Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Contents
Title Page
Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Doctrine and Covenants Lessons
- The Restoration Proclamation
- Doctrine and Covenants 1
- Joseph Smith—History 1:1–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 2; Joseph Smith—History 1:27–65
- Doctrine and Covenants 3–5
- Doctrine and Covenants 6–9
- Doctrine and Covenants 10–11
- Doctrine and Covenants 12–17; Joseph Smith—History 1:66–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 18
- Doctrine and Covenants 19
- Doctrine and Covenants 20–22
- Doctrine and Covenants 23–26
- Doctrine and Covenants 27–28
- Doctrine and Covenants 29
- Doctrine and Covenants 30–36
- Doctrine and Covenants 37–40
- Doctrine and Covenants 41–44
- Doctrine and Covenants 45
- Doctrine and Covenants 46–48
- Doctrine and Covenants 49–50
- Doctrine and Covenants 51–57
- Doctrine and Covenants 58–59
- Doctrine and Covenants 60–63
- Doctrine and Covenants 64–66
- Doctrine and Covenants 67–70
- Doctrine and Covenants 71–75
- Doctrine and Covenants 76
- Doctrine and Covenants 77–80
- Doctrine and Covenants 81–83
- Doctrine and Covenants 84
- Doctrine and Covenants 85–87
- Doctrine and Covenants 88
- Doctrine and Covenants 89–92
- Doctrine and Covenants 93
- Doctrine and Covenants 94–97
- Doctrine and Covenants 98–101
- Doctrine and Covenants 102–105
- Doctrine and Covenants 106–108
- Doctrine and Covenants 109–110
- Doctrine and Covenants 111–114
- Doctrine and Covenants 115–120
- Doctrine and Covenants 121–123
- Doctrine and Covenants 124
- Doctrine and Covenants 125–128
- Doctrine and Covenants 129–132
- Doctrine and Covenants 133–134
- Doctrine and Covenants 135–136
- Doctrine and Covenants 137–138
- The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2
- The Family: A Proclamation to the World
- The Living Christ
Life Preparation Lessons
- Doctrinal Mastery: Finding Answers to My Questions
- Scripture Study Skills
- For the Strength of Youth: Making Choices
- Building Self-Reliance
- Physical and Emotional Health
- Preparing for Future Education and Employment
- Succeeding in School
- Missionary Preparation
- Temple Preparation
- Teachings of Church Leaders
Appendix

Lesson 112—Doctrinal Mastery Practice 7: Memorize; Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge

“Lesson 112—Doctrinal Mastery Practice 7: Memorize; Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)

“Doctrinal Mastery Practice 7,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual

Lesson 112: Doctrine and Covenants 94–97

Doctrinal Mastery Practice 7

Memorize; Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge

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group of friends walking

Doctrinal mastery can help students build the foundation for their lives upon Jesus Christ and His gospel. This lesson will give students opportunities to practice mastering doctrinal mastery passages and the doctrine they teach. It will also help them learn and apply divine principles for acquiring spiritual knowledge.

Possible Learning Activities

Doctrinal mastery review: memorize

Consider starting class with a brief activity that can help students understand the importance of memorizing doctrinal mastery references and key scripture phrases. For example, you could display money, food, a journal, or other items people might store. Invite students to discuss the following questions with a partner.

Why might people collect or store these items?
What are some other things people might gather and save for future use?
How can this relate to memorizing doctrinal mastery references and key scripture phrases?

You might want to invite students to share what they discussed with their partners. Complete the following as a class.

Read Doctrine and Covenants 84:85. Look for the promise the Lord gives if we will store or treasure His word in our minds.

What is meant by the “words of life”?
What are some different ways you have tried to treasure up God’s word in your minds?
How have these efforts helped you feel God’s love or power in your life?

Invite students to think of times in their lives when a doctrinal mastery passage or another scripture has come to their minds in a time of need, like when they were faced with a difficult decision or seeking answers to a question. Consider sharing examples of how memorizing scriptures has blessed your life.
How has the Lord blessed you by helping you recall a scripture in the very hour you needed it?

Give students time to treasure God’s word in their minds by memorizing doctrinal mastery references and key scripture phrases. The following is one way to do this. (Additional memorization ideas are found in the appendix at the end of this manual, under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.” The activity you choose to use should not take more than 10 or 15 minutes so that students will have time to practice applying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge later in the lesson.)

