Why World Foundation?

1- Seeking education is a divine responsibility

Your mind is precious! It is sacred. Therefore, the education of ones mind is also sacred. Indeed,
education is a religious responsibility. Of course, our opportunities and abilities will vary a great deal. But,
in the pursuit of ones education, individual desire is more important than is the institution you choose;
personal drive is more significant than is the faculty.

Our Creator expects His children everywhere to gain an education as a personal endeavor. He issued this
commandment: 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; emphasis
added). When you leave this frail existence, your material possessions will remain here, but the Lord has
declared that the knowledge you acquire here will rise with you in the resurrection (see D&C 130:1819). In
light of this celestial perspective, if you impulsively drop out or otherwise cut short your education, you
would not only disregard a divine decree but also abbreviate your own eternal potential.

Elder Russell M. Nelson

Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional
January 26, 2010
Education: A Religious Responsibility
For members of the Church, education is not merely a good ideaits a commandment. We are to learn of
things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things
which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad.
Joseph Smith loved learning even though he had few opportunities for formal education. In his journals, he
spoke happily of days spent in study and often expressed his love of learning.
Joseph taught the Saints that knowledge was a necessary part of our mortal journey, for a man is saved no
faster than he [gains] knowledge, and that whatever principle of intelligence we attain in this life, it will
rise with us in the resurrection. During challenging times, it is even more important to learn. The Prophet
Joseph taught, Knowledge does away with darkness, [anxiety], and doubt; for these cannot exist where
knowledge is.
Brethren, you have a duty to learn as much as you can. Please encourage your families, your quorum
members, everyone to learn and become better educated. If formal education is not available, do not allow that
to prevent you from acquiring all the knowledge you can. Under such circumstances, the best books, in a
sense, can become your universitya classroom that is always open and admits all who apply. Strive to
increase your knowledge of all that is virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy. Seek knowledge
by study and also by faith. Seek with a humble spirit and contrite heart. As you apply the spiritual dimension
of faith to your studyeven of temporal thingsyou can amplify your intellectual capacity, for if your eye
be single to [Gods] glory, your whole [body] shall be filled with light, and [comprehend] all things.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
October 2009 General Conference
Two Principles for Any Economy
A word for women:

We say the prime role in life for a woman is to become a wife and a mother. It is wise for
young women also to receive a proper education. You might think of your education as an
insurance against the uncertainties of life. No one knows what those inevitable
tragedies may be. And it is well that we educate our women as well as our brethren as an
insurance against the inevitable tragedies that comedisabled husbands, widows. I would
caution, however, that a husband, when his wife works, not thereafter expect perpetual
care and aid from his wife, but rather he should assume his own responsibilities in his
family. Educational opportunities for learning shouldnt end with marriage; a mother
should keep herself aware of what is going on in the world so that she can keep pace with
the learning of her growing-up family.

Kim B. Clark
Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional
September 17, 2013
Humility, Hard Work, and the Savior
2- What kind of education should we get? What should we study?
Lets read the Lords own words on that particular subject:

78 Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more
perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that
pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;
79 Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been,
things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things
which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are
on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms
80 That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the
calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.
D&C 88:78-80
 and study and learn, and become
acquainted with all good books, and with
languages, tongues, and people. D&C
90:15

What does the Lord mean by good books ?

Brigham Young on one occasion warned Latter-day Saints about the
dangers of limiting our study to strictly Mormon materials: Shall I
sit down and read the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Book of
Covenants all the time? says one. Yes, if you please, and when you
have done, you may be nothing but a sectarian after all. It is your
duty to study to know everything upon the face of the earth in
addition to reading those books. We should not only study good, and
its effects upon our race, but also evil, and its consequences.

Widtsoe, Discourses of Brigham Young, 256-257

Lets face it, on occasion we Mormons can be far too parochial in our fascination with our own culture,
limiting ourselves to self-congratulation and, as Hugh Nibley suggests, applauding ourselves for effort alone
rather than production,

giving [to our] young people and old awards for zeal alone, zeal without knowledge for sitting in endless
meetings, for dedicated conformity, and unlimited capacity for suffering boredom. We think it more
commendable to get up at 5:00 A.M. to write a bad book than to get up at nine o'clock to write a good one
that is pure zeal that tends to breed a race of insufferable, self-righteous prigs and barren minds. One has only
to consider the present outpouring of inspirational books in the Church which bring little new in the way of
knowledge: truisms, and platitudes, kitsch, and clichs have become our everyday diet. The prophet would
never settle for that. I advise you to go on to perfection and search deeper and deeper into the mysteries of
GodlinessIt has always been my province to dig up hidden mysteries, new things, for my hearers. It
actually happens at the BYU, and that not rarely, that students come to a teacher, usually at the beginning of a
term, with the sincere request that he refrain from teaching them anything new. They have no desire, they
explain, to hear what they do not know already! I cannot imagine that happening at any other school, but
maybe it does. Unless we go on to other new things, we are stifling our powers.

