More Learning Than Sense

While reading Rough Stone Rolling, I came across an episode in Church history that I was unaware of: apparently just before the Book of Commandments (the first DC) was published, a rather large group of what I am going to call intellectuals, for lack of a better word, heavily criticized the Prophet’s vocabulary, grammer, and style that he used in recording the revelations. The prophet’s rather “rough” language bothered these highly educated men/leaders in the Church (they were primarily William McLellin, Sydney Rigdon, and Oliver Cowdry) and they proposed to make corrections before publication. The prophet was perturbed by this, so he challenged any one of them to offer a revelation of their own to see if they could even replicate his - let alone best him as the prophet. Well, McLellin made an attempt but soon gave up and then the group of worldy intellectuals voted for final publication. Referring to this episode in his history, the Prophet said that McLellin’s problem was that he had “more learning than sense”.

I believe that this problem, having more learning than sense, is still quite an issue in the Church and especially the world. It is the reason, I think, why so many pseudo intellectual members of the Church end up leaving it - thinking they know better than Church leaders because they (the intellectuals) are smarter (which in fact they probably are). It is why the “conflicted testimony” is so common and so popular. And, after spending close to 7 years in so-called “higher education”, I have come to the conclusion that worldly learning for the most part is utter trash! I tire of listening to self-important people spout off their latest theory/opinion about the world. Why? Because virtually none of them are grounded in eternal verity. They begin with the premise that learning comes from researching the works of other pseudo intellectuals and then pain-stakingly spinning a different slant to these works and producing more trash. Also, what’s worse, they claim to be scholars seeking understanding and open to ideas, but it is quite the opposite: Most are closed to anything referring to natural right, traditional values, and ancient texts. In sum, they have more learning than sense and thus they know nothing of importance.

Alma put it well when he said:

“It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word…until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell” (Alma 12:9-11).

So, how do we avoid obtaining more learning than sense and what does it mean to harden our hearts?