A Guest Post by Michael Davidson
Most Sundays I attend Priesthood and Sunday School and find that it was a good thing that I read the manual in preparation for class. I sit down, eagerly open my scriptures and/or David O. McKay book and prepare to comment on the subject matter to be presented. However, I am often disappointed that the class goes in a completely different direction than what I anticipated. It’s not that the instructor is emphasizing different points than I would have chosen; it’s that the instructor has decided to completely forego anything in the manual for something of his or her own invention. Hence, it is a good thing that I prepared in advance or I would never have heard what the lesson was supposed to be about.
Now, I know that the brethren don’t sit around and actually compile the manuals that we get for use in our meetings, but I have had some insight into how they are written having talked with members of the curriculum committee about the process. Regardless, they are reviewed and approved for our weekly studies, and as such really shouldn’t be dismissed. Why then are some teachers so unwilling to actually refer to them in class?
Having taught my fair share of classes in this Church I think I might have a couple of answers. I think that sometimes our vanity gets to us a little bit. We want to show how involved we are with our callings, or how knowledgeable we are, and so we liberally interject references to outside materials and pose questions which are a bit out of the purview of the original lesson. Or worse, we think that we can come up with something better on our own.
Am I the only one who seems bothered by this? Or, is it silly that I am bothered by this? I can’t think of a good reason to reinvent the wheel, and I can’t think of a good reason to start lessons from scratch when there are excellent materials to review which offer outstanding chances for learning and enlightenment. Gentle reader, the floor is now yours.
Michael Davidson is an attorney living in Salt Lake City with his beautiful and talented wife. He is always prepared for his Sunday School and Priesthood lessons. He blogs on politics, law and current events over at
Davidson’s Law.