Post Lesson 7 Work

The Application Activity was to choose a topic from previous lessons, find an article on desnews.com that is about the topic, summarize it, and then answer questions concerning the article.

I chose the topic of lifelong learning because the right and responsibility that one has to keep learning is a wonderful freedom that should not be ignored or taken for granted. Not everyone has even the right to learn as much as they may want simply because of their gender, cultural beliefs, or religious dictations. Those who do enjoy ample freedoms, like the freedom to learn as they will should cherish the right they have to do so and take the responsibility of doing so seriously. The beauty of lifelong learning is that it does not have to be done solely through secular learning, it can be done through whatever method one chooses and feels comfortable pursuing. To deny yourself the opportunity of lifelong learning when the right is there is to deny yourself an opportunity at godliness, as God will take care of those who want to pursue lifelong learning and cannot, but those who can pursue it should lest they deny themselves blessings. If we have the right to learn, we have the responsibility to exercise that sacred right.

The article I chose from desnews.com is called 'Spiritual Nourishment: Quest For Lifelong Learning that was written by Betty Knorr. Knorr begins by explaining how her persistence in lifelong learning has led to great temporal and spiritual blessings for both herself and her family. Knorr then goes on explain why lifelong learning is important by emphasizing that if we refuse to stop learning, we stagnate ourselves and when we stagnate our own progression long enough, we end up regressing spiritually.

 Knorr referenced Alma 32: 37-42 and said that nourish is emphasized in the verse, meaning that it is a very important word and said that we need to apply it to ourselves, as we have all been planted on this Earth by the Lord and though He gives us what we need to stay spiritually healthy and strong, it is up to us to actually apply the nourishment so that we do not end up on the path to spiritual starvation and death, which would happen if we chose to ignore our spiritual needs. Knorr provides several helpful ways to nourish ourselves that include prayer, scriptures, and accessing resources that can provide insight into things about the gospel that we might not necessarily understand. Knorr then briefly touches on a personal experience that led her to begin her own personal journey of lifelong learning, emphasizing that it was the kindness of a neighbor child to her family that was the instigator of this quest. Throughout the remainder of the article, Knorr explains the many blessings that have come to both herself and her family from not only consistent spiritual nourishment, but also the experiences that have come as a result of the care she has put into maintaining consistency with the process. Knorr also explained that she developed a deeper love for herself, her family, and for others outside of her family circle because of the spiritual fortification that  comes from serving others according to what the Lord asks her to do by way of Church and personal callings. Knorr concludes her article by emphasizing the importance of consistent study of gospel resources and how it helps us to endure each day as it comes.Here is the link to the article: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/459938/SPIRITUAL-NOURISHMENT-QUEST-FOR-LIFELONG-LEARNING.html?pg=all

I agree with the concepts presented in this article because this is showing one who is first seeking knowledge and then choosing to experiment upon the knowledge to see if there is truth to be found. The author clearly explains that by investing time in resources that provide spiritual fortification such as the scriptures and other spiritually wholesome sources, her spirituality and love for others increased. I am further impressed and agreeable with the fact that after the author came to the knowledge and appreciation of the truths found through her experiment of faith, she took what she learned and used it to benefit the lives of her family and others in her circle of influence. I largely agree with the concept of taking what you learn from spiritual studies and using it to benefit others whether it be your family or others who you may have an influence upon. For your good example may fortify others in such a way that they will want to not only start a quest of lifelong learning, but also teach others how to go about it.

 The author of 'Spiritual Nourishment: Quest For Lifelong Learning' is Betty Knorr and, according to her article, she was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1977. After a long search through Google and also through the Deseret News database, I came across an obituary for a Betty Lou Knorr that listed her death date as being June 6, 2015. After seeing that her husband, Bill, was mentioned in the article along with the fact that she joined the Church in 1977, I compared the findings in the article to the obituary and it could possibly be her, but it may not be.

 In terms of experience, I believe that while the author may not have degrees about the subject matter, she has experimented upon what she has learned and shared the benefits of doing so with others. It says in the scriptures to experiment upon the words of the Lord to see whether or not they are true and through consistent efforts and a sense of open-mindedness, the author has experimented upon the word and found her result to be positive because she was willing to go into the experiment with a teachable heart.

 The article was published on desnews.com on May 13, 1995.

I don't think that the article would be reliable enough to use in a college-level paper, but it would be eligible for use in articles that are not being used for academic purposes, such as magazine articles. A college-level research paper generally requires the use of information that has been written by people who have experience on a specific subject and/or have utilized information that comes from a credible source. The article does discuss how acts of kindness can lead to personal journeys of conversion and also discusses how testing counsel found in scriptures can lead to possible personal blessings, but that would not necessarily be understood or accepted by those of a more scholarly nature who can find very little, if any use for religious information.

 

Most college-level research papers require information from peer-reviewed articles that have empirical evidence in them and can be legitimately used as empirical evidence to defend any points that may be made in a college-level paper. In the eyes of some academics, such as in the Church educational institutions and those who are friendly with the Church, the scriptures and other gospel resources would be considered empirical evidence because God and Jesus Christ are considered reliable sources as all information contained within gospel resources come from them through faithful and worthy members of the Church.

