Seminary “Life Preparation Lessons”: A Parental Failure?

[@Uke1111-to8xj]

When I served my mission in 2007 the biggest stress factor was bullying among missionaries themselves. What was supposed to be a spiritual experience turned out to be one of the worst times of my life. Simply, building emotional resilience will not solve the problem. The problem is often mission presidents don't care about the mental or emotional environment in the mission field. Missionaries are simply told to suck it up and go preach. I thought it was just a problem in my mission but after I returned home and talked to other RMs, I found out it was a wide spread problem. So, unless bullies are held accountable, this emotional resilience preparation will not make serving missions easier.

[@AngelPuff1012]

I have one child in seminary, he is 17. I was kinda disappointed to be notified about this change. He only goes 2 times a week in the early morning. We have family scripture study 3 mornings a week due to various home schooling related classes the other mornings. I count on seminary as a parent to have additional scriptural insight like I had in Seminary. My kids are being taught how to cope with life, live like an adult, and be successful. This is not the responsibility of the church. What a waste of an opportunity for young kids!

[@jamesdurry6630]

I know of seminary teachers who are recently returned missionaries who themselves have not mastered life skills.

[@Kristy_not_Kristine]

I am a huge proponent of intentional parenting. My girls are grown and gone, but when they were home we were a homeschooling family, and I saw the church as a way to supplement what I was teaching in the home, spiritually. I didn't have any problems UNTIL my girls got into the YW program (2009-2019 for perspective). Once they started socializing with "those" girls things went downhill. They were introduced to so many things that they never should have been in a church setting. It was very discouraging at the time. If I could go back, I would not encourage them to attend, like I did then. I think it is even worse watching from the sidelines. It's a train-wreck and I think we are seeing the real fruit of the tree.

[@osml2499]

I am already concerned about how some of my children's seminary teachers are handling the doctrine. I am not entirely comfortable with them branching out in this way.

[@thefish103]

Bishop and high school mountain bike coach here. Spend time with your kids, teach them life lessons at home, get them bikes instead of smart phones, avoid social media like the plague, and let kids solve problems on their own.

[@Jsppydays]

Absolutely

[@MisfitOBS]

I love this and 100% it’s failure in the home. Kids are camping less (in tents), doing dangerous things less, being outside of their comfort zones less, they never hear the words honor or courage, or dedication in the home anymore. Terms like “tough it out” or “rub some dirt in it” are being demonized (mainly because they are misunderstood)We are starting to see the residual consequences of de-masculinization in the church.

[@GAILandROD]

With scouts gone....the men in the church never get together and do man things. Father's and son's outings..are they even a thing anymore?...yet the Sisters have night meetings where they learn a skill...or improvement.. That's not what Relief Society is about....feeling themselves and giving manicures.

[@danielloveridge9379]

My son and I are still doing scouting, working on life skills (cooking, leadership, balancing a budget, citizenship, etc.) and going on adventures and experiencing the world. The rest of the boys in his Teachers Quorum - not so much. Two camps the Aaronic Priesthhood did last year, they had an adult cooking all their meals, leading all the activities. No boy led anything.

[@heatherholmen6639]

I see this as another stepping stone in the corporate church taking over our children…teaching them what the corporation wants them to know, think, feel, do. parents rolls are being replaced as their children’s first teachers, just as society has taken over our children’s education over the years. Homeschooling in many places is not supported, and families can’t live on one income most places in the USA. A slow but effective takeover of the family😢I could go on, but you get my drift…. 24:41

[@TheHamptonPlace]

I’ve been taking the self reliance class on personal finances with my 2 teenage boys. I’m really enjoying it because it’s gospel focused with scriptures and quotes from general authorities related to self reliance with money. There are commitments to put into practice the doctrinal aspects each week and we report back how we did with our commitments. I highly recommend it, it reminds me of Nephi’s admonition to liken the scriptures into ourselves.

[@SummerAdamsdotcom]

I felt last year like a needed to pull my kids out of seminary and teach them more ourselves and study more as a family. They didn’t want to do even more scripture study AND online seminary (we value their sleep) with their crazy schedules. This sealed the deal for me. I’m pulling them out and we will be doing our own family studies. I couldn’t care less about programs and Mormon checkboxes and even their activity in the church. I don’t care if they have a “certificate” to graduate seminary. I just want them to know Jesus. Most of our youth today don’t know Him and don’t know the scriptures.

[@Kristy_not_Kristine]

Good for you, momma! If only more lds felt this way...