Hugh Nibley. "Zeal Without Knowledge." Nibley on the Timely and Timeless. 270-271.
We learn also, en route to higher levels of perception that some books which deal with negative experiences can
often be uplifting and should not be rejected. Just as the story of Laman and Lemuel, or of King Saul or even Jonah
are negative but uplifting, so some works of art that at first appear negative are in fact affirmations of universal
truths. We learn from the bad as well as the good, and recognize the wisdom of Brigham Youngs admonition that
we should not only study good, and its effects upon our race, but also evil, and its consequences (Journal of
Discourses, 2:94). But in studying evil we need not emulate or revel in it. In fact, our greatest benefit may simply
come from being repelled by a bad example found in a book.
We know as well that much of the literature of the world springs from the promptings of the Spirit of the Lord and
that our libraries are full of works written by men and women not of our faith, but who have contemplated deeply,
President Young once said, on various subjects, and the revelations of Jesus have opened their minds, whether they
knew it or acknowledged it or not (Journal of Discourses, 12:116). In our own reading programs we need to look
into the inspired writing of such men and women, remembering, as Elder Adam S. Bennion often reminded us, that
good reading is a great guarantee of spiritual enrichment (The Candle of the Lord, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1958, p. 266).

Richard H. Cracroft, Q&A: Questions and Answers, New Era, Nov. 1983, 911
3- How do we know then what is worth being read and studied and what is not?

We can ask ourselves a few questions:

- Is it something the Lord asked us to study? (See D&C 88:78-80, D&C 90:15)
- What does it teach me and help me understand about the human kind: Does this
work insightfully explore the human condition? How does it reflect and help us understand
a particular society or a historical period? What does it teach about the fallen nature of
human beings, the seduction of sin, and the consequences of evil? Does it explore the
purpose of life and human potential? How does it portray the relationship between mortals
and deity? Is it a story about the need for atonement?...etc
- What is the purpose of the author of the work, and what is my own purpose in
reading/looking at/studying this work?
For example, some stories in both Scripture and the arts which portray evil function as a
foil a contrast to stories of righteousness. They show us by comparison, the darkest
abyss in order to encourage us to choose the highest heavens.
Some things enlighten, edify, instruct, and inspire; some challenge and provoke; some simply entertain or amuse or provide
necessary rest through escape; others confuse, muddy, degrade, prejudice, denigrate, and destroy.
In any case, it is important to use good judgement and discernment :

Let there be no mistake, however. Our evaluative approach is in no way meant to excuse the scourge of
pornography, immodesty in dress and action or those who participate in these demeaning practices. Far from it.
Critical discernment between art and pornography is our obligation and duty. In some cases such discernment
is easy. For example, hard core pornography, an addictive plague that has exploded in availability in the last
few decades, intends to sell sex in graphic fashion in order to make money. It doesnt take a lot of training to
discern the evil in this type of pornography. Soft core pornography, however, muddies the waters. It shows up
in more subtle ways, such as in advertisements in which seductive dress and behavior is used to sell products
like clothing, cars, or food which are theoretically unrelated to sex. We sense that this soft core pornography
inappropriately seeks to weaken us in order to entice us to buy a product, so we steel ourselves against it,
which is wise and good. But, the sensible resolve to avoid these levels of pornography should not lead us to
overreact and instantly dismiss all portrayals of the human body and the realities of the mortal condition found
in art, music, or literature as evil. Just because the human body can be used to sell products, does not mean that
every depiction of human beauty or every portrayal of temptation and sin is pornography. Historically, nudity
in art can represent both the innocence of Adam and Eve before the fall and their supposed disobedience ; it
can signify the shame of unrepentant sinners going to Hell or represent the seductive nature of sexual sin; it
can be a symbol of human strength and beauty or of naked truth, as well as a sign of rebellion or hypocrisy. If
we ask the right questions and look for the reason why the artist showed the human body, we will likely find it
easier to discern and to control our minds and not misuse or misinterpret the art.
A case in point is the David sculpture by Michelangelo. One could perhaps argue that this entirely nude,
seventeen-foot tall statue is obscene and should not be viewed. But it doesnt have to be so, and at least for
President Spencer W. Kimball, the David was not offensive. In a talk on the arts in which he encouraged Latter-
day Saints to produce great pieces of inspired art, he openly expressed admiration for Michelangelos great work:
When we see Michelangelos masterpieces of art, we feel as did Habakkuk: Behold ye among the heathen, and
regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told
you. (Hab. 1:5.) But then we ask, Can there never be another Michelangelo? Ah! Yes! His David in Florence
and his Moses in Rome inspire to adulation. Did all such talent run out in that early century? (Spencer W.
Kimball, The Gospel Vision of the Arts, Ensign, July 1977, 3-5.)
Evidently, President Kimball chose to see the David statue in the way many Renaissance artists saw the human
body: as an example of the beauty of Gods greatest creation rather than as a piece of pornography that should be
shunned. Discernment and perspective in this example are key.

