In my Mission Preparation course, our instructor said that, “Teaching by the doctrine and history of the church is important; but, teaching by the Spirit is absolutely necessary and essential to the growth of the church.” “Rhetoric is the ability to get people on the same page as you…It is the ability to persuade or influence ideas, actions, and ideas.” (Writing and Rhetoric Pg. 4) Using this definition, I will mainly define how rhetoric is used in the mission field. But these ideas can also be carried over to every aspect of the LDS church.
Preach My Gospel is a manual given to missionaries that helps them develop rhetoric in their teaching. To explain, it helps teach them the skills they need to help an investigator better understand the gospel. The skills that are needed are outlined very specifically in the first chapter of Preach My Gospel. It doesn’t say that you need to know the entire history of the church or every scripture reference given (although these things could come in handy). It states you should teach by the Spirit at all times. The reason the manual doesn’t say you need to know all the specifics is because; “The Spirit (Holy Ghost) will teach you new truths and bring the doctrines you have studied to your remembrance, give you the words to speak in the moment you need them, carry the message to the hearts of the people, and help you discern the needs of the people you teach.” (PMG pg.3) If we pray for the Holy Ghost to be with us, keep the commandments, study diligently, and teach so they can understand the message, we will influence others. That is what rhetoric’s goal is. When we are teaching by the Holy Spirit, we are speaking rhetorically.
Unfortunately, we can’t (in most cases) teach without any previous knowledge of the gospel. The Lord said, “Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men” (D&C 11:21) Using rhetoric in a classroom setting is the same as using it in the mission field. We must first study and learn the material thoroughly before applying to various topics.
A testimony must be acquired through prayer. It is with prayer that the Spirit uses its rhetoric to teach us truths through our thoughts and feelings. Most LDS members have heard stories of missionaries bearing testimony to investigators. The influence of those testimonies have brought the Holy Spirit to some with such force that they read the Book of Mormon, asked if it is true, and the Spirit manifested it to them. I believe a personal testimony is the most powerful form of rhetoric. It is the reason so many people have joined the church, one of the reasons Joseph Smith organized it, and is why we continue to stay faithful to the teaching of the prophets.
I have concluded that there is rhetoric in the church. It’s everywhere! The Spirit uses it to help and direct us; Satan, to destroy us. Members use it to try and get people interested in the gospel, but it is the Lord and His Holy Spirit that influences people the most. If we are in tune with the Spirit, and have it with us all the time; we (with the Lord) can be the most influential people on Earth.
Your comments are definitely valid and well organized. However, (and this is my attempt at a "useful" comment) there are a few sentences that could be tightened up and a few of the transitions feel mechanical. If you tinkered for ten minutes on those areas, you'd be golden. Great work!
ReplyDeleteYou are exactly right that rhetoric is everywhere...be it good or bad. Thanks to agency, we can always choose whose rhetoric we want to apply to our lives: satans or the Holy Ghost.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. Thank goodness for the Spirit or missionary work would definitely be a lot harder! I've read through a couple of times in an attempt to find some sort of helpful criticism, but I can't. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteI think that your comment on needing knowledge of the gospel in order to preach the gospel is a good point. To be able to use rhetoric well, one needs to have some sort of knowledge of what he/she is trying to convince others of. Can you imagine how ridiculous missionaries would look if their only comeback to the question, "How do you know the Book of Mormon is true?" was, "It just is,"?
ReplyDeleteMont, I reread over my essay, and you are completely right! I changed a few things and it sounds much better, but maybe sometime you could give me a few tips. Ya? I love reading your writing and if I can get anywhere close to the level you are at, I would be very satisfied.
ReplyDeleteGreat post--I can tell you really care about the topic, and that makes it really interesting and enjoyable to read.
ReplyDeleteOne stylistic suggestion--in the first paragraph, you have two quotes. You introduce the first one and then give the first quote...then you dive straight into the second quote. It would be helpful, in between the two quotes, to have a phrase or sentence introduction of the second quote. This is just a quote integration thing that we'll actually talk about in November, but it's my "useful" comment.