Consider preparing multiple small papers or cards for students and providing them with the following instructions.
Select three to five doctrinal mastery passages you feel would be valuable to “treasure up” or memorize.
Reflect on how treasuring up these references might help you follow Jesus Christ and His teachings.
Create a flash card for each passage you have chosen by writing the reference on the front of a paper and the key scripture phrase on the back.
Practice memorizing the content on both sides of each flash card.

After some time, students could trade flash cards with a classmate and practice memorizing additional doctrinal mastery references. They could also quiz each other using the flash cards they created.

Learn and apply principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge

The rest of the lesson focuses on helping students review the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge and practice using them with a scenario about the Word of Wisdom.

Consider providing students with the following scenario. You could invite students to help adapt the scenario to make it more relevant to situations they might be facing regarding the Word of Wisdom.

A few of your friends who are not members of the Church have asked you why you do not drink coffee, tea, or alcohol. After you briefly explain what you know about the Word of Wisdom, your friends mention how restrictive they think it is and ask, “Why would anyone want to live that way?”

Which principle of acquiring spiritual knowledge do you feel would be most helpful to consider as you respond to your friends? Why?

As students respond to the previous question, you may be able to assess how well they understand the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge. You could then use the following activity or adapt it as needed.

Consider placing students in small groups. Invite each group to select a principle of acquiring spiritual knowledge to study. Invite students to study their chosen principle from paragraphs 5–12 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document. As they study, invite each group to write one or two questions related to their principle. These should be questions that could help them respond to their friends in the previous scenario. You could use the following questions as examples or if students need help.

Act in faith

How is your commitment to obey the Word of Wisdom (see Doctrine and Covenants 89) an act of faith in Jesus Christ?
What do you know about Jesus Christ and His gospel that could help you obey the Word of Wisdom even if you didn’t completely understand it?

Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective

How does understanding God’s plan of salvation influence your perspective on the Word of Wisdom?
What are some short-term benefits people might believe they could obtain by not obeying the Word of Wisdom? How do these benefits compare to the long-term blessings promised by the Savior as we obey the Word of Wisdom? (see Doctrine and Covenants 89:18–21).

Seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources

What are some things you learned as you studied Doctrine and Covenants 89 that could be helpful as you respond to your friends?
What are some additional doctrinal mastery passages that could help?
How have divinely appointed sources such as the Holy Ghost, your parents, or Church leaders influenced your desire to obey the Word of Wisdom?

When students are finished, invite them to exchange questions with another group. Give them time to discuss with their group how they would answer each other’s questions. Students could then practice role-playing how they would respond in the scenario by using their answers.

After the activity, invite students to share insights they gained from the questions or responses of their group members. If there is time, you could also invite students to share experiences they have had teaching or testifying of the Word of Wisdom to others.

Supplemental Learning Activities

An example of scriptures coming to mind

The following experience could be shared as an example of the Lord inspiring someone by sending His words to their mind.

Elder B. H. Roberts served as a chaplain in the United States Armed Forces during World War I. After a peace treaty was signed to end the war, a Thanksgiving service was held. Elder Roberts was unexpectedly called upon to read the Thanksgiving Psalm. Elder Roberts had never heard of this psalm; however, he acted in faith and approached the podium. As he walked, he heard a voice say, “The 100th Psalm.” Elder Roberts read Psalm 100 and returned to his seat. The other chaplains refused to look at him. Elder Roberts realized they had tried to embarrass him and the Church. When he returned to his tent that evening, he found that the 100th Psalm was the most appropriate psalm he could have shared to celebrate the occasion. He knew the Lord had blessed him with inspiration in his time of need (“Inspiration Key to Thanksgiving Psalm,” Church News, Nov. 22, 1975, 12).

Helping others acquire spiritual knowledge

Invite students to imagine their friends had a sincere desire to understand why the students choose to obey the Word of Wisdom. As a class, read paragraphs 14–17 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document, and look for principles that could help their friends acquire spiritual knowledge for themselves. Consider asking questions after each paragraph to help students practice applying what they have read. Below are a few examples:

What questions could you ask to better understand the intent of your friends’ inquiry about the Word of Wisdom?
What invitations could you give them to act in faith and gain a greater understanding of your beliefs for themselves?
What resources would you search with your friends? What general conference talks would you invite them to read, watch, or listen to?

Alternate scenario

To help students practice using the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge with the doctrinal mastery passage Doctrine and Covenants 88:118, consider providing a scenario related to the value of education, such as the following:

Brock’s parents continue to tell him how important it is that he gain an education. However, he is struggling in school and does not feel it is worth his time and effort.

You could invite students to role-play how they could help their friend Brock using the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge.