Lesson #29 Alma 36-39. Alma the Younger's Conversion

Alma the Younger's Conversion

Principle to Teach
When we want to repent, there are certain things that we must do.

Attention Activity
“Today we will start class with a true and false activity.” You can do this a few different ways. You can print these off and have the students work on them individually or do it as a whole class activity. The purpose is just to have some fun talking about some of these fun things, without taking too much time. The following are a few “old wives tales” that I found online.

Eating carrots improves your night vision
Half-truth
Carrots do contain Beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the small intestine. Vitamin A is a precursor to the protein Rhodopsin, a component of the rods (a photoreceptor cell) in the Retina that is very sensitive to light. Vitamin A helps to maintain healthy bones, but the carrots do not contain enough calcium to make any significant difference. This tale started in the Second World War when the British spread a rumor that their plane spotters were eating carrots to give them improved vision, concealing the truth about the invention of radar. Also the night fighter ace John Cunningham (21 kills) who was an early proponent of airborne radar in his Bristol Beaufighter, was nicknamed "Cat's Eyes" and alluded to have exceptional night vision because of his carrot eating.

Chocolate causes acne
False. Chocolate does not cause acne in healthy individuals, but can have an extreme effect if one is sensitive to a specific ingredient in certain confections, such as pasteurized milk or hydrogenated oil. Caffeine contained in many chocolate products can, however, cause increased stress which may temporarily increase the manifestations to individuals already affected with acne.

Habitual knuckle-cracking causes arthritis.
False.

Chewing gum, if swallowed, remains inside your body for seven years.
False. Chewing gum is excreted like any other undigested piece of food or stray object swallowed.

If you sneeze with your eyelids open, your eyes will pop out of their sockets.
False This was disproved on an episode of MythBusters

If you go outside with wet hair, you'll catch a cold.
False. Cold weather, wet hair, and chills don't cause colds; viruses do. People tend to catch colds more often in the winter because these viruses are spread more easily indoors, where there may be more contact with dry air and people with colds. Dry air — indoors or out — can lower resistance to infection.

Reading in dim light will damage your eyes.
False. Although reading in a dimly lit room won't do any harm, good lighting can help prevent eye fatigue and make reading easier.

Too much TV is bad for your eyes.
False. Watching television won't hurt your eyes (no matter how close to the TV you sit), although too much TV can be a bad idea for kids. Research shows that children who consistently spend more than 10 hours a week watching TV are more likely to be overweight, aggressive, and slower to learn in school.

Pick a few of these and have some fun with it. The main point is that they are all false, but many people have, or do still believe them. “That is what we are going to talk about today. Some of the misunderstandings about a particular Gospel topic. Turn to Alma 36 and see if you can guess what topic we are going to be talking about in that chapter.” (Repentance.)

Class Discussion
This is a fun and interesting class discussion, but requires a lot of preparation on your part. You will really need to know about repentance because you are going to open it up to the class, so make sure you have studied out of the Topical Guide or know some of the scriptures that teach the fundamental doctrines of repentance, many of which can be found in this chapter.
“Today we are going to talk about some of the misunderstandings about repentance.” Give each class member (or pairs works great in this activity) an assignment to now think about some of the misunderstandings that some people might have about repentance. Have them come up with 3 ideas and write them down. They can get these ideas by looking over Alma 36 or by just coming up with some on their own. “Now we will use Alma 36 and other scriptures to help us try and clear up some of these misunderstandings.” Lead a class discussion by asking what some of the misunderstandings are and then trying to go to the scriptures to clear them up. The important thing is to use the scriptures to make sure you back up the ideas that are shared.

Some common misunderstandings that might come up are:
“When I sin I only hurt myself.” Alma 36:9
“I can easily repent later.” Alma 36:11-12
“God doesn’t really care if I do this sin.” Alma 36:13-14
“Heavenly Father won’t forgive me.” Alma 36:18-20
“If I stop what I am doing, that is good enough.” Alma 36:24

There are very many more. The fun part of this lesson is that it will be different with every class and so the class will have a unique feel that the students will enjoy.

(One side tangent that can be a powerful discussion if you feel that it would be beneficial for your class comes from Alma 36:17. You can simply ask, “Will my children and your children remember the same thing when they come to their moment of trial and repentance?” Then talk about the role that Alma the Elder had in this whole process.)

Application and Challenge
You can finish class by comparing what happened to Alma in chapter 36 to what he tells Helaman in chapter 37, particularly in two verses. Alma’s conversion and repentance were so spectacular, and that doesn’t always happen that way. President Ezra Taft Benson taught,

The sixth and final point I wish to make about the process of repentance is that we must be careful, as we seek to become more and more godlike, that we do not become discouraged and lose hope. Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible. The scriptures record remarkable accounts of men whose lives changed dramatically, in an instant, as it were: Alma the Younger, Paul on the road to Damascus, Enos praying far into the night, King Lamoni. Such astonishing examples of the power to change even those steeped in sin give confidence that the Atonement can reach even those deepest in despair.
But we must be cautious as we discuss these remarkable examples. Though they are real and powerful, they are the exception more than the rule. For every Paul, for every Enos, and for every King Lamoni, there are hundreds and thousands of people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they are building a godlike life. They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and commitment. They are like the Lamanites, who the Lord said “were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.” (3 Ne. 9:20; italics added.)
We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must not give up hope.
Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct 1989, 2

Notice two things that Alma teaches his son in Alma 37. The first is in verses 6-7. He is talking about the plates that he about to pass on, but is also applicable for the discussion. That it is in small and simple things that great things are brought to pass. Repentance isn’t always as huge as Alma’s was, probably Helaman’s wasn’t but that is ok, it is just small and simple that is necessary over a long period of time. The other importance verse in verse 35. The small and simple thing that we need to do is to simply keep the commandments, especially to learn that as we are young, or start if we are older and haven’t started yet. This can lead to a great challenge to the class to think of one small thing that they can do better to improve their lives. If you are comfortable with the class have them share some of their ideas.