[@rachelgoates3414]

Agreed. Where is the focus on Jesus?

[@wufflerdance9481]

good for you ...seminary was a joke for me and im 31 and i hear its worse now was homeschooled and the early morning dient work for us ane it wasnt new knowledge and was dumbed down more then what i studied at home i was reading cleon skousen ane hugh nibley and mcconkie by the time i was seminary aged...the manuals were a joke ane they passed all the kids in my ward even though they never read and eisnt know the memorized scriptures foe each year and coulent answer basic questions at church. on my mission most or my companione had never read the BoM themselves let alone the other scriptures so when people had a basic bible question they couldnt answer anything and had no knowledge to pull from

[@KevinLudovic]

I know that I would greatly appreciate more support for the adults. My parents were converts and did the best they could. No one ever taught me how to study the scriptures, how to properly seek for personal revelation. I couldn’t properly teach my children skills I didn’t have. I do think we came to rely on the institutional church way too much.

[@mantihomestead]

Great video! I’m also concerned that these goals of mission and education seem placed before marriage! Marriage is way more essential. But especially with our young women we are placing emphasis of mission and education above marriage. We are not talking about marriage nearly as much in our ym/yw classes and didn’t see it emphasized in this new two day directive in our seminaries.

[@mikegillettify]

So many thoughts on this. Right now I’ll limit to this: I am in the USAF. For the last 4 years, I have participated in the DoD’s Resiliency program. I have seen incredible lack of basic skills. I have seen in myself a lack of using the skills I know and the how to use them. We are allowing ourselves to be distracted. We avoid pain, suffering, and hardship to take an easier road that has no benefits. Let’s all strive to be better and encourage others to improve as well.

[@ruckin3]

Connor, I have talked on this exact topic many times. The church is now so focused on the youth .....that the EQ and adult members are weaker. Great that we do the heavy lifting for the kids at church but what good does it do when we send them home to weak parents. Ive watched several EQ as Ive moved around just go flat to decline now that we dont have priesthood opening exercises, and bishopric In the EQ. It's just a circle of weak men left sitting in a gym in hard metal chairs. Families dont win with weak fathers. The church (a woman) is very Gynocrentric and feminist leaning (according to pew research polls) and thats a massive problem. We were better off when it was balanced between feminine and masculine and an overriding strong (good) patriarchy

[@kdmyler7673]

You CANNOT spend your way OUT of a spending problem. Parents need to DO their own WORK. They cannot sub-out our responsibility. I speak in metaphors here. HOME and proper FAMILY rearing can't be out sourced. David O McKay said it best....

[@germanshepard7749]

Agree 100%. See my comments

[@dawnhasbroken6304]

Yeah but what should happen and what IS happening... There a reality to this.

[@kukey25]

We live in a very different world than 30 years ago. Other than technology acting as an artificial replacement for social connection, the main difference i see is a change in parental philosophy that it's actually helpful to protect kids from hard experiences, principally taking responsibility for their mistakes and criticism in a healthy way.

[@aBrewster29]

This is so true. Parents should also be aware that the Church is very different from 30 years ago, in that much of yesteryear’s anti-Mormon literature is now legitimized in today’s Gospel Topics Essays, and IMO we as a church have done a very poor job in educating on those issues and giving space for an honest struggle with them. A ton of members still don’t even know the Church published them.

[@kukey25]

@@aBrewster29 Interesting. How is anti-mormon literature legitimized in the gospel topic essays?

[@dawnhasbroken6304]

Back to old school basics. This is greatly needed.

[@quarteralien]

I'm glad you brought up scouts vs the current program, because I think you could argue this is an indictment of the youth program and two hour church as well as parents. There used to be so much more structure and so much more time to cover it. Go back a few generations and the old MIA program was almost like getting an associate's degree. They learned very practical skills and it's been watered down ever since. Now that we're down to two Sundays a month for YW/YM, they don't get that time and the structure if just about non existent. I feel like we were cut adrift with the vague 4 areas of life goal plan. Just like I feel like we were cut adrift with "home centered" church. Too many people left to their own devices just don't do it. Rant and rail against them all you want, tell them it's all their responsibility, but in the end, what is an institutional church for if it's just to tell new converts that they're on their own? I think the pendulum swung too far. I'm in my second year teaching seminary and have already dealt with multiple major changes. and for those of you in the Mormon corridor with release time seminary, do spare a thought for what it might look like other places. I pick up a van load of kids from the local high school and teach after school in my basement. 5 kids, if they all come. The fact that we consider their diploma equivalent to a professional teacher has always seemed strange to me. I don't know if I will still be teaching when this is implemented one year from now, but I predict it won't be the only change. They won't stick with one thing long enough to know if it's even working as far as I'm concerned. I also very much look forward to a time when the seminary curriculum can decouple from Come Follow Me. I don't think that has been a good thing. But no one asked me.

[@Diggs4Dogs]

Not to mention that we get “nothing” for compensation. As a seminary teacher in CA I felt it so important to have food in the early morning hours for these kids. They use to give $500.00 for teachers out of Utah to compensate cost, but no more. We do so much vs the teachers in Utah. It’s not even a ward calling. I don’t get it.

[@andrewgordon5127]

I’m a seminary teacher. I have been for 25 years. I was slow to embrace this adjustment. After teaching several of theses LPL. They are all scripture based. We used 2 Ne 4 and tied it to healthy thinking patterns. We used Laman and Lemuel as scriptural examples of why it’s important to recognize and control our anger. It’s been remarkably good! I’ve had 3 students come to me after a LPL experience and reach out for help with emotional distress. I’m all in. It’s been great.

[@alenaericksen953]

I find it interesting that downstream there is now awareness of mental health issues coming from decisions that said it was okay to have missionaries be isolated into their apartments for their missions during that time frame of 2020-2021. That’s enough to drive anyone mentally ill and I was never at peace with that.

[@aBrewster29]

The reasons cited for leaving a mission early strike me as symptomatic, not causal. I work a lot with youth and young adults, and more and more what I see are kids who struggle with unsatisfactory responses from the Church on thorny topics, and it’s pitting conscience against loyalty.

[@MorganStradling]

My mom was a mission nurse at a mission here in the states. And from her stories, the mental health problems with the youth/missionaries are out of control. Many missionaries have major undisclosed mental health issues, went cold off their meds (and didn’t disclose), former undisclosed suicide attempts, etc. She said it felt like parents were so desperate to get their kids out on missions, that they would hide all this and hope and pray that the mission could fix them. (Spoiler alert: 9/10 times it didn’t). Some even would approach her the first day in the field and request to meet with a therapist and to get a prescription for meds! Totally unacceptable. As a result, many missionaries are sent home for these issues. It seems more were sent home for mental health reasons than other reasons (health, injury, unresolved sins, etc.). It was so common that the mission president eventually had to have a pretty strict policy about the number of counseling sessions you could do and if things weren’t resolved, you needed to go home. The mission is not a place for the unprepared (mentally, physically, spiritually)!

[@jenniferdunn9785]

I wonder how much of our missionaries' struggles are a result of the lowered age limits? While I am grateful for the flexibility that a lowered age limit allows, I do feel like many missionaries are pushed into the field prematurely. I encouraged my son to attend a semester of college away from home, so that he would learn some basic life skills like doing his laundry and making his own breakfast so that those mundane things wouldn't be brand new to him in the field. My kids find seminary so tedious, as it just keeps repeating the same things over and over again, I don't mind a change in curriculum. However, I do not want church guidance in food and nutrition--not the church that advocated masks and jabs. I would pull my kids out if they didn't need a semimary endorsement to apply for church schools.

[@prestonanderson9437]

The seminary endorsement is ridiculous when non members can go to lds schools without one..

[@Diggs4Dogs]

@@prestonanderson9437good point Preston. I didn’t even think of that

[@TheMisticUnicorn]

We have been homeschooling since 2015, and I was homeschooled myself from second grade on. I loved attending seminary when I was a teen. It was a spiritual high point of each day I was there. We decided to have my oldest daughter (now married) take some classes at the high school in addition to seminary a few years ago before she graduated from homeschool. We signed up for one called something like "Life Skilles and Financial Health" since we thought it sounded like a good educational class we would like, but on the first day of school they sent home a permission paper for her to be taught sex education in that class. I was shocked and called the school to discover that the class includeded sex ed and social diversity lessons as well as some other things I objected to her being taught by the school. We quickly transfered her to a photography class. What exactly would life skill lessons a couple of times a week involve in seminary? I would really like to have more detailed info on what the curriculum is as well as how the teachers' opinions on certain controversial topics would affect the way the topics are covered. It seems like that time should remain focused on scriptures and gospel study. For some kids that time and church are the only real times they get that is very scripture focused. Even if they claim the life skills will be turned toward the gospel, why dilute that focus? I still havr three kids that I need to send through seminary, one of them starting this fall and I felt she really needed a regular scripture study with peers, even though we do a daily family study. I guess I need more info to feel this is a good change.

