Discernment a Gift and a Skill (pp. 120-121)
Because we live in a world awash with rumors, myths, hoaxes, misinformation, and lies, we must learn to investigate what we encounter. We must learn to discern, as President Russell M. Nelson taught, “between schemes that are flashy and fleeting and those refinements that are uplifting and enduring.” Elder David A. Bednar explained that discernment “helps us to distinguish the relevant from the irrelevant, the important from the unimportant, and the necessary from that which is merely nice.” The Holy Ghost helps us discern truth and error, as well as things that are cunningly crafted or just silly. Discernment is a gift of the Spirit as well as a thinking skill that we can improve. Through practice and inspiration, we can develop a discerning eye, an analytical mind, and good judgment.
Real vs. Rumor is not structured around the “Come, Follow Me” curriculum, but it is filled with insights that will improve your scripture study, thinking, and discipleship. The reading for May 3-9 examines Doctrine and Covenants 46-48 and explains that many early Saints “found it hard to discern which manifestations were of the Spirit and which were not.” This passage comes from chapter 9, which opens section 2 of the book and introduces a process for investigating what is real and what is rumor.