 

In the eyes of more secular educators, scientific associations, and other religions who do not support the Church or the teachings within, the gospel is not seen as empirical evidence simply because in their eyes, the gospel was written by fallible men who had quite the imagination. It is rather unfortunate that some fail to see the beauty of the gospel and the lovely truths within simply because all of those things were produced by a source that was assisted by a God that not everyone believes in.

 

However, it has been a long time since the standards of God and men were in conjunction with one another and as those standards continue to divert from one another, more and more people will allow themselves to be deceived by fellow mortals and by Satan into thinking that gospel truths are unreliable. As people fall prey to those deceptions, they will discount the gospel of Jesus Christ as reliable truth and put more trust in empirical evidence and that which their fellow men tells them to be true rather than what their heart may tell them.

Knorr referenced Alma 32: 37-42 and said that nourish is emphasized in the verse, meaning that it is a very important word and said that we need to apply it to ourselves, as we have all been planted on this Earth by the Lord and though He gives us what we need to stay spiritually healthy and strong, it is up to us to actually apply the nourishment so that we do not end up on the path to spiritual starvation and death, which would happen if we chose to ignore our spiritual needs. Knorr provides several helpful ways to nourish ourselves that include prayer, scriptures, and accessing resources that can provide insight into things about the gospel that we might not necessarily understand. Knorr then briefly touches on a personal experience that led her to begin her own personal journey of lifelong learning, emphasizing that it was the kindness of a neighbor child to her family that was the instigator of this quest.

Throughout the remainder of the article, Knorr explains the many blessings that have come to both herself and her family from not only consistent spiritual nourishment, but also the experiences that have come as a result of the care she has put into maintaining consistency with the process. Knorr also explained that she developed a deeper love for herself, her family, and for others outside of her family circle because of the spiritual fortification that  comes from serving others according to what the Lord asks her to do by way of Church and personal callings. Knorr concludes her article by emphasizing the importance of consistent study of gospel resources and how it helps us to endure each day as it comes.

I agree with the concepts presented in this article because this is showing one who is first seeking knowledge and then choosing to experiment upon the knowledge to see if there is truth to be found. The author clearly explains that by investing time in resources that provide spiritual fortification such as the scriptures and other spiritually wholesome sources, her spirituality and love for others increased. I am further impressed and agreeable with the fact that after the author came to the knowledge and appreciation of the truths found through her experiment of faith, she took what she learned and used it to benefit the lives of her family and others in her circle of influence. I largely agree with the concept of taking what you learn from spiritual studies and using it to benefit others whether it be your family or others who you may have an influence upon. For your good example may fortify others in such a way that they will want to not only start a quest of lifelong learning, but also teach others how to go about it.

 The author of 'Spiritual Nourishment: Quest For Lifelong Learning' is Betty Knorr and, according to her article, she was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1977.

In terms of experience, I believe that while the author may not have degrees about the subject, she has experimented upon what she has learned and shared the benefits of doing so with others. It says in the scriptures to experiment upon the words of the Lord to see whether or not they are true and through consistent efforts and a sense of open-mindedness, the author has experimented upon the word and found her result to be positive because she was willing to go into the experiment with a teachable heart.


 Discussion Board replies:

In terms of finding information on the internet, you can find articles based on a person's experience with information that has already been published and verified as a reliable source, but you have to make sure that the person's experience is not biased either way; if the person has summarized their experience without using any bias and has legitimate sources to back their words up, that information can be considered credible. If a person records an experience in a biased manner, however, and either fabricates or omits facts to make their review seem credible, I would avoid that kind of an article, as it only presents opinions and NOT facts.

Opinions based on experiences shouldn't be considered credible unless there are legitimate sources to back the opinions up. If people can find legitimate sources that would verify the reality of any personal experiences they might have, they might be worth listening to, but in terms of believing it to be true, that part is up to you and you alone.

When it came to the First Vision, Joseph Smith had a personal experience and had the source of the scriptures, specifically James 1:5, to back him up because He asked of God and received an answer. Because he had experimented on what a legitimate source challenged him to do, we now have the fullness of the gospel available for us in this dispensation. He heard opinions of others throughout the process, but the opinions of men without reliable sources to back them up can only take one so far in a search for truth. God provided scriptures to man and a search for truth can be done by experimenting on what the scriptures invite us to do.

 In order to be able to retain what you learn, one must first be willing to accept what has been taught and find a way that it can apply to daily life. If one accepts what has been taught as truth, the best way to remember the truth is to look at your own life and see how experimenting on what you have learned could possibly improve upon the life you currently have. Generally, people live as well as they can and do good where they see that it is needed, but one can always improve upon their way of life or the way that they conduct themselves simply by learning and exploring the truths that the gospel of Jesus Christ has to offer. God and Jesus Christ have provided opportunity and resources that we may become better if we are willing to not only learn how to do so, but actually go forth and do so. By applying our knowledge to our agency, we learn to act in faith and by acting in faith, we remember why we are doing so and how simple, sweet truths can make us better individuals.