Religion 122 Winter 2009

Religion 122 Winter 2009

Book of Mormon

Instructor: Rex M. Butterfield

Office: TAY 274

Phone: 496-1425

Email:

Requirements:

Attendance

Because your education at BYU-Idaho is heavily subsidized by tithing dollars of the church, we owe it to the Lord and the faithful tithe payers to be in class, and alert in class (the Still Small Voice is hard to hear if a person is unconscious). On time attendance is required for 5 points per day. Two points will be subtracted for being late/leaving early. In addition, your scriptures need to come with you, so if you are here without your scriptures, it is only worth 3. Also, if a person is not in class at least 80% of the time, he/she will receive an ‘F’ for the course. In other words, if you miss more than 6 times you will fail this course. Please be here!If there is a serious extenuating medical condition, please see me.

Reading and Marking Assignments

Each day, there will be a reading assignment. Mostly, these will come from the standard works of the church. Frequently, there will be supplemental talks by the General Authorities and Officers of the church. Please print these out, read, mark, and bring to class. These are worth 5 points per assignment if done on time, 3 if done late (you are on your honor here). Some assignments are longer than others, so read ahead, if possible, on the shorter assignments.

Exams

There will be a mid-term and a final exam, worth 100 points each. These will cover what we have discussed in class and in the reading assignments.

A Small Research Paper

Okay, small means 3-5 pages, double spaced. You can write this in a sort of talk format so that if you ever need a talk, you have one ready. The subject can be any doctrine taught in the Book of Mormon. Please cite any references you use, and it is better to stick with scriptural and General Authority sources. Hugh Nibley, for example is good, but President Monson is better . This is worth 100 points. Grammar counts (this is college, after all), but content is more important. They do need to be type-written, 12 point font, times new roman script, (and don’t play with the margins to shrink up the text) and handed in hard copy, so I can write on your paper. Also, you’ll need to actually do some research; I grew up around farms, and I can recognize fertilizer (ask a farmer if you don’t get what that means). You may choose your own topic, but if you are having trouble thinking of one, here are some suggestions that will also give you a flavor for the type of paper to write: Mercy in the Book of Mormon, The Nature of God (or any specific piece of His character or attributes like mercy, love, justice, judgment, omniscience, power etc), The role of prayer, The Abrahamic Covenant and how it pertains to… (missionary work, celestial marriage, temple work, priesthood, etc.), Why prophets?, The atonement, The resurrection. Anyway, you get the idea. Faith promoting rumors don’t cut it here. Also, just a quick caution that most of you do not need: don’t plagiarize. You don’t want to find out what happens to people who are academically dishonest. For an outline on how to write this paper, see the website. Also, the base for your paper should be the Book of Mormon: use it!

Journal/insight record

As you read, the Holy Ghost will teach you things. Out of respect to the one who reveals, we should record those revelations. Therefore, as you read the assignments, write down the insights, thoughts, or impressions that come to you. It could be something new you learned, or maybe something you see in a different light or something that applies to you in a different way. You can go buy a 10 cent spiral notebook to record these in, or if you would like something more formal, that is fine too. These are pretty personal, and I will only skim them to make sure they are done. They are worth 2 points per reading assignment, so please note where you were reading for that day. This is mainly for your insights, not notes from class, although you can keep them in the same book if you would like.

Grade Scale

95-100%=A

90-94%=A-

86-89%=B+

83-85%=B

80-82%=B-

76-79%=C+

73-75%=C

70-72%=C-

66-69%=D+

63-65%=D

60-62%=D-

<60%=F

Date / Reading assignment
1/8 / Syllabus, Performance Record, Alma 30-31
1/13 / Alma 32-35
1/15 / Alma 36-38
1/20 / Alma 39-42
1/22 / Alma 43-50
1/27 / Alma 51-63 Sheri Dew “Are we not all mothers?” LDS.org - Ensign Article - Are We Not All Mothers?
1/29 / Helaman 1-6
2/3 / Helaman 7-12
2/5 / Helaman 13-16
2/10 / 3 Nephi 1-10 President Ezra Taft Benson LDS.org - Ensign Article - The Savior’s Visit to America
2/12 / 3 Nephi 11-14
2/17 / 3 Nephi 11-14 (cont.) Elder Oaks “Judge not and Judging”LDS.org - Ensign Article - “Judge Not” and Judging
2/19 / Cont.
2/24 / 3 Nephi 15-17
2/26 / 3 Nephi 18-19 Elder Haight “The sacrament and the sacrifice
LDS.org - Ensign Article - The Sacrament—and the SacrificePAPERS DUE TODAY 
3/3 / 3 Nephi 20-23
3/5 / 3 Nephi 24-27 Elder Holland “Like a Watered Garden” LDS.org - Ensign Article - “Like a Watered Garden”
3/10 / 3 Nephi 28-30
3/12 / 4 Nephi
3/17 / Mormon 1-6
3/19 / Mormon 7-9
3/24 / Ether 1-8
3/26 / Ether 9-15
3/31 / Moroni 1-6
4/2 / Moroni 7-9 Elder Gene R. Cook LDS.org - Liahona Article - Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love
4/7 / Moroni 10
4/9 / Final Exam in Class