[@CatoELYounger]

Great point about providing more resources for the parents! The YM organization is my ward has been a disappointment. One of the young men said in sacrament meeting that their YM camp was a “mancation” they rented a VRBO with a pool. I have my son in a non denominational BS troop. It’s been great. In our stake there is only one troop, the leaders and parents are committed in making it a good experience, ie they have camp outs every month. Also, I’m enjoying reading Children of the Collective.

[@germanshepard7749]

Where is the accompanying parental training or at least a structure to inform and engage parents of new content. On the surface it sure looks like a parallel model of the state taking over training of children bypassing the parents. It will be important that all church members be able to see and review new life preparation materials. .. I wonder the extent to which they re-align doctrinal education to current secular trends of this time which have been discussed on this channel already.

[@SummerAdamsdotcom]

Bingo!!! I’m pulling my kids out. This is OUR job as parents to teach them the gospel and make sure they’re emotionally resilient. And to your point, that’s why we pulled our kids out of public school.

[@krisb743]

Absolutely support this! Parents aren’t teaching it in the homes. It’s clear! So very sad😢

[@nathanorien314]

Sorry this is somewhat off topic, but Connor, have you done a musing on MLMs? Would be interested in your perspective on those in the Utah culture / church intersection.

[@effervescentrelief]

This is a product of the day and age we live in. I don't think it can be directly placed on the parents. If anything, government, innovation, technology has a major place as well. A huge swath of kids today come from single parent households. Many skills are NOT being taught there for obvious reasons. Some can't be taught since there's unfortunately only one parent in the home and it takes both sides to learn certain things, and/or the single parent is just too busy to even do such things. -Due to innovation our society more and more has had to rely on "doing it yourself" ever less. -There are young men entering the work force who have never seen under the plastic engine cover and have no clue what an engine looks like, or how one even operates. I personally have trained young men in industrial jobs who don't know what a wrench is and have only ever seen a screw driver. -With everything being electric, or cheap and easily replaceable, the need to know how to fix something has gone away. Mower broke? Buy another. Broke again? Buy electric. -As great as electric vehicles and machines are, they require very little skill sets to work on outside of an industrial space. No one works on their Tesla. No one fixes their electric mower. -With more and more young people growing up in cities, there is even less knowledge due to never owning a vehicle and using public transport, therefore a lack in basic skills, living in apartments and therefore never having a place to work on things, or cut wood, or do any of those sorts of things because you just can't do that. -As society has moved more into cities this has removed us from nature, time in nature, and figuring things out in nature. This is an important concept as the natural world and spending time in it teaches us a great many things and has lead to many of the innovations of the past. -The jobs being pushed today have increasingly been those of a non material nature, intellectual type jobs, where the most one does with their hands are type on a computer and thinks. -The education being pushed today follows the same line, pushing intellectual type degrees, even though for those who go into the trades and working with their hands will most likely outperform their intellectual peers because they have actual skills. -Manufacturing and other "producer" type jobs have all been outsourced to other nations, again reducing the competency and need for said competencies across the nation (speaking of Western nations). If there's no need, over time the need to pass those skills on will decrease as well, eventually we find ourselves where we are now. -The increasing distractions we have today make it tough to do anything else as everyone feels pressed for time and everyone tries to maximize their downtime. This is just a sampling of the issues facing this nation and all nations of the world right now. I can't directly blame the parents because they're either single, working their guts out, distracted like crazy by "conspiring men" who engineer, with psychology, entertainment to be addictive (Facebook and the like are an example), or they themselves just don't have the skills or the means whereby to teach those skills. This is what happens to old societies. This is just the pride cycle repeating once again. We have built a complex, heavily infrastructured society, that the rising generation has no desire, and no clue, to maintain. It will fall apart at some point.

[@Thehaystack7999]

Sounds like they are teaching a global audience, many from dysfunctional situations and are strengthening weaknesses that must be fortified in our day. Parents and kids can always opt out. It seems like doctrine and scripture will always be developed but there is more urgency to develop practical life skills for youth to stay afloat.

[@Diggs4Dogs]

Such a great point Connor. I know so many people who are converts or women who have less active families who didn’t go on missions and aren’t trained with how to “teach” the gospel. Parents need training

[@BrentMayberry]

Having resources for parents is the best answer. I have children entering the youth program, and I would love to know what they may face before they face it. Let us know what the youth need and let us parents help them navigate these issues. Great commentary!

