Introduction

Answering My Gospel Questions (Religion 280) is designed to provide students with the opportunity to have relevant, open, honest, and edifying discussions about the gospel-related topics they select. As with all institute courses, our underlying objective is to “help youth and young adults understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple, and prepare themselves, their families, and others for eternal life with their Father in Heaven” (Gospel Teaching and Learning: A Handbook for Teachers and Leaders in Seminaries and Institutes of Religion [2012], 1).

To help teachers and students frame class discussions in a way that increases faith in Jesus Christ and His restored Church, the curriculum is structured as follows:

• Section 1: Learning by Faith. The Lord has directed us to “seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118). Lessons 1–3 provide teachers and students an opportunity to identify and discuss principles essential to learning by study and faith.

• Section 2: Using Sources That Facilitate Faith-Inspired Learning and Edifying Discussions. Lessons 4–6 provide a pattern of how to have Christ-centered, relevant, open, honest, and edifying discussions with class members and others.

• Section 3: Discussing Student-Selected Topics. Lessons 7–14 allow students to select the topics they want to discuss. The principles and pattern established in lessons 1–6 guide the class learning experiences for lessons 7–14.

This course will provide students an opportunity to use several resources found in Gospel Library (in the app or online) and the Church’s Newsroom to address their questions. (Note: The Church continues to streamline resources, improve functionality, and translate additional content for Gospel Library. Adjust your use of the teaching material to reflect these changes.) Sometimes a source may have only limited references to the scriptures or the words of modern apostles and prophets. In such cases, teachers and students could do their own research to find relevant scriptures and statements from Church leaders.

This curriculum includes nine microtrainings to help students improve their ability to learn about and discuss gospel-related topics (see appendix A). Teachers can choose which microtrainings to use during the course and when to use them. Each training is designed to take about 15 minutes.

If a class discussion becomes speculative or contentious, guide students back to solid ground and Christlike behavior using the principles and pattern learned in lessons 1–6. Never lose sight of the fact that our objective is to build faith in Jesus Christ and receive the blessings of His gospel (see Gospel Teaching and Learning, 1).

Since this course relies on Church resources accessed through the internet, consider what you can do to ensure a reliable internet connection. Also consider what you can do to help students who do not have a device to access the internet still have a meaningful learning experience during this course.

Credit Requirements

To receive credit toward institute graduation for this course, students are required to attend 75 percent of the classes held. They should also complete a realistic and meaningful learning activity that reflects what they want to gain from this course. Students and teachers should counsel together and discuss viable options. To help generate ideas, you could share some of the following examples:

• Complete the general elective course questions in the Institute Elevate Learning Experience.

• Keep a course study journal.

• Identify a specific Church-related question or concern, and then use the principles and skills learned in this course to address it.

• Discuss what you are learning at least weekly with someone not in this class.

• Visit the Newsroom at least weekly to help you keep current with what is happening in the Church.

• Select a topic in Life Help or Topics that is important to you, and study all the material and linked resources.

Students should record what they will do and share their plans with their teacher. At the end of the semester, students should provide a simple report, written or verbal, indicating if they have completed the requirement(s) they set. Teachers should offer appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities (see “Making Accommodations for Students with Disabilities,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org).