Week 10 Teacher Material

Help from beyond the Veil and Uncompromising Honesty

In this lesson students will have the opportunity to discuss the role of angels in repentance and the effect that our repentance might have on our past, present, and future family. They will also identify how dishonesty affects our efforts to repent and how it is connected to pornography. And they will have the opportunity to commit to be uncompromisingly honest in their repentance.

Ideas for Teaching

Chapter 17

Angels can help to bring about repentance.

Note: As you teach this lesson, make sure you keep class discussion focused on the text of Elder Andersen’s teachings in chapter 17 and the related scripture references. Be careful to avoid speculation, as there is much about this topic that has not yet been revealed.

• You might begin class by inviting students to share anything that they enjoyed or learned while reading chapter 17.

• Consider reviewing the first three paragraphs of chapter 17 as a class and identifying a truth similar to the one shared in the section heading above. You might then discuss one or more of the following questions:

  • What do Elder Andersen and the scriptures teach about the role angels can play in our repentance?

  • What did Elder Andersen and President Joseph F. Smith teach about how our ancestors feel about us? (see paragraphs 5–6 in the first section of the chapter, which begin “Many times those most …”).

• You might invite students to relate what they learned from the experience of the woman recorded in paragraphs 8–26. (You could give students a few minutes to read and reflect on this account before discussing it, if needed.)

Our repentance will benefit our ancestors and our posterity.

• You might review paragraphs 2–6 of the section “The Wonderful Link,” looking for how our repentance relates to our past and future family. Ask students to report what they found and identify a truth like the one stated in the section heading above. You might then ask one or both of the following questions:

  • In what ways does Elder Andersen say that we, our ancestors, and our posterity are tied together?

  • How might our repentance bless “those who have gone before and those who will follow us” (paragraph 5)? (You might also discuss the statement that “our footprints will be seen in homes and on paths where we will never walk.”)

• You could also invite students to talk about what they learned from President Russell M. Nelson’s experience shared in the section “Angels Are Part of the Lord’s Work.” (You could watch his talk “The Price of Priesthood Power” from time code 0:56 to 5:41 to enhance your discussion.)

• You might also invite students to ponder on how our repentance might affect our past, present, and future family.

• You could invite students to share what has been most meaningful to them from the discussion so far. You could also read the last two paragraphs of the chapter (which begin “President Joseph F. Smith spoke …”) and testify of the help we can receive to repent from both sides of the veil.

Chapter 18

There is no true repentance and no true forgiveness without complete honesty.

• To begin the discussion of chapter 18, you might show the video “Being Honest in Our Repentance” (4:05) and invite students to listen for why honesty is essential in our efforts to repent. As students report what they learned, you might use portions of paragraphs 6–8 (which begin “The Savior constantly …”) found at the beginning of the chapter to help students identify a truth similar to the one stated in the section heading above.

• As a class or in small groups you might discuss the following questions:

  • Why is it important to understand that honesty is a characteristic of God and that the devil is “the father of all lies”? (see paragraphs 1–5 at the beginning of the chapter). How can understanding these truths help us to change?

  • Why do you think there can’t be true repentance or forgiveness without complete honesty? How might partial honesty delay the repentance process?

• You might draw students’ attention to the sentence in paragraph 6 beginning “In any form …” and ask students to list some forms or examples of dishonesty that can keep a person from repenting and turning to the Lord. (These examples might include lying to ourselves or others about the seriousness of our sins, withholding information, not fully confessing our wrongdoing, hiding our sins, and so on.) Consider giving students a minute to ponder the list on the board and determine how they might strive for complete honesty in their own lives.

The plague of pornography in the world is frequently connected to dishonesty.

• To introduce the topic stated in the section heading just above, you could read the statement by President Nelson in paragraphs 3–5 of the section “The Character of God.” You might then discuss one or more of the following questions:

  • Why do you think Elder Andersen would include teachings about the plague of pornography in a chapter about honesty? (You could identify a truth similar to the one in the section heading at this point.)

  • How did President Nelson describe pornography? What must we do to avoid this form of deception and dishonesty?

  • What do you think it means to be “righteous in the dark” (see paragraph 1 in the section “Living the Truth”), and how do we do that?

• You could also read Doctrine and Covenants 63:16–17, 20 (referenced in the section “Living the Truth”). You could then ask students what this passage teaches about lust, what lust leads to, and how lust and dishonesty are connected.

• If you feel your students would benefit from seeing it, you might watch the video “Overcoming Pornography Addiction: The Healing Power of Jesus Christ” (5:47), which depicts how the Lord helped a husband overcome his pornography addiction and also helped heal his wife and family. What can we learn from this experience about the Savior’s power to heal?

• Consider reviewing the first paragraph of the section “The Character of God” as well as the ninth paragraph of that section (which begins “When I kneel …”). You could then invite students to prayerfully consider the questions in paragraph 9 and record what they feel the Lord would have them change.

• You might conclude by inviting students to silently read the last three paragraphs in the chapter and to ponder how the Holy Ghost has strengthened and can continue to strengthen them in their determination to be honest.

For Next Time

Encourage students to study chapters 19 and 20 in preparation for the next class. Invite them to come to class prepared to share what they learned, thought, or felt about confessing and forsaking sins as they studied chapter 19. Invite them to ponder the following questions as they study chapter 20:

What does it mean to make generous restitution? What should we do if someone else has harmed us but made no attempt at restitution?