The first verse of the first chapter of the Book of Mormon has likely been quoted by millions! Most of us in the Church have read that part a lot. The familiarity of it is not the significant part to me. The pattern it establishes is. Let’s take a look.
“I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father…” . Nephi gives us a definition of “goodly parents”. They are the ones that teach their children everything they know. The record of Enos shows us the same pattern. The first verse of that book says: “..I Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord…” King Benjamin understood the good parent thing too, as noted in Mosiah 1:2. “And it came to pass that he had three sons, and he called their names Mosiah, Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers…and he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass…”
One of the most significant examples of the purpose and impact of this teaching is found in the story of Alma the Younger, whom the scriptures tell us was “the vilest of sinners”. In the midst of the experience with an angel who commanded him to stop trying to destroy the church, he was “racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins.” It was at this moment that Alma had this experience. “I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Alma 36: 17) It seems that Alma had also been taught, but maybe wasn’t that interested— until it really mattered! That teaching saved him.
There are at least a dozen other great references to parents who taught their children in the scriptures, but I think these examples are sufficient for now to make the point. (Maybe you can go find more later for a Family Home Evening lesson with your kids).
I think it is very interesting that the three boys (Nephi, Enos and Alma), in the end, all came to similar conclusions because of the teaching of their parents. But none of them took the same route. Nephi was absolutely obedient from the start. He believed and wanted to know and understand the words of his father. While we don’t know a lot about Enos, his minimal contribution to the Book of Mormon record indicates that he was probably not a significant prophet. He fully grasped his father’s teachings when he had time to think in the forest while hunting beasts. I even heard that he might have been hunting on Sunday? (just kidding). Alma was the other extreme from Nephi with Enos somewhere in the middle.
So what is the single factor found in all of their lives that brought them to understanding and a change of heart? It was the teachings of their parents. All of us likely know someone in the Church who has had a Nephi and Enos and Alma. Maybe one or more of them are in our own family. There is never a guarantee that kids will believe, or come to understand or repent, but there is a guarantee that if they are not taught,the likelihood of their faithfulness diminishes drastically! The examples above also show us that the role of parents is pretty much limited to teaching. How well our teaching is received is influenced both by the effectiveness of how we teach and the willingness (because of agency) on the part of our children to believe and follow it. Like the father of the prodigal son, sometimes our teaching is followed up with wringing our hands and ..”watching from a far way off..”, hoping that what we taught eventually kicks in with the desired result.
So what do we teach our children? I will let you figure that one out as it will be personal to your own family. We can start by thinking about everything we think they should know to find happiness and success in life, like education, finance, relationships etc. We can end by making sure they understand the Gospel Plan and the role of the Savior. Nephi gives us a good example: “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of sins.” (2 Nephi 25:26)
I hope you have more Nephi’s than Alma’s. More important than that, I hope you teach all within your responsibility, so no matter the road they choose, they will understand what they need to do to end in the right place. Hopefully we can share in the sentiment of John: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 1:4)
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Jerry is the author of “Partners with God, Using His Teachings and Example to Raise Our Kids” and has been a guest speaker at numerous gatherings, firesides and organization events, as well as working as a facilitator for individual families.
Jerry and his wife Melanie are the parents of 12 children and currently have 13 grandchildren.