One of my favorite things in life is attending institute classes taught by S. Michael Wilcox. This guy has been given a true gift for not only obtaining and retaining knowledge, but also sharing it with others. I have tried a number of other classes and with the right spirit and desire, valuable lessons can be obtained. But nothing has ever caught my attention and retained it like Wilcox's classes. Before the mission I took Pearl of Great Price and Women in the Scriptures. This semester I'm in the first half of the Old Testament. So in this first blog in many long months, I would like to share some snipets of knowledge I have obtained from Brother Wilcox. I hope you enjoy. Also, feel free to comment with your feelings. Before proceeding, a last note should be made. Some of the snipets below may not be pure doctrine. Just like any of us, he has the liberty to make his opinions on things. You can choose to accept or sweep aside the snipets below.
1. "It is Better to be intellectually uncertain rather than to be superficially sure." This is a fantastic quote, especially for the study of the Old Testament. There are many things that are vague in the Old Testament. Some things are literal, some are figurative, and we aren't always certain which are which. Thus I love this quote. Some people are willing to bet their life on some piece of doctrine or another that they are really only "superficially sure" about. I hope that as I obtain spiritual knowledge, I will focus on being intellectually uncertain about some of the more ambiguous things.
2.Going on with the first quote are "One spoke concepts." If you can picture a wagoon wheel or a bike wheel, it has a center hub with many spokes going to the outer rim. These spokes serve to provide strength and support so the wheel can sustain weight as it rolls. Now picture how long a one spoked wheel would last. Not long. The problem is, it just can't support much weight. In the church, throughout the years there have been many "one spoke quotes" or "one spoke concepts." They have been made by members, Apostles, and even Prophets. They may be true, but it is better to put our weight on quotes and concepts that have been backed up repeatedly by a number of valid sources.
3. The flood could have been a local flood. The logistics just don't make sense when you think of every animal in the world fitting in the ark. It is possible that the flood was a local flood.
4. Read Genesis chapters 21 and 22. "Can we have faith and trust in a God who is often incomprehensible; who makes and fulfills unbelievable promises and demands unthinkable sacrifices." That is a question each of us must ask ourselves. These two chapters show the amazing promises the Lord made(that Abraham and Sarah would have son) and then he required an unthinkable sacrifice of them(the sacrifice of Issac). We can't comprehend our God. At times he may give us things we never deserved or asked for and at other times he may require things of us that we don't think possible. We must pray for faith in this great God.
These are just a few for now. If these snipets are enjoyed, I will continue to add more as the semester continues.
-Juice
