Recently, a leader in the Jewish community in Florida visited Salt Lake City. He was interested in knowing how the LDS Church’s seminary program functions so that he could try to implement a similar model for Jewish youth in Florida schools. He was taken to a local released-time seminary in Salt Lake where he could ask questions to the local seminary principal and observe some seminary classes. As he sat in the back of one class, the seminary principal leaned over to explain to him what was going on, but when he started talking to the Jewish leader, the man put up his hand to signal to him to stop. Not fully understanding, the seminary principal tried to re-word what he had started to say, and as he began to speak, the Jewish leader turned to the seminary principal and said, “Shhh. I want to listen to what is going on here.” Surprised, the seminary principal noticed the Jewish visitor was visibly emotional, with tears welling up in his eyes. To the seminary principal, this was just another average seminary class with students discussing the scriptures and learning the gospel, to the Jewish man, it was a miracle. Afterward, the Jewish leader asked the seminary principal,”Does this happen every day?” to which the principal said, “Yes. And often, more powerfully.” The Jewish leader then said something interesting. He said, “You have an amazing thing going on here. Do you realize what you have in this program? This….This is a miracle.”
It is that time of year when LDS high school seniors are graduating from seminary, and when underclassmen are getting ready for summer and signing up for the upcoming school year. We felt that it is a good time to remind ourselves “what we have going on here” with the seminary and institute program and to invite all the youth who read this post to ensure that you are enrolled in seminary and institute for the upcoming school year (or, if you are a parent or youth leader, to encourage your youth to do the same). Here are some reasons why we should be involved in seminary and institute:
You will receive spiritual re-strengthening during the weekday
Just like how taking 1 day out of 7 to keep the Sabbath day holy rejuvenates our spirit, so does taking 1 class out of 7. One of the great blessings of seminary and institute is the spiritual strengthening you receive during the weekday as you go about your day. Some seminary students were asked to respond to the following question: “If you had to give one reason to someone (who is not taking seminary) for why they should enroll, what would you say?” The answers were overwhelmingly Spirit based. Read just a sample:
- 11th grade girl-“As you keep attending seminary, your spirituality and faith will grow. Seminary is a place where this is guaranteed to happen.”
- 10th grade boy-“Seminary is peace and respite for the soul. Nowhere else do I feel the Spirit as clearly and profoundly as in seminary.”
- 9th grade girl-“Being in seminary and having the great lessons that we do gives you the Spirit to carry with you all day.”
- 11th grade boy-“In the middle of our fight against sin, [seminary] is a pit stop. Seminary will…make you stronger, it will give you the courage to stand up, it will give you the Spirit to trust, it will give you the faith to believe.”
A Four year study of U.S. teens and religion at the University of North Carolina found that LDS teens were less likely to participate in behaviors such as pre-marital sex, smoking marijuana, or viewing pornography than their peers of other religions. The researchers explained the difference by saying, “It probably has to do with daily religious training through [seminary]…Daily engagement with people of their own faith, that’s an amazing corrective to tip the balance.”(Source: “Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers”, Oxford University Press, 2005. As quoted in the Deseret News on Tuesday, March 15, 2005).
Light cleaves to light
Another major reason for enrolling in seminary and institute has to do with the scripture: “For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light” (D&C 88: 40). As you come into seminary and institute classes, you will be surrounded by other people who are seeking light and truth. Their light will inspire and brighten your spiritual light. Their desire to do good will strengthen your desire to do good. Their love of truth enhances your love of truth. Just like how the disciples who heard John the Baptist bear his testimony of the Savior were led to the Jesus (and helped others to do the same), hearing and seeing the faith of your peers will strengthen you in your faith and lead you to Christ. Perhaps this “light cleaves to light” principle is why there are a higher percentage of seminary and institute graduates who marry in the temple. President Packer said: “The percentage of temple marriages among the graduates of seminaries and institutes is more than double the Church average. Do you need any better endorsement than that?” (Elder Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 1990, p. 38).