[@rickyde0255]

You made a good point about teaching parents how to teach these principles in the home. Absolutely awesome idea.

[@TO-Aloha]

The institution that manages the Church is replacing the pure teachings of Christ, with self-help. It’s as if Deseret Book is preparing to become the new shepherd for the youth. It’s unfortunate. Our CES & Correlation is the biggest problem of the Church, and should not be trusted with our children at this point-both need to be held accountable for failing the congregation. This will not have the desired effect.

[@rachelgoates3414]

Couldn’t agree more. You hit the nail on the head.

[@DaveGarber1975]

I assume that this program is intended as Church support, not takeover, for what should be happening at home. And perhaps an outgrowth of efforts to replace those worthwhile things that Scouting once provided for Church youth.

[@ruckin3]

Parents are too busy acquiring the trappings of Babylon. Mothers / women sold out for careers , doggies, travel . Parents in general are so lame today . Gotta have that 3800 SF home, Tige Boat, quarterly vacations and Audi in the driveway. Feminism has destroyed men and women and the nuclear family as it was intended.

[@JenPope-b9t]

Um, not everyone. My mom had to work because my Dad left. Life is so nuanced, be charitable.

[@ruckin3]

@@JenPope-b9t Obviously we are speaking in generalities. When my wife left us when I got paralyzed in an accident would also be an outlier .

[@SummerAdamsdotcom]

So much this!!!!

[@cyndieburr2770]

I’m an early morning seminary teacher and I am so excited for these lessons! My only concern is that we won’t have as much time to study scripture. We don’t get through everything as it is. Last year I taught a lesson on how to give a talk. We used it as a review lesson. All the topics were a review from the previous weeks. Each student got a checklist of what a talk should consist of then they spent the class preparing and giving their talks. I feel that lessons like that are much needed!

[@ashleyingoldsby]

I do feel like parents are being asked to do a lot more than previous generations in some ways though. For whatever reason, I feel like my children aren't learning reading and math at school -- so I have to teach that, and additionally, many teachings have seemingly moved from church to home, and units where I live have cut back on activities etc. -- So much falls on parents. I know we are a home-centered, church supported program, and I hope this aids in bringing church support -- because things like boy scouts, and personal progress taught so many life skills that many are missing now.

[@deborahjones8175]

I teach high school. Teens today, including many in the church, are a mess. They can’t get off of their phones and away from social media.

[@davidmerrill8422]

I have often commented that when I became a Parent, there were No Instruction Manual and that I had to Figure it Out as my wife & I maneuvered our way through Life. So, maybe having Special Instructional Classes designed for Parents could, in part, be something to consider.

[@freethinker1056]

I totally agree with you on teaching the parents so they can teach their children. As a psychologist in my younger years, I developed a program for parents using Family Home Evening to teach their children about sex. It was accepted with acclaim from many parents not members. It was even used at a local university. Parents are hungry for parenting skills. Vaccums , washing machines and almost every item we buy comes with instructions. Having and rearing children have the greatest need of instructions and we rarely get instructions for them

[@debfryer2437]

Yes that was my first reaction. Children ought to be taught life skills at home. We’ve already seen the overcompensating reach of the public school in the sexual education arena. My thoughts are this. As younger and younger people become leaders in the church, our policies and procedures, and even doctrines are being modified. Our youth need the support and confidence of and in their parents more than ever.

[@beckywright7906]

So sad to see that this is so necessary. Thanks for this I agree with you.

[@ItsSnagret]

Lots of kids don’t have parents living gospel principles, some kids in seminary don’t have active or even baptized parents, and these lessons will be based in gospel principles. I don’t see it as a bad thing.

[@dannywilson5115]

I understand what your saying. However, I would like to give a different point of view, or actually ask a question. We raised 10 children in a faithful LDS home, striving to attend church and keep the commandments, my wife never worked out of the home after we had our first child. I served a mission, and we had 3 sons and 1 daughter serve. Two of our sons came home early, one after only 2 weeks, because of anxiety. Did we fail them? Is it a sign of the times? Why is this happening to those of us who raised our children with President McKay’s mantra in mind, and our family motto Proverbs 3:5,6?

[@Kristy_not_Kristine]

Same situation here, it at least similar. Perhaps the question is whether or not what we've been told is the truth. Perhaps it's time to step out of the boat and onto the water. To leave Babylon (the church is included) and its false prophets... that's been my conclusion.