Jerry Hansen
BYU-Idaho faculty
- One last important question to ask ourselves: Does this study/reading allow me to keep
the Spirit with me or not? Use your personal spiritual gauge.

Just as there are many degrees of righteousness among the children of men, so there are many levels of
understanding literature. As we grow, spiritually, philosophically, culturally, intellectually, and physically, we
find ourselves moving to different levels of interest and understanding. Our individual challenge in mortality
is to keep growing, to keep moving to richer insights into human and eternal lifeall the while striving to
enjoy the companionship of the Holy Spirit as we move upward from level to level. It is often difficult, for the
Holy Spirit shall not always strive with man (D&C 1:33).
[] But we need not make many mistakes. Even though our age abounds in excesses of literary detail, even
though too many authors believe in self-exposure instead of self-expression, which embarrasses all of us who
treasure the companionship of the Spirit, we need not be deceived by books that proclaim philosophical
integrity while brandishing blatant immorality in the name of truth. The key to being sure is, as we progress
from level to level in our development, that we can take the Holy Spirit with us into each new level, without
damaging our relationship.
The key to the problem of how one judges literature lies, then, in our own spirituality and not in a simplistic
rejection of all literature. We must learn, as Francis Bacon advises us, that some books are to be tasted, others
to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.
Richard H. Cracroft, Q&A: Questions and Answers, New Era, Nov. 1983, 911
4- Finally, it is important to study all these topics and subjects in
relation one to another, remembering that all truths should be
encompassed in one great truth.
Modern universities typically divide knowledge and the search for truth into disciplines directed by
departments. This divided approach advantageously creates experts in different areas of learning,
encouraging depth and pursuit of new discoveries in a particular field, as well as preparing students for their
own disciplinary expertise and, hopefully, productive careers. However, the compartmentalization of
knowledge encouraged by this approach can disadvantageously lead to a single-lens view of life, in which an
individual may analyze every issue through the special magnifying glass of his or her own expertise,
distorting the greater, larger perspective. God does not forbid us an expertise in a particular subject, but
he obviously views education as more than just a path to employment.
For Heavenly Father, education, both formal and informal, means the integration of all truth into one
great whole for the all-encompassing purpose of exaltation. To this end, God commands his people to
learn as much as possible from many different disciplines whether it be things in heaven and in the earth,
and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass
(D&C 88:78-79). For this type of an education the discrete departmental structure of the modern university,
while productive in some ways, may actually be detrimental in others. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland explains:
What any true Zion would need and the present world needs even more is those
educated and spiritual and wise who will sort, sift, prioritize, integrate, and give some sense
of wholeness, some spirit of connectedness to great eternal truths
the problem with higher education has been the perpetuation of dividedness,
separateness, departmentalization, specialities, subspecialities, and subspecies of
subspecialities....This generation has students who may not dare to ask the great human
questions because their answers appear to be somewhere in the bottom of an academic
dumpster, one nearly exploding at the seams from curricular cramming
But even as I make this appeal for us to help our students and ultimately our church, I fear
that we often can hardly help ourselves toward such wholeness and integration. Whether we
are plumbers or professors, clerks or clinicians, we find it very hard to transcend our
departments and specialties. Heaven only knows we find it hard to transcend the trivia of
administration.

Jeffrey R. Holland, in Educating Zion 151-152