Memorized Scriptures 2024

We had 22 scriptures on our list of scriptures to memorize this year and while I'm not sure everyone memorized every scripture, we certainly made a valiant effort. We officially crossed off 19 of them and are still working on 3. Perhaps we'll cross off more tomorrow.

It's been interesting for me to consider this practice of ours as I've been studying literacy. Rote memorization is often frowned upon in my world, and yet I still believe there's something to be said of committing a particular wording to memory. One particular article that I've been reviewing (as I'm preparing a piece of writing myself) discusses the literacy practices of a group of Methodist youths and a group of Latter-day Saint youths. In this article, Rackley found that the Methodist youth were engaged in uncovering the meaning of scripture. They were active discussants and wanted to know what the scriptures meant. 

Latter-day Saint youth, on the other hand, were more passive—they were expected to sit and listen—and they were most interested in what the scripture said (rather than what it meant). This is such an interesting distinction to make because I fail to see how one can truly understand what a scripture might mean...without knowing what it says. The distinction Rackley was driving at, as I recall it, is that LDS youth tend to end engaging with a scripture once they've regurgitated what it said (and the questions asked of LDS youth tend to only seek answers that paraphrase what the text has said). Meanwhile, in the Methodist groups Rackley sat in on, he observed more meaning-making through connecting the text of the scripture to other things (one's self, the world, etc.). 

Rackley points out that many of our church meetings ask very little of participants, other than saying "Amen" and regurgitating answers, and perhaps singing a few songs. 

I wonder if this sort of analysis would have different results now, with the methods of instruction in the "Come Follow Me" manuals seeming to be rather different from the manuals we previously had. Plus the youth are asked to teach these days... Still, Rackley's criticisms of church culture are not unfounded (Rackley, himself, is LDS, by the way) and I think our lessons could be elevated if we were to take a less one-dimensional tack. 

Still, I wonder if rote memorization is as useless as it's often characterized as (in my studies of literacy).

Corrie Ten Boom famously explained that "Nobody can take away from you those texts from the Bible which you have learned by heart." They can take away the Bible, but they can't take away what you know. If you know what a text says, doesn't that allow you to revisit that text an unlimited time, forging ever more connections with that text and the world around you? I like to think so. 

I think Rackley's study was limited to the interaction he observed in the (seminary) classroom, but I don't think that literacy practices end there. I think students carry those scripture discussions (which, sure, may have been rather one-dimensional conversations) with them throughout the day, pondering what that scripture's relevance might be. Those scriptures might be revisited at the dinner table in a more meaningful discussion with family members. Or the student might choose to write about what they learned in the journal. Those literacy practices would not be entirely irrelevant to the student, although they would not have been observed by the researcher.

So I guess I'm still thinking about the real impact and relevance of this study regarding my own literacy practices with the scriptures, my own teaching methods at home and in primary, and...whether they even accurately portray church culture today, given shifts in curriculum and teaching methods. 

*****

Anyway, we had 22 scriptures on our list of scriptures to memorize this year. 

Phoebe memorized two—1 Nephi 3:7 and Alma 37:35.

Alma 37:35 was a fun one for us to say because when Andrew was first reading it out to us (so that we could repeat it after him) he said, "O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy wooth to keep the commandments of God."

And the kids—boy! Who is raising these people?!—they just pounced on that little nugget and refused to let go of it the whole year. They love when it's time to recite Alma 37:35.

"O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth;" they'll all chant. "Yea, learn in thy WOOTH to keep the commandments of God."

That's just how the scripture goes now.

Mosiah 18:8–10 was just as ridiculous. It starts, "And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus they were called)..."

When Andrew was first saying that line, he put his hands up like little parentheticals around his face and squeaked out, "For thus they were called..." and guess what has become a thing now? 

Yes, that. The kids all still put their hands up and squeak out "for thus they were called."

Let's see...Mosiah 4:30. 

First of all, we remember that this one is about watching because 4:30 is a good time.

Second of all, this poor verse ends with "And now, O man, remember, and perish not."

Do you all remember Swiper from "Dora the Explorer"? His tag line is "Oh, man."

And that, friends, is exactly how we say the "O man" part of this scripture. 

*****

In primary on Sunday we sang a few of the Christmas songs we'd learned and then I introduced the kids to a couple new songs that I'd like to sing next year. One was My Own Sacred Grove. I just had the kids listen to this song and tell me what it was about (very one-dimensional questioning, asking for comprehension...but not connection). It's about Joseph Smith praying in the Sacred Grove...and the desire to find our own Sacred Grove.

I do want to learn this song with the kids next year, but mostly I want them to understand what it means to find one's own Sacred Grove. My interpretation was that it's learning how God communicates with you (and how you can communicate with God). Importantly (for me) the words of the primary motto (from when I was in primary) kept running through my mind: I can pray to my Heavenly Father anytime, anywhere. 

As I was looking to see whether that was still "a thing" for primary Activity Days (it doesn't seem like it is), I came across the song "Anytime, Anywhere," which was released in one of the batches of new songs this past year. Coincidentally, it's by the same composer of "My Own Sacred Grove," Angie Killian! But I was so excited to find it because it was such a perfect fit for what I wanted to communicate to the kids, so I started teaching "Anytime, Anywhere" yesterday.

