Spiritual potential of Young Men program
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With the Salt Lake Temple serving as an apt background, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve led a group discussion on how local priesthood leaders can utilize the Duty to God and other programs to help young men realize their spiritual potential.
Included in the group was Elder Oaks' fellow apostle, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, along with Elder Steven E. Snow of the Seventy, Fruit Heights Utah Stake President David L. Frischknecht, and Bishop Jeffrey D. Swenson of the Fruit Heights 1st Ward, Fruit Heights Utah Stake.
Elder Oaks began the discussion by saying everything that happens in the temple fits under one of three purposes: the teaching of eternal truths, the making of covenants, and the promise of blessings. "Those three great categories — teaching, covenants and blessings — are the foundation of what we seek to do with the young men who hold the Aaronic Priesthood."
Elder Oaks asked Elder Holland what priesthood leaders hope to do with the young men of the Church.
First, Elder Holland answered, "we want them to enjoy their Aaronic Priesthood years, to magnify their callings in that Aaronic Priesthood, to enjoy the privileges and opportunities of those Aaronic Priesthood offices, and to advance to move successively through the Aaronic Priesthood stages toward the ordination of the Melchizedek Priesthood."
Following such a path would lead to the temple, a full-time mission and, later, a family.
Elder Snow commented on how such a path is followed.
"The direction, of course, comes from the scriptures and from the Brethren," he said. "(Another) way we do this is through fulfilling our duty to God with the Duty to God program that we use with our young men."
Holding up a Duty to God pamphlet, Elder Oaks spoke of the program's spiritual development requirements — along with those more physical and social development requirements that may overlap Scouting. He asked the discussion group how priesthood leaders can work through any ambiguity between the two programs.
"Scouting and the activities of the Duty to God program help build young men," Elder Snow said. "But I think, from our point of view, that the most significant is the spiritual development. That's (how) this program distinguishes itself from the other programs affiliated with Boy Scouts of America."
Focus should be placed on spiritual preparation for the Melchizedek Priesthood, the temple, missions and marriage, he added. The Duty to God program also reminds young men of many different opportunities to serve.
The focus of the Duty to God program, Elder Oaks said, is not simply to achieve a series of requirements.
"It's on becoming something," he added. "We want a young man to be on his life journey — with the Melchizedek Priesthood and mission and marriage being important milestones along that path. But the focus is on what the young man is to become."
Elder Oaks also counseled priesthood leaders to be flexible and not get caught up in the technicalities of the overlap between Scouting and the Duty to God program.
Bishop Swenson commented on how he had become a better father and bishop by helping young men follow the Duty to God program.
The Aaronic Priesthood allows young men to prepare for the Savior by serving now and today, added President Frischknecht. "If you're 12, and you know that you're fulfilling your Duty to God in helping and serving other people right now, then you can progress and then you can move forward. (The) Aaronic Priesthood is not just about preparing for something in the future, it's doing real work right now."
Elder Holland said it's important that priesthood leaders teach young men the "grand tradition" of the priesthood, its historicity and ancient origins. "I'm not sure that we do enough in the modern day to put some of this in the historical context."
In summarizing the discussion, Elder Oaks called the Duty to God a program that involves important priesthood duties and leads to the three M's: Melchizedek Priesthood, Mission and Marriage in the temple.
"We've stressed that a young man's fulfilling his Duty to God is about becoming what God wants him to become," he said. "That requires us to concentrate on young men fulfilling requirements listed under priesthood duties and standards, family activities, quorum activities and spiritual development. The other requirements which overlap Scouting are of lesser importance for purposes of this priesthood program."
