Points to Ponder for Doctrine and Covenants 60-62

To accompany your Come Follow Me study for June 9-15

Section 63 is also included this year in this week’s Come Follow Me material. See the Points to Ponder for D&C 63 at Points to Ponder in Doctrine and Covenants 63 – Latter-day Saint and Happy (latterdaysaintandhappy.com). In addition to reading these sections from the D&C this week, you may also want to read:

You may also enjoy the following video:

If you would like a Kahoot game related to this material that you could play with your family or class, click here: https://create.kahoot.it/share/doctrine-and-covenants-60-62/f32b33ac-fb9c-4baf-a176-287bd9187ced. To use it with a group, after clicking on this link, you will need to log into Kahoot, creating a free account if you have not done so previously, then click on the blue “Host Live” button or the gray “Assign” button, depending on how you wish to use the Kahoot. Some of the Kahoot questions may presuppose that the player has read through the suggested answers to the following Points to Ponder and at least has browsed the Institute student manual as well.

Points to Ponder in Doctrine and Covenants 60-62

1. There is much instruction in these sections which applied specifically to Latter-day Saints returning from or heading toward Missouri in 1831. Some of the details have little application to us today. But there are multiple underlying principles you can discover which are still applicable. List at least ten, along with the passage in which you find each, and give a brief summary of the principle you identified.

2. Which of the following do you believe is the primary application of 61:4-5 for Latter-day Saints today? Explain.

a. Avoid swimming so you don’t drown.

b. Avoid swimming so you don’t get tempted by the scanty bathing suits.

c. Don’t buy a farm near the Missouri River.

d. Avoid pleasure cruises.

e. Don’t join the Navy.

f. Drink soda pop rather than water.

g. Other (explain:___________________________________________________)

3. D&C 62:3 suggests which of the following?

a. You should stand up every month in fast and testimony meeting so your sins will be constantly forgiven, no matter how many others don’t get to do so because you take so much of the time.

b. Angels need to read written testimony frequently in order to remain angelic.

c. The second group of elders heading to Zion was more missionary minded than the first group.

d. The Lord is extraordinarily merciful, forgiving sins even of those with whom just two sections earlier He was “not well pleased.”

Possible answers to Points to Ponder in Doctrine and Covenants 60-62

1. There is much instruction in these sections which applied specifically to Latter-day Saints returning from or heading toward Missouri in 1831. Some of the details have little application to us today. But there are multiple underlying principles you can discover which are still applicable, along with several explicitly stated doctrinal gems. List at least ten, along with the passage in which you find each, and give a brief summary of the principle you identified.

Here’s my own list:

60:2: We should open our mouths and not hide either our talent or our testimony
60:2: We should fear (or love) God more than man.
60:7, 14: We should avoid anger, contention, and doubt as we proclaim the gospel.
60:13: We should not waste time in idleness
61:2, 20: The Lord is merciful to those who confess their sins and are humble
61:9-10: The Lord can and will preserve and prosper the faithful.
61:22, 28; 62:8: The Lord expects us to use our best judgment as well as divine inspiration.
61:36, 62:5: The Lord wants us to be cheerful and happy and will be in our midst to bless us. Our message to the world is “glad tidings.”
61:38: We should be watchful and sober in view of the greatness of our responsibility.
61:39: Prayer is a key to avoiding or succumbing to temptation.
62:3: Faithfulness in sharing the gospel can lead to a forgiveness of our sins.
62:7: Blessings come from having a “thankful heart in all things.”
62:9: The Lord will be “with the faithful always.”

2. Which of the following do you believe is the primary application of 61:4-5 for Latter-day Saints today? Explain.

a. Avoid swimming so you don’t drown.

b. Avoid swimming so you don’t get tempted by the scanty bathing suits.

c. Don’t buy a farm near the Missouri River.

d. Avoid pleasure cruises.

e. Don’t join the Navy.

f. Drink soda pop rather than water.

g. Other (explain): This revelation immediately followed a near accident while Joseph Smith and company were canoeing down the Missouri River, which could have proven disastrous. No recent prophet has suggested that Latter-day Saints because of D&C 61 need to avoid any of the listed aquatic activities at the present time, though the section does seem to speak of a future time when “no flesh shall be safe upon the waters.” Presumably, Latter-day Saints will be warned again when such time arrives.

3. D&C 62:3 suggests which of the following?

a. You should stand up every month in fast and testimony meeting so your sins will be constantly forgiven, no matter how many others don’t get to do so because you take so much of the time. [I have heard this passage cited as justification to do just this, but that is stretching the passage beyond what it was intended to say. It is certainly not a justification for taking more than your share of turns in fast and testimony meeting.]

b. Angels need to read written testimony frequently in order to remain angelic.

c. The second group of elders heading to Zion was more missionary minded than the first group. [60:2 was directed to the first group of elders to travel to Missouri, too many of whom had been reluctant to open their mouths and preach to people along the way. 62:3 was directed to a second group whom the Prophet and his associates met as they were returning from Missouri and who had evidently done a better job of sharing their testimonies en route. Their sacrifice was such that the Lord could forgive them of past sins. It does not imply that anyone who stands up on fast Sunday merits the same absolution.]

d. The Lord is extraordinarily merciful, forgiving sins even of those with whom just two sections earlier He was “not well pleased.”