Ideas and Questions to Help You Teach "Two Great Commandments" by President Dallin H. Oaks (Women's Session)
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"Two Great Commandments" by President Dallin H. Oaks (Women’s Session) discuss how we need to always keep the first great commandment first. Find questions to help you teach below.
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Questions to Ponder
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Why does President Oaks refer to sisters in the gospel as “divinely assigned guardians of the eternal family”? How do you fulfill that role? What challenges do you face?
Why do you think loving God and loving our neighbor are the two great commandments? How does loving yourself fit into both of these great commandments?
In what ways has Satan and society- sometimes even within the Church- put the two great commandments at odds with one another? Is it possible to obey one of these commandments without also obeying the other?
What is the connection between God’s commandments and God’s love for us? In what ways do people misunderstand or confuse this connection? What are the results of this confusion?
How can we be obedient to the two great commandments and also uphold the principles of the 12th Article of Faith, when the laws of God and the laws and practices of the land are in conflict?
How do you teach your children and others to recognize, understand, and obey God’s laws- specifically those pertaining to chastity, marriage, and moral principles- while also teaching them love, tolerance, and acceptance of those whose beliefs, customs, knowledge, and understanding are different from ours?
Why is self-discipline and strict obedience to God’s laws and commandments so important to individuals, families, and society?
How has moving towards consistent home-centered Church-supported gospel teaching and learning helped you and your family address discussions about difficult subjects in your home?
What experiences have you had in discussing sensitive subjects such as chastity, marriage, LGBT issues, morality, etc. with friends and others outside the Church? How has President Oaks teachings from the October 2019 General Women’s’ Session of Conference helped you in these discussions?
What strengths and talents are women in general-wives, mothers, sisters, friends, teachers, ministers- blessed with that are necessary in these latter days? How might women, by magnifying the abilities and authorities that their God has blessed them with, change and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?
Discussion Ideas
Discuss the hymn, "Love One Another" (Hymn #308). What do the different phrases mean? How do we live this hymn? Consider singing it to end your discussion.
Ponder the difference between love and Christlike love. What changes? Why do we need to obtain Christlike love instead? You can make a chart on the board to show the differences. How do we love God with Christlike love?
Discuss what keeps us from loving others more purely. For example, when we get caught up in the comparison cycle it's hard to feel love for those people or when we have completely different ways of doing things and allow that to drive a wedge between us instead of a bond. How can we overcome those things? What can help us step back and honestly examine our love for others? What keeps us from loving God purely?
Play, “Do You Love Your Neighbor?” It’s a fun game that you can use to help drive home the point that whoever we come into contact with is our neighbor. It’s up to us to choose to love them. After one or two questions, ask “Do you love your neighbor more than you love God?” to help drive the point home about the first two commandments. What does it look like when we put the second commandment in front of the first one?
Pass out some Latter-day Saint conversation hearts. Let everyone share theirs with an example of how we show our love for God first or a way we can love our neighbor without always agreeing with their beliefs. You can heart attack your white board and take them down from there too.
