Keywords

prosperity, happiness, joy, obedience, commandments, Book of Mormon

Document Type

Article

Abstract

As religious educators, we have a responsibility to teach the doctrine “not so plainly that [students] can just understand, but [we] must teach the doctrines of the Church so plainly that no one can misunderstand.”[1] The concept of prosperity in the Book of Mormon is one of those doctrines that must be taught to youth and young adults in a way they don’t misunderstand what it means. Religious educators can help expand students’ understanding of prosperity lest they inadvertently reduce prosperity to mere financial success. If students always equate prosperity in the Book of Mormon with financial blessings, it could be damaging to their faith. For example, if a teacher were only to teach that people in the Book of Mormon prospered financially because of obedience to the Lord’s commandments, it could weaken the faith of students who feel they have been obedient but are not seeing financial blessings either personally or within their families. In addition, students might try fraudulent activity to achieve financial prosperity. By helping students expand their understanding of the meaning of prosperity in the Book of Mormon, not only do we help them see a variety of different principles about prosperity that could be applied to their lives but we also help strengthen their faith in and deepen their conversion to Jesus Christ as we point out numerous ways the Lord blessed the Nephites to prosper and can help us prosper today.