Not long ago I stumbled across a 2010 address given to a university entitled “Education, A Religious Responsibility” by Russell M. Nelson, MD. In his talk, he points out that when we die we leave all material wealth behind. The only thing we will take with us is the knowledge we’ve acquired. Thus, our continuing education is of eternal import.
Usually when we go to school we are distracted by complexity of classes, finances, and logistics. Amidst all these temporal concerns it is difficult to continue our spiritual studies. However, ignoring revealed spiritual knowledge is not productive and can be dangerous.
Let’s take for an example, the treatment of people with infections.
Infections were the main killers in the Crimean war. “Florence Nightingale, a legendary medical nurse, was unaware of the transmission of infection from one patient to another–this despite her careful notations that wound infection accounted for 40 percent of postoperative mortality. Many others missed the connection, too. For centuries, innumerable mothers and babies died from “childbirth fever”–serious infections unknowingly transmitted among innocent people by the unwashed hands of attendants. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch proved that infection could be caused by bacteria.”
While the presence of bacteria was not discussed in the Bible, the treatment of infected persons was recorded by Moses in the book of Leviticus 3000 years ago. And, according to Doctor Nelson, the Biblical treatment of infections is sound even by todays standards! (You can find it for yourself in Leviticus 15: 1-13.) So many people died and the knowledge was right before their eyes!
So many people died who could have lived had more attention been paid to revealed scripture.
Examples like one makes me wonder, what other knowledge have we lost?
As a people, we are well educated in the scientific method. It is a good method and has proven many great natural truths. Still, there needs to be a balance between religious and secular learning. Especially as God is the Creator of Heaven, Earth and every living being.
We should undertake our studies just as God has described –
“Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118)
Citations:
https://www.byui.edu/speeches/russell-m-nelson/education-a-religious-responsibility
krhofhiens.com 