Progress measured spiritually
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
Although the tendency is to measure progress in the Church by things that can be counted, there are other measures which symbolize more the spirit of the Church - things not so easy to see or count, Elder Boyd K. Packer told priesthood holders Saturday evening.
Among them, said Elder Packer of the Council of the Twelve, are the new editions of the scriptures, which he called "the library of the Lord." The new editions were the work of "a veritable army of volunteers," he said.He told of the innovative system of cross referencing, topical guide with concordance and index, Bible Dictionary, maps and new chapter headings in the new LDS edition of the King James Bible.
He mentioned the addition of a subtitle, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, to the Book of Mormon, addition of more revelations to the Doctrine and Covenants, inclusion of a new index of more than 400 pages and Church history maps in the triple combination, and the correction of many printer errors.
"It was the first time in nearly a hundred years that substantive attention had been given to making the content of the scriptures more accessible to members of the Church," he commented.
Translation of the scriptures into many languages and the availability of the scriptures on audio tapes and in computer software allowing any word or combination of words to be called up instantly are further indicators of the progress of the Church, the apostle remarked.
"Concurrent with these projects, the entire curriculum of the Church was restructured," he said. "All courses of study were revised to center on the scriptures, on Jesus Christ. Again, a veritable army of volunteers worked for more than 20 years to complete it."
He quoted scriptures about "the library of the Lord," including D&C 18:35-36, which says that by reading the revelations to one another, God's children can testify they have heard His voice.
"These things are a true measure of our progress," Elder Packer said. "Far more important than counting things we can see are those spiritual things which we can feel."
