History Year 4—Insights for Latter-day Saints Written by Heather Wiseman, Nyree Bevan, and Danielle Bruening ©2019 Jenny Phillips | www.GoodandBeautiful.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be copied or reproduced in any way without written permission from the publisher. HISTORY YEAR 4 INSIGHTS FOR LATTER-DAY SAINTS About This Document The Good and the Beautiful history courses strive to emphasize examples of faith in God and the hand of God in the history of the world. The course book itself covers most of this, explaining the role that faith, religion, and God played in history. This document includes additional insights that are specific to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How to Use This Document As you teach from the course book, check this Insights document to see if there is an additional Church insight for the lesson. If so, follow the instructions after completing the lesson in the course book. Links in the document are hyperlinks. NOTE: If you have not already done so, you may access and print a timeline extension for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from https://www.goodandbeautiful.com/supplements/or from the History Year 2–Insights document. No additional timeline is included in this document. 1 © Jenny Phillips HISTORY YEAR 4 INSIGHTS FOR LATTER-DAY SAINTS document of Christianity. Confusing and created by Lesson 7 men, it could not lead people to the truth. This is why in 1820, through a humble prayer, Heavenly Father Constantine and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, and the Great revelation and authority were restored to the earth. No matter how well intentioned, no matter how o Read to the children. smart, no matter how well read, mortal men and women can never match the wisdom of God or His When Emperor Constantine gathered the most divine plan of happiness! notable religious minds of his day, the goal was to unify Christianity. These great men thought, o Discuss the following question. Optionally, invite philosophized, and argued to create a creed under the children to write in their journals about which all believers could be united. Because the prophets and share their insights with the family. apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ had been killed and no divinely appointed priesthood leader was on Why is revelation important? Discuss a time when you the earth, these men did not have direct access to felt the Holy Ghost testify to you that the prophet is revelation from the Lord. Without revelation their guided and appointed by God. ideas were incomplete. Though their intentions were o Optional for older children (grades 5+): Discuss good, the result was not true doctrine because they Latter-day Saint doctrine on the nature of the lacked guidance and direction from God. Godhead using the Gospel Topics online article Speaking of the Nicene Creed, President Gordon B. and/or the following video from a talk by Elder Hinckley, the 15th president of the Church, said: Jeffrey R. Holland. Personally I cannot understand it. To me the creed Gospel Topics: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ is confusing. study/manual/gospel-topics/godhead?lang=eng How deeply grateful I am that we of this Church do Video: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ not rely on any man-made statement concerning media-library/video/2013-10-1020-doctrine-of-the- the nature of Deity. Our knowledge comes directly godhead?lang=eng from the personal experience of Joseph Smith, who, while yet a boy, spoke with God the Eternal Father and His Beloved Son, the Risen Lord. He Lesson 10 knelt in Their presence; he heard Their voices; and he responded. Each was a distinct personality. … And so, one of the great over-arching doctrines of Muhammad this Church is our belief in God the Eternal Father. and Islam He is a being, real and individual. He is the great Governor of the universe, yet He is our Father, and o Read the following excerpts from we are His children. “Understanding Islam” by Daniel C. Peterson. We pray to Him, and those prayers are a First of all, we should recognize Muslims’ right to conversation between God and man. I am “worship how, where, or what they may” (Articles confident that He hears our prayers and answers of Faith 1:11). In 1841, Latter-day Saints on the them. I could not deny that. I have had too many city council of Nauvoo passed an ordinance on experiences of answered prayers (Gordon B. religious freedom guaranteeing “free toleration, and Hinckley, “The Things of Which I Know,” Ensign, equal privileges” to “the Catholics, Presbyterians, May 2007). Methodists, Baptists, Latter-day Saints, Quakers, For 1,500 years the Nicene Creed was the unifying Episcopals, Universalists, Unitarians, Mohammedans 2 © Jenny Phillips HISTORY YEAR 4 INSIGHTS FOR LATTER-DAY SAINTS [Muslims], and all other religious sects and prophets—we have many things in common. We denominations whatever.” both believe, for example, that we are morally accountable before God, that we should pursue both We should also recall that our Church leaders have personal righteousness and a good and just society, generally been strikingly positive in their appreciation and that we will be resurrected and brought before of the founder of Islam. In 1855, for example, in a God for judgment. time when many Christians condemned Muhammad as an antichrist, Elders George A. Smith (1817–75) Both Muslims and Latter-day Saints believe in the and Parley P. Pratt (1807–57) of the Quorum of the vital importance of strong families and in the divine Twelve Apostles delivered lengthy sermons not command to help the poor and needy and that we only manifesting an impressively informed and fair demonstrate our faith through acts of discipleship. understanding of Islamic history but also praising There seems no reason why Latter-day Saints and Muhammad himself. Elder Smith remarked that Muslims cannot do so alongside one another and Muhammad “was no doubt raised up by God on even, when opportunities present themselves, purpose” to preach against idolatry, and he expressed by cooperating together in communities where, sympathy for Muslims, who, like the Latter-day Saints, more and more, we find ourselves neighbors in find it hard “to get an honest history” written about an increasingly secular world. Together, we can them. Speaking immediately afterward, Elder Pratt demonstrate that religious faith can be a powerful expressed admiration for Muhammad’s teachings and force for good and not merely a source of strife and for the morality and institutions of Muslim society. even violence, as some critics argue. A more recent official statement came in 1978 The Qur’an itself suggests a way of living peacefully from the First Presidency. It specifically mentions together despite our differences: “If God had willed, Muhammad among “the great religious leaders of he could have made you a single community. But the world,” saying that, like them, he “received a he desired to test you in what he has given you. So, portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to compete with one another in good deeds. You will [these leaders] by God,” wrote Presidents Spencer W. all return to God, and he will inform you regarding Kimball, N. Eldon Tanner, and Marion G. Romney, “to the things wherein you used to disagree” (Daniel C. enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level Peterson, “Understanding Islam,” Liahona, Apr. 2018). of understanding to individuals” (Daniel C. Peterson, “Understanding Islam,” Liahona, Apr. 2018). o Discuss with the children: How can you be a good neighbor to someone of another faith? o Discuss with the children: How can you respect the religious beliefs of others? Lesson 13 Lesson 11 The Temple Mount and Pilgrimages to The Culture and the Holy Land Contributions of Islam o Read the following excerpts from “Orson Hyde: A Life of Lessons Learned” by Roy B. Huff or, for o Read the following excerpts from younger children, briefly summarize the main “Understanding Islam” by Daniel C. Peterson. ideas using your own words. While Latter-day Saints and Muslims obviously differ Orson Hyde, an early Apostle of the Church, was the on important matters—notably the divinity of Jesus first Latter-day Saint to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Christ, His role as Savior, and the calling of modern Land. He was called to travel there and dedicate the 3 © Jenny Phillips HISTORY YEAR 4 INSIGHTS FOR LATTER-DAY SAINTS land for the return of the Jews. This is the story about on their journey. The trip lasted nineteen days. The how he and his family were blessed as he made the passengers nearly starved to death, as reported in long journey. his letter: “A number of days I ate snails gathered from the rocks, while our vessel was becalmed in the Mission to the Holy Land midst of several small and uninhabited islands, but [I]n early March 1840, Orson had [an] experience that the greatest difficulty was, I could not get enough of helped formulate his resolve. … He wrote that “the them. I was so weak and exhausted that I could not vision of the Lord, like clouds of light, burst into my go on shore after the slight exertion of drawing on my view. … The cities of London, Amsterdam, Constanti- boots. But that is past; I am now strong and well and nople, and Jerusalem, all appeared in succession be- have plenty to eat.” fore me.” The Spirit told Orson that these cities would Upon arriving in Palestine, Orson took up with a group be the field of his labors and that in these cities were of English gentlemen for the remaining thirty-five miles many of the children of Abraham whom the Lord to Jerusalem.