You will gain skills to use the tool of the scriptures
Part of what happens in seminary and institute is that you are trained how to use the scriptures. Finding answers in the scriptures takes practice. It takes coaching. Just like the Ethiopian treasurer showed us in Acts 8:28-31: The Ethiopian prince “Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to [him], and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me?”
In seminary there is a teacher there to guide you to understand, identify, and apply the scriptures. These skills will become invaluable throughout the rest of your life as you teach and lead within your family and the Church. Part of the reason why you will gain such an advantage in knowing how to find answers and direction in the scriptures over those who do not enroll in seminary is because it would take almost four years of attending Sunday school each week to equal the amount of time that can be dedicated to studying the gospel in nine months of seminary.
You will gain greater knowledge of the foundational doctrines of the gospel
Part of the emphasis in seminary and institute is to teach the youth the basic, or foundational, doctrines of the gospel. Here are some sample questions from an actual basic doctrines exam that was developed by the seminary system and is starting to be given to some students.
What is the correct definition of immortality?
a. Living as an exalted being
b. Living forever
c. Living with God
d. Vulnerable to physical death
e. I don’t know
Why are the blessings of the temple essential for eternal life?
Because the temple is the only place __________.
a. you can find peace in this world
b. sacred enough to make covenants
c. you make endowment and sealing covenants
d. where you can truly feel the Spirit
e. all of the above
f. I don’t know
If you’re unsure of the answers to these questions, then go to seminary! J Actually, the answers are b and c. As Elder L. Tom Perry said: “I know of no better place for the young people of the Church to gain a special knowledge of sacred things than in the institute and seminary programs of the Church” (Elder L. Tom Perry, Receive Truth, Ensign (CR), November 1997, p.60).
You will gain the skills to be able to explain, share, testify, and teach the gospel to others
Another part of the emphasis in seminary and institute is to get students to explain the gospel, share their personal experiences, and testify of what they know to be true to each other in class. Why this emphasis? Well, partly because when we verbally participate in class the truths we speak our confirmed in our own souls, but also because we need to have the skills of being able to articulate and explain the gospel to others in coherent ways. Provo Missionary Training Center Director Richard Heaton explained how new missionaries, “come pouring into the missionary training center, and the first thing they get to do, virtually, is to sit down knee-to-knee with someone and tell that person about the scriptures and what they’ve learned. It’s amazing to see the challenge that it provides for some. They have great feelings in their hearts. They have testimonies. They have feelings, but when it’s time to express them, they stumble. . . . While others come with a great comfortableness of opening their scriptures and saying, ‘That’s a question I’ve had too, and I want to share with you some passages that have helped me.’ They share the passage as if it were a part of what they have commonly done. That experience, that comfortableness [is] generated in seminary and institute classes as they talk about these things together. We can see it right away when they come into the MTC. (Teaching and Learning Panel. Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Broadcast, August 4th, 2009, p.6). See how good your ability to articulate the gospel in clear, concise, understandable ways is by doing this exercise with some of the basic doctrines of the Church: Explain the following in FIVE WORDS or less in simple and clear terms:
Apostasy
Restoration
Priesthood
The Plan of Salvation
The Creation
The Atonement
Conclusion
If you are already participating in seminary and institute (and perhaps graduating in an upcoming weekend!), we congratulate you. If you are not, we invite you to do so. We do not hesitate to promise you that these programs will prove a blessing to your testimony and spirituality. President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Our great program of Church education moves forward. The work of training students through the seminary and institute program is constantly being enlarged. … We urge all for whom it is available to take advantage of it. We do not hesitate to promise that your knowledge of the gospel will be increased, your faith will be strengthened, and you will develop wonderful associations and friendships” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, in Conference Report, Apr. 1984, 69; or Ensign, May 1984, 47). We hope we know what we have in this program of seminary and institutes. It is a miracle.
I am a first counselor for the YW organization, I was inspired to teach a lesson about the importance of Seminary, and I am so glad I found this information, thank you so much!!