Joseph Smith, The Educator

Joseph Smith taught that a true educational program should have a divine purpose with a two-fold objective: First, it should teach man now to commune with God so that he can receive truth by revelation from the Supreme Intelligence. Second, it should teach man the law of God as it applies to all phases of life—spiritual, social, economic, political, etc. Only in this way can the kingdom of God be fully established on earth. A Third purpose in the Prophet's philosophy of education was to teach the Saints the things of this world so they could reason with unregenerated men on their plane of life and elevate them to the higher programs of Zion.