The Gospel, The Spirit, and Rhetoric.

All in all I know the purpose of the gospel is to teach people about what has happened between God and his people and to bring people closer to the Lord. It does so in a way that doesn’t so much push it, as it does teach it. For instance the scriptures don’t all say, “Come unto the Lord,” or “This is true,” or “Christ lived,” or other such things. Some of them do, but the rest teach with examples. We learned about rhetoric, and one of the definitions we learned is that rhetoric is a practical communication (McInelly 6). I think that is perhaps the best definition for the Gospel. Yes it is true, but if that’s all the scriptures said, the effect wouldn’t be the one it needs to have. By having stories it lets you see examples and experiences that could only happen if it were true. Also, it lets you grow closer to Heavenly Father and the Spirit. People don’t often believe something just because someone says it’s true, they need proof, and the way the Gospel is written gives people proof and lets them open up their hearts to it.

I think the Gospel is one of the best examples of rhetoric that we have. It fits all the descriptions of rhetoric that are outlined in the book. The first definition is, “A method of influencing men’s minds by means of words” (McInelly 6). The Gospel is just that. It’s not just a book to read like Harry Potter. It has a purpose and it’s very much trying to push it. I could go on to explain how each definition is used but it all goes back to what I said about the Gospel being the best source of rhetoric. With it though come the Spirit, whose whole purpose is filled with rhetoric. It is there to let us know the gospel is true; furthermore, it is there to tell us what is right and what to do. The spirit is there to persuade. Without the Spirit the rhetoric the Gospel contains would be useless. We would have no means of knowing it was true because the Spirit wouldn’t be there to convince us; thus the Gospel and the Spirit go hand in hand.