I asked the kids what the challenge was that Moroni gave at the end of The Book of Mormon. After we read it we're supposed to...do what? Pray about it!

Alexander launched into Ether 12:27 (which was in his brain because someone had just used that scripture in sacrament meeting) and then stopped himself and started up with Moroni 10:4–5... "And if men come unto me I will show unto them...Just kidding! Ask God!" he said. "The Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

And then he exclaimed, "Hey! I got there!"

"You did get there!" his teacher said, picking her jaw from off the floor. 

I asked the kids what that challenge at the end of The Book of Mormon had to do with Joseph Smith. They told me that he also went to pray about a question he had. 

And that's true. After reading James 1:5 ("If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.") he went to the Sacred Grove to pray about which church he should join. And God came to him in a vision. 

I then told the kids that Darla had asked Phoebe if she kneels down by her bed to say her prayers at night (Phoebe was obsessed with this toy of a praying teddy bear at Grandpa and Darla's house when we went over for Christmas). Phoebe looked at her and said matter-of-factly, "No. I do not."

That's because we usually tuck Phoebe into bed and then help her say her prayers. 

Is that the wrong order of things? Perhaps.

Perhaps not though. Because we can pray to our Heavenly Father anytime and anywhere...

The fact that Phoebe says her prayers lying down in bed does not invalidate her prayers (though it does make her say no when asked if she prays while kneeling down beside her bed—because she doesn't do that).

I showed the kids pictures of people praying around the dinner table, standing up, sitting down, holding hands, folding arms, all sorts of ways of praying! At church, at school, at home, on the soccer field, in the car, in the dark, in the light...

I then brought out a big mural of Joseph Smith praying outside...in a grove of trees. It was pretty simple to make—it's just a big piece of cardboard, with a big print out of a colouring-page version of Joseph Smith, surrounded by some aspen trunks that I made out of white paper. I'll post a picture later, maybe (we're going to add to it next week as well; I left it in the primary cupboard).

I handed out green leaves that I'd cut out of paper, along with some pencils, and asked the kids (and teachers) to write down a time when or place where they'd prayed. Then I had them come up and tape their leaves to our mural to make Joseph Smith's Sacred Grove look more like a grove of trees (and invited them to talk about what they'd written if they wanted to—some of them did want to, and some of them didn't). 

Did I say, "We need to finish making a jove for Groseph" instead of "We need to finish making a grove for Joseph"?

Why, yes. Yes, I did.

And I will probably never live that down (see "wooth," above...and "inikitty" below). 

But, by Jove, that's okay, so long as it helps the kids remember what we talked about! I hope it will be meaningful for the kids to learn how they can pray to Heavenly Father "Anytime, Anywhere" as we also learn about finding our own Sacred Groves. 

*****

In other proud primary news, I played a rhyming match game with the kids for "Search, Ponder, and Pray" and I needed a picture that encapsulated the word "do."

Heart? Easy—a heart.
Deep inside? A box, with an arrow pointing inside.
Commands? The ten commandments on tablets.
True? A big, green checkmark.

Do?

What picture could possibly represent "do"?

It's such a boring verb...it's not even a verb! It's an auxiliary verb, a helper verb. One does not simply "do!" One does something. As such, "do" represents everything, which is basically like representing nothing...and if "do" represents nothing (or everything)...what could possibly represent "do"?

Nephi! 

That's the only thing I could think of. 

So I printed out a big colouring-sheet illustration of Nephi and coloured it in to keep things interesting (and because we don't have a colour printer) and crossed my fingers that the kids would catch my drift (which is a phrase that dates back at least to Shakespeare). And they did!

When I asked which picture could possibly stand in for the word "do" they all screamed (basically), "Nephi!"

"What?!" I gasped. "Why would it be Nephi?"

"I will go! I will doooooooooooo!" the kids sang. 

And I don't know that I've ever been prouder of a group of kids in my life. They're such a wonderful group!

"It's also my favourite scripture!" Alexander piped up. "1 Nephi 3:7! And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said until my father, 'I will go and do...'"

*****

I just can't see the rote memorization of scriptures (or poetry, or play script, or song lyrics, or whatever) going to waste. I don't think it leads to a superficial connection with the text, but rather allows for unlimited interactions with the text. 

Do I have research to back this up? No. These are just my thoughts (from my personal experience and observations). 

I was talking with my mom recently and she told me about when she realized that memorizing things was important—she wants to have many entertaining and beautiful phrases and stories in her brain when she can no longer see or hear, so she can continue to turn them over in her mind. I think that's valid, too. It kind of echoes Ten Boom—that what you have committed to memory cannot be taken away so easily (though our memories can also suffer from ailments, can't they—the same as any body part?). 

*****

Andrew just reminded me of another weird scripture thing that we repeated all year long. When he was first reading out 2 Nephi 26:33 he accidentally said, "For none of these ini-kitties come of the Lord..." rather than "For none of these iniquities come of the Lord..."

So, yes, the kids all holler, "INI-KITTIES!" instead of saying "iniquities" there.

And they typically said it in place of "iniquity" whenever we encountered that word during our scripture reading all year long as well. We are nothing if not reverent.

*****

Works Cited (because apparently we're doing that today):

Rackley, E. D. (2014). Scripture-based discourses of Latter-day Saint and Methodist youths. Reading Research Quarterly, 49(4), 417–435.