By Trevor Neff
Religion classes harder than other classes such as biology, chemistry, sociology and American Heritage and others are absurd. But here at Brigham Young University, they are not unreal. We are faced with those religion classes that lower our GPA and cause depression in many young scholars. Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Old Testament and all other standard works are classes that fail hundreds of saints every year.
Why are religion classes at BYU so difficult to pass? The tests are nearly impossible and the workload is more demanding than most general education classes. Can't we just focus on the standard works?
We came to this university to receive an education and to gain a testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We do whatever it takes to get an A grade. We were hit with a big shock when we found out that religion classes here are filled with a tremendous workload and tests that are impossible to pass.
I just want to have my testimony grow without working out of a workbook for hours each night. These classes have too many worksheets that focus on non-important events in the standard works. This is just busy-work that does not help testimonies grow.
In these classes we need to only use the standard works that we are studying from. If we are studying the Book of Mormon, why can't we only study the Book of Mormon? We do not need other workbooks to distract us from the standard works. We should not be graded purely on tests, quizzes, papers and other work we do in those classes. We should be graded if we have grown spirituality and gained knowledge of the Book of Mormon.
Religion classes at Brigham Young University are too difficult in many different areas. I came here to gain knowledge of the standard works, learn and gain a testimony. I did not come here to do busy work, pointless papers and to fail my religion classes. We want to have an eternity of happiness, not a timeline of the Book of Mormon.
Trevor Neff is a freshman with an undeclared major, from Thousand Oaks, Calif.