth?

President Russell M. Nelson testified:

God is the source of all truth. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embraces all truth that God conveys to His children, whether learned in a scientific laboratory or received by direct revelation from Him. (“What Is True?“ Liahona, Nov. 2022, 30)

What can help me recognize true sources?

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, explained:

You actually have a powerful companion and trustworthy guide in this ongoing search for truth. Who is it? It is the Holy Ghost. Our Heavenly Father knew how difficult it would be for us to sift through all the competing noise and discover truth during our mortality. He knew we would see only a portion of the truth, and He knew that Satan would try to deceive us. So He gave us the heavenly gift of the Holy Ghost to illuminate our minds, teach us, and testify to us of the truth. (“What Is Truth?“ [worldwide devotional for young adults, Jan. 13, 2013], Gospel Library)

The General Handbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states the following:

In today’s world, information is easy to access and share. This can be a great blessing for those seeking to be educated and informed. However, many sources of information are unreliable and do not edify. Some sources seek to promote anger, contention, fear, or baseless conspiracy theories (see 3 Nephi 11:30; Mosiah 2:32). Therefore, it is important that Church members be wise as they seek truth.

Members of the Church should seek out and share only credible, reliable, and factual sources of information. They should avoid sources that are speculative or founded on rumor. The guidance of the Holy Ghost, along with careful study, can help members discern between truth and error (see Doctrine and Covenants 11:12; 45:57). In matters of doctrine and Church policy, the authoritative sources are the scriptures, the teachings of the living prophets, and the General Handbook. (General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 38.8.41, Gospel Library)

Where can I find correct doctrine of Jesus Christ?

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

A few question their faith when they find a statement made by a Church leader decades ago that seems incongruent with our doctrine. There is an important principle that governs the doctrine of the Church. The doctrine is taught by all 15 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. It is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk. True principles are taught frequently and by many. Our doctrine is not difficult to find. (“Trial of Your Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 41)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Importance of effort

Consider sharing the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson:

Lazy learners and lax disciples will always struggle to muster even a particle of faith.

To do anything well requires effort. Becoming a true disciple of Jesus Christ is no exception. Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort. (“Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021, 103)

Invite students to share how they feel this statement relates to turning to divinely appointed sources for help finding answers to our questions.

For an example of diligent seeking versus lazy learning, explain that the Book of Mormon prophet Lehi related a dream he had to his family. His family did not understand the dream. Invite students to read 1 Nephi 10:17–19; 11:1 and 1 Nephi 15:1–3, 6–9, contrasting Nephi’s response to Laman and Lemuel’s. You could then ask questions like the following:

• What do you learn from the examples of Nephi and his brothers?

• How do you think it’s a blessing that God expects us to put forth effort rather than just giving us answers?

Consulting reliable sources

To help students know how to assess the quality of their sources of information, consider sharing the tips available in the article “Consult Reliable Sources.” You could divide the tips among students and invite them to summarize what they read and why they feel that tip is important.

Recognizing truth from error

If you feel your students could benefit from further discussion about recognizing reliable sources, consider writing the following references on the board. You could organize students into pairs, with each student studying one or two passages. Students could then explain to the other what they learned about recognizing reliable and unreliable sources.

• James 1:5–6

• Moroni 7:15–17

• Moroni 10:5–6

• Doctrine and Covenants 1:37–38

Finding truth in divine sources

Consider showing some or all of the video “Divinely Appointed Sources“ (9:16) so students can hear the experiences some youth had by turning to divinely appointed sources for truth. You could show this video before or after the practice activity.