Thesis (M.S.) B.Y.U. Dept. of religion.

Thesis (M.S.) B.Y.U. Dept. of religion. / Electronic thesis. Also available in print ed.

This study has shown that there is a textual relationship between the Doctrine and Covenants and the King James Version of the Bible in that out of 1240 of the 1999 verses examined in Sections 65-133 of the Doctrine and Covenants there were found two paralleled Biblical phrases or clauses. Varying in subject matter, these clauses and phrases were either similar or verbatim parallels in vocabulary, syntax or meanings (denotations and connotations) and, many times, in concept.In analyzing the location of the sources of the textual parallels, it was found that the New Testament is much more similar in subject matter and wording to the Doctrine and Covenants than is the Old Testament. However, paralleled passages referring to the latter days are particularly abundant in Isaiah, Joel, Zephaniah and Malachi.

In view of the large lay ministry of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are called upon to preach and teach the gospel, this study was undertaken to see if the latter-day volume of scripture, the Doctrine and Covenants, revealed basic principles associated with the oral communication of the gospel.These principles became evident through the frequency that they were mentioned and the emphasis they received. They were (1) righteousness, in particular diligence, humility and meekness, prayer and fasting; (2) knowledge; (3) authority; (4) the right means of communicating; (5) the correct message--with the gospel, testimony, and what's expedient being highlighted; (6) the proper manner of delivery; and (7) the spirit of the Lord. Having the spirit of the Lord was stressed in connection with each of the other principles, and they in turn served as essential preludes to the seventh principle.

This project attempts to demonstrate the value of literary approaches to the Doctrine and Covenants, using a predominantly formalistic approach. To establish a foundation, the first chapter discusses the rich literary content of the Doctrine and Covenants, providing examples of the various literary genres represented in it, such as narrative, saga, parable, and poetry. The second chapter presents portions of Section 76 that contain features characteristic of Hebrew poetry, such as figures of speech and parallelism. The third chapter analyzes ways in which Section 76's poetic dimensions are illuminated by "The Vision," a 312-line poem attributed to Joseph Smith. The poetic version closely parallels the revelation and reveals insights into the poetic quality of Section 76. This study includes a line-by-line comparison of both the scriptural and poetic versions, and notes both textual similarities and differences between them.

The general topic of this thesis is the changes that have occurred in The Doctrine and Covenants through its various editions, beginning with A Book of Commandments which was printed in 1833, to the 1937 edition of The Doctrine and Covenants.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always possessed a vigorous concept of the value of education for its youth. Programs of religious instruction have encouraged the young people to further their understanding of religious concepts. In July, 1953, all of the Church educational institutions, except those in the islands of the Pacific, were combined into one organization and named The Unified Church School System. As of January 1, 1965 the Pacific Board of Education, which directed the Church schools in the Pacific Islands, was also incorporated into the aforementioned mother unit. One important department of continual research in this system is curriculum development. The development of teacher manuals for the instructors is a never-ending process. New manuals are needed as educational understanding progresses. New methods of presentation are under experimentation with the hope that the youth will more readily accept the religious instruction and put it into vital application in their lives. The purpose of this particular field project is to develop such a course of study for the teachers in one particular segment of this educational system.The Church Schools of the Pacific teach a class of religion each year in their junior and senior high schools, sometimes referred to as "Church Colleges." This necessitates the use of six different gospel subjects. They are generally arranged in this order: seventh grade: Book of Mormon; eighth grade, New Testament; ninth grade, Church History; tenth grade, Old Testament; eleventh grade, Modern Scripture; and in the twelfth grade, a special leadership and church service training program. The Church schools in the Pacific have had the use of the courses of study developed by the seminary program, a sister department in the school system for released time and non-released time junior and senior high school students. The first four courses mentioned are used quite successfully, with some adaptation, but a need has developed for a course for the eleventh graders in Modern L. D. S. Scripture on a par with those developed by the seminary department. It is the work of this field project to develop such an outline, field test it a year, then print it after evaluation as a course of study. The final draft printed for use in the schools of the Pacific would also be presented as partial fulfillment of the master's degree by the writer to the graduate department of religion at Brigham Young University.

An observation of literature extant regarding the revelations accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as being divinely given through Joseph Smith, discloses that the field has not been probed very thoroughly. Many are the sermons and discourses preached from the pulpit by exegetes of Mormonism vindicating the book of Doctrine and Covenants as being authentic. Few, however, have made a study of the history, origin, and development of this book. From outside of the church criticisms have arisen concerning certain changes, additions, and omissions made in the revelations as first written by Joseph Smith. When confronted with these criticisms, attempts have been made to give an adequate answer to them. Without having access to source material wherein these criticisms have been discussed, many of those within the church have been at a loss as to how they might answer their antagonists. The author felt that a study of the revelations from their earliest publication to the currently used publication would disclose much helpful information for those interested in a study of the commandments and their development; hence the problem: "To determine the nature of and the significance of the changes made in the revelations as found in a comparison of the Book of Commandments and subsequent editions of the Doctrine and Covenants."

The problem of this thesis is: What textual relationship does the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bear to the Bible, King James Version? As a preliminary hypothesis, it has been assumed that there are phrases and clauses in the Doctrine and Covenants similar enough in construction and meaning to some of the phrases and clauses in the Bible to permit selection of samples from both that will parallel each other. Whether such parallel phrasing, when found, would appear to be a result of quoting, adapting, reiterating, renewing, alluding or simply coincidental construction constituted part of the problem.

This thesis applies Kenneth Burke's method of logology as exemplified in The Rhetoric of Religion to analyze the Mormon text Doctrine and Covenants Section 88. This method of logology is based on the assumption that what is said about God in theology reveals a religion's use of language to influence human motives. The logological method uses six analogies to discover the motives implicit in religious terminologies. These six analogies are as follows: words-Word, Matter-Spirit, the Negative, the Titular, Time-Eternity, and the Formal.This study revealed that the terminology contained in Doctrine and Covenants uses motives far diferent from the motives of traditional Christianity as described by Burke. Primary differences include the existence of a cluster of god-terms that describes a universal hierarchy, and emphasis on and affirmation of the physical, and an emphasis on the positive. An examination of these terms and motives can help Mormons better appreicate the advantages inherent in their terminology as exemplified in Section 88.