Elder Christofferson said he has heard some parents say they don't want to impose the gospel on their children, thinking that they are allowing children to exercise their agency.

"What they forget is that the intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth, of things as they really are. Without that, young people can hardly be expected to understand and evaluate the alternatives that come before them."


I'd like to know exactly what truth he is talking about here. This is very vague. And if he is saying that the Mormon religion is the truth and the way things really are, I'd argue that there are a lot of other opinions out there. Brainwashing a child is not doing them a service, and I would argue that when they get into the real world, unless they only socialize with Mormons, that is when they have a hard time understanding and evaluating the alternatives that come before them. However, I do agree that strong morals start in the home. How many parents break the speed-limit law in front of their children, for example? Seems innocent enough, but what does it teach a child?

Let me take the opportunity to help xscribe understand what Elder Christofferson was refering to. It appears as though you either attended or watched General Conference. Given the setting that this talk was delivered in, it should be evident that he was refering to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This can be found in the Bible and in the case of the LDS Church, supporting books of scripture. Now, was this such a hard stretch? All parents have their own idea of what the "truth" is in life. It is within the home environment that much of our personality is shaped as well as our beliefs. As a parent I am always seeking for the truth and understanding to help my family. As a parent you need to help your children understand both sides of any issue and how other people perceive truths from different points of view. I don't know where you live but in my neighborhood in CA, the couple of LDS families seem to be more informed and connected than most anyone else. It is always a pleasure to talk with them. I don't know the "Mormons" you refer to.

I neither attended nor watched the general conference. I'm also an athiest. I also, as you say, have my own idea of what the "truth" is in life. I teach that in my home. I don't keep religion from my children, and I do the best I can to explain what different religions believe. I give them both sides of an issue, and then let them try to decide for themselves the path they wish to choose. This is why I wanted to know what "truth" Elder Christofferson was talking about, and what he meant by "the way things really are." What may be truth to one may not be truth to another. To say my truth is the real truth and yours is not, and to teach a child "that's the way things really are" is nothing more than brainwashing. Maybe, had I watched his speech, he explained it better than this article suggests.

I am reminded of Siter Beck's talk about the world has enough cynics, we need optimists.
The world bombards our children enough with secularism. We need to teach them the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of his plan of happiness, and of how we truly can be happy.

JPL: I agree. If I teach my children religion I am brainwashing them. If I teach them biology (which is full of unproven/unprovable theories, e.g., "evolutionary theory"), I am teaching them knowledge. As a biologist I am very aware of the scientific discrepencies and challenges of biological theories. We are too fast to call topics we disagree with "brainwashing." I have no guilt teaching my children religion or biology or mathmatics or whatever else I happen to know about.
If teaching religion is brainwashing then all teaching of any subject is brainwashing and brainwashing is a great thing to do.