What We Used to Study At Church

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by Seattle Jon (bio)

Bow Tie Guy and his family were over for dinner the other night. I was showing him a manual I'd come across and purchased at our local Deseret Industries. The manual - Apostasy to Restoration - was written by T. Edgar Lyon and used as the course of study for melchizedek priesthood quorums in 1960.

Here is a brief outline (I am not making this up):

Part I: Christianity in the Graeco-Roman World
Sample Headings: The Nature of Pagan Religion, The Mystery Cults, The Pontifex Maximus


Part II: The Christian Church During the First Three Centuries
Sample Headings: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Antiquity of the Gospel, Jewish Opposition Toward Christianity, Writings of Ignatius, Justin Martyr: The First Christian Apologist, The Gnostic Heresy

Part III: Christianity Joins Forces With the Roman Government
Sample Headings: The Donatist Schism, The Nicene Creed, Caesaro-Papism, The Choosing of Pagans as Bishops**

Part IV: Political and Religious Innovations in the Western Church
Sample Headings: Monasticism and Christianity, Mysticism and Worship, The Forged Decretals, Purgatory

Part V: Movements Toward Church Reform
Sample Headings: Humanism and Reform, Luther's Ninety-Five Theses, Calvinism Beyond Switzerland

Now, I know next to nothing about any of the topics in this manual, but isn't that the point? As early as fifty years ago priesthood quorums were spending an entire year on these topics. Now, the same lessons are recycled every four years. I don't know about you, but I could sure use a year of lessons on paganism, mysticism and purgatory.

If anyone in the church office building reads Modern Mormon Men, could you please leave this post up on the computer of someone in power?

** I mean no offense to my current bishop with the selection of this sample heading.