This week in my REL 275 Classes – “Teachings and Doctrines of the Book of Mormon” we spent some time talking about Zion particularly the Zion that the people were able to create in 4th Nephi after the Savior’s visit to the Americas. Our focus was first on 4 Nephi 1: 20, which is the moment (as far as I can tell) that the state of Zion unravels. We discussed that some of the people had taken on a new name/a new identity that led them away from their true identity which had been “children of Christ, and heirs to the Kingdom of God” (see verse 17).

We discussed it using President Russell M. Nelson’s May 2022 Devotional talk, “Choices for Eternity” in which he stated:

There are various labels that may be very important to you, of course. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that other designations and identifiers are not significant. I am simply saying that no identifier should displace, replace, or take priority over these three enduring designations: “child of God,” “child of the covenant,” and “disciple of Jesus Christ.”

We made lists of our own identifiers (for me: wife, mom, sister, daughter, professor of religion, English professor, author, speaker, writer, etc.) As we went down the list adding various callings, interests, talents, etc. The students pointed out that each of these titles, roles, etc. were things that we could use to help build Zion and that these identifiers gave our lives meaning, joy, and purpose. We discussed negative identifiers that people have tried to give us (jerk, brat, loser, etc.), or that we have given ourselves (dumb, ugly, lazy, etc.) and how those can affect us.

Quoting from President Nelson again:

How tragic it is when someone believes the label another person has given them. Imagine the heartache of a child who is told, “You are dumb.” Identifiers and labels are powerful!

And this very powerful quote from his talk:

Worldly identifiers will never give you a vision of who you can ultimately become. They will never affirm your divine DNA or your unlimited, divine potential.

Because there is a grand plan of salvation authored by Heavenly Father, does it not stand to reason that you also have a divine destiny?¹⁵

Make no mistake about it: Your potential is divine. With your diligent seeking, God will give you glimpses of who you may become.

So who are you? First and foremost, you are a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Jesus Christ. As you embrace these truths, our Heavenly Father will help you reach your ultimate goal of living eternally in His holy presence.

Then we moved the discussion from identifiers to the main characteristics/attributes of Zion (Unity, Holiness, and Charity), using the rest of their assigned studies from Moses 7:18 and Elder Christofferson’s General Conference talk, “Come To Zion“, October 2008. For this one, I asked them to take the three main characteristics of Zion and ask 3 questions about each one. The questions that they came up with were so vulnerable and insightful.

Let me try and decipher their thoughts and my whiteboard scribbles.

Unity

* How do I keep my individuality and still be unified with the Lord, Zion, God, etc.?

*How do I get to a place of no contention (as anger and contention are rampant right now in life, social media, entertainment, politics, etc.)

*How do I maintain unity when conflict arises?

Holiness

*How do we truly live “in the world, but not of the world”? (we’re not supposed to hide out in a bunker, but truly be with others loving and serving as Jesus did – but how do we do that and stay holy?)

*How do we stand against unholiness and yet not be “called out” as being prideful or self-righteous? (Sometimes if we choose to live the gospel standard, people can be incredibly rude. The student was concerned that sometimes the topics of holiness can be almost taboo because people get so rude about it, and that rudeness shuts down the conversation).

Charity

*How do I accept those who are receiving Charity (as far as charitable help) without judging their situations?

*How do I forgive and forget? How do I mediate between friends who are struggling with forgiving and forgetting?

*How do I see others as Christ sees them?

I’m sure there are many more questions to explore about how to we become the Zion people that we have been tasked to become? What does that look like on a day-to-day scale? It’s one thing to talk about living like this, but certainly another to do it. I often joke about how I talk all day about religion, and then at night I come home and have to live what I’ve been teaching. That difference, to make what you say be real, can be a challenging but exhilarating and rewarding quest.

I would love to hear your thoughts. What are some other challenges/questions or thoughts that you have about these topics?