Rhetoric is used everywhere, especially when it comes to religion. For centuries and centuries, people have used rhetoric to convince other people that theirs is the only true way. Similarly, the LDS religion uses rhetoric, intertwined with the Spirit of the Lord and through the words of the prophets, to prove that this is the only true and living gospel on the earth.
If you think about it, everyone that speaks in general conference is excellent at conveying their ideas. Whether this is because they were all bestowed with the gift of speech or they have someone talented write their thoughts in a coherent manner, each is able to present their feelings in a way that captivates millions of viewers and teaches fundamental beliefs. However, they don’t do this on their own. The Spirit, as it is known in the LDS world, teaches along with the words of the prophets. It’s hard for us to say that belief comes from the rhetoric of whoever is teaching, because that would come severely close to blasphemy. The Spirit is what guides rhetoric and convinces converts of the truthfulness of the Gospel. They go hand-in-hand.
This process can go the other way around as well. The Spirit doesn’t come without rhetoric, and true rhetoric won’t come without the help of the Spirit. For example, someone could randomly find a Book of Mormon lying on the ground and decide to read it. They could be convinced that the words are true, but they were never taught by anyone who was trying to convince them of the truthfulness of it. This is where the Spirit kicks in. Without the aid of the Holy Ghost, the book would simply be words scrawled on paper, and no one would be converted.
Overall, the use of rhetoric in the Gospel is very important when being used to teach. It must be coupled by the Spirit to be a completely effective way of teaching, but it’s still extremely relevant.
I like the idea that the rhetoric isn't coming from church leaders themselves, but from the Spirit. It is so true that people can come to know the truth of the Book of Mormon entirely through the Spirit!
ReplyDeleteI like how you addressed the rhetoric/Spirit combination that is effective in conference talks. Good job explaining how the Spirit and rhetoric work "hand-in-hand." I definitely agree.
ReplyDeleteGood post, and good comments--I agree, those are compelling and powerful parts of your post.
ReplyDeleteI like what you've said that the Spirit is what guides rhetoric in the gospel. I think most of the time this is true, but when it's not, it tends to be individual church members misusing rhetoric, forgetting that they need to consciously let the Spirit guide their rhetoric.
I actually thought about General Conference speakers as a prime example of rhetoric too. I like the way you organize your thoughts and explain that although rhetoric is important, the Spirit is a key point of the Gospel too.
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