"I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father"

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; (1 Nephi 1:1)

There has been considerable discussion as to the meaning of the phrase "goodly parents" over the years. It is frequently used synonymously with "good parents", but some have questioned why Joseph Smith didn't translate it using the simpler "good" instead of the fancy "goodly". They have posited, based on dictionary entries, presumed limited accessibility of education, and in-text descriptions of Lehi's wealth, that "goodly" means "rich" instead. I will confess to having been persuaded by these arguments for some time. But the more recent publications of The Joseph Smith Papers has changed my mind. In one version of his life story, Joseph Smith refers to his parents as "goodly". They could by no stretch of the imagination have been described as wealthy, so he must have been simply saying that they were good parents, perhaps alluding to Nephi's good parents with this phrasing. I find my self returning to the "goodly" = "good" camp based on this evidence.

The next clause explains what these good parents did for him. They taught him what they (or at least what his father) knew. As I read this, I expect that the learning of his father included a secular education. In modern times we have so much available to us in the way of educational opportunities! Supporting our children in their schooling is important to give them the tools to understand and navigate the world.

In reading this with an eye to discovering what I should do (see my previous post), I wondered what is said elsewhere in the Book of Mormon about what parents should teach their children. Here is a sampling of what I found:

• what's in the scriptures (Mosiah 1:4) -- Lehi taught his children what was in the brass plates, including the commandments of God, and they taught their children. It's hard to keep the commandments if you don't know what they are!
• to keep the commandments of God (Alma 53:21, Helaman 5:13) -- This one came up several times. It was taught by the parents of the stripling warriors and by Helaman to his sons, Lehi and Nephi. Teaching not only what the scriptures say (academically), but also that they have significance as a code of conduct is important.
• the language of their fathers (Mosiah 1:2) -- This could mean a historical language that wasn't currently being spoken, probably useful for future rulers who might need to access historical records. Parents who speak a language that's not the dominant language where we live should pass this language on to their children. As a linguist, I value linguistic diversity, and I think bilingualism is important as a marker of our heritage as well as a useful skill in society.
• if they do not doubt, God will deliver them (Alma 56:47) -- This one is tricky, because it implies that we will always be rescued from dangerous situations if we have faith. Which implies that if we aren't rescued we don't have enough faith. But in the case of the stripling warriors it seems to have been justified, so it could be a case of their parents being inspired to teach them this. In any case, I think the writers in the Book of Mormon would advocate teaching our children to have faith.
• about the Lord (3 Nephi 22:13) -- This is a quote from Isaiah 54: "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord". Making sure our children have a strong gospel foundation is important.

These are just the references to parents teaching their children. There's plenty more teaching discussed, not to mention preaching, expounding, etc., and I'll talk about those in future posts.

My children are grown now, and some have children of their own. But I hope I taught them the things described here--to read and apply the scriptures, to have faith, and to love the Lord. 

"Not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written"

“And your minds in time past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion.” (Doctrine and Coventants 84:54–58)

This statement was included in a revelation dated 1832, which surprises me because I thought at that point the church was all about the Book of Mormon and the revelations Joseph Smith was receiving. And then President Benson told us that the church was still under this condemnation in 1986! And really, not much has changed since then. We’ve had a couple of Book of Mormon reading challenges, but not much in-depth analysis and discussion of what this means. 

So I want to see if I can change this in myself, to improve my ability “not only to say, but to do” what I find in the scriptures. Really, if my mind has been darkened through not paying attention to the light and truth I’ve already received, I should go back and look at it from a different perspective.

Starting with the Book of Mormon because that’s the scripture that’s named in the revelation, I’m going to post what I see that I should be doing, and try to implement that.