[@rachelgoates3414]

Same here. I call it “following the recipe“. And I did it for a very long time, and now I have a kumquat artichoke casserole instead of the beautiful chocolate cake I thought I was going to get. 😢

[@nostoppingit7243]

The life skills lesson plan can be found on LDS

[@TayLybb]

I'd be interested in seeing the actual detailed content being added. Only in a few areas of the world is being a seminary teacher a job, in most places it's a calling. None of them are professional gospel teachers - that phrase being troublesome itself. It is like homeschooling, you're not an expert on any topic and that's on purpose. So the non-expert teacher doesn't appear to be an issue. Some of the new topics I'm surprised weren't being reviewed prior. Shouldn't the gospel be taught in context of living it? Self reliance and emotional resilience tie to gospel topics and gospel living as would preparing for future vocations. Certainly covenant keeping has been taught prior to this moment.

[@prestonanderson9437]

I take this a bit different...if lds parents wouldn't push and press thier kids to go , when they really dnt want to and based on that the lds parents are worried about what other lds people think about them if thier child doesn't go on a mission, then perhaps we wouldn't get a ton of missionaries sent home that dnt really want to be there in the 1st place..

[@nancytrahan118]

My seventh grade grandson is getting basically the same thing in school 4 to 6 times a year and it’s called “sources of strength“. Our stake has started a weekly class for the youth about learning self reliance. They are going to have different speakers come in and parents are not allowed to be there.

[@SummerAdamsdotcom]

Parents are not allowed???? Yikes!!! That sounds a lot like what the UN wants on a global level - removing parents and letting the government (or church) raise your kids. Red flag 🚩

[@kerstenlindhardt1653]

It’s so inappropriate that parents are barred from attendance…. ☹️

[@asarg1776]

Not allowed is a red flag to me. Parents welcome but not necessarily asked to be there is more like it.

[@nancytrahan118]

Definitely! Fortunately, it’s only for kids in high school at our stake. My oldest granddaughter is still not in high school, but I definitely wouldn’t let her go. I asked why parents weren’t allowed and I was basically told that kids are more likely to ask questions if their parents aren’t there. My kids know they can ask me any question they want.

[@t5l239]

The kids are gonna Love being talked at!😂

[@VickiRasmussen]

This is a world-wide church so I hope this goes out to a lot of places that could really use it - and you've been crying for lessons on giving talks anyway! 😉

[@amandabaker9627]

More milk.

[@RichardChappell1]

It seems to me part of this is addressing the gaps from the abandonment of Scouting. While I understand why (Scouting has abandoned the critical core elements that made it so useful), the new idea of having the kids select areas to focus on pretty much guarantees that the life skills they used to get through the first class and Eagle required merit badges are not going to be learned. There is no real process for developing those adulting skills left. While the current Children and Youth Program hits a key concept of personal goal setting, the larger point of what they're setting goals for has been lost a bit.

[@lanagardner2455]

I don't think adults are dealing very well with the world and church situation let alone teach gospel principles to their children. These are very difficult and confusing times to alot of people.

[@Heartsinmelody]

Interesting comments re seminary. I thought a study of the doctrine changes behaviour faster than a study of behaviour changes behaviour. Apparently not. I’d rather less days of seminary each week, but keep that part of youths life focused on doctrines and teachings of Christ.

[@1willardjohn]

What if instead of going to the children to teach the we have a council in RS and elders quorum on what it would look like to teach our children these information? Elder Bednar spoke of the position of the church as second to the parent a support to the family, let’s repent of our wrong doings and step into our roles and identities as parents. Just a thought

[@boysrus61]

I don't understand the sentence "riveted to the teachings of living prophets". Hasn't it been stressed over and over again recently that we don't follow the dead prophets but only the living? (Because what the dead prophets said about race, tithing, word of wisdom have all changed drastically over the years) Or are they including all of the Q15? So when you put side by side all the differences of what the current living brethren have said on say topics such as race, polygamy, finances, Mother in Heaven, free will/agency etc do differ amongst the talks. I do agree with you that the church is stepping out of its lane when it comes to teaching "life skills". IMO, the church needs to stop infantilizing its members, teaching everyone the same thing as if a primary class and a Relief Society class should be on the same lesson... I know people who feel as if they have outgrown what the Church has to offer and are turning to other Christian congregations to get the spiritual aspects that are increasingly lacking in the Church. I recently heard someone say that things are a mile wide and an inch deep in the church and they need things an inch wide and a mile deep.

[@aBrewster29]

Well said. The “riveted” verbiage hints strongly at exact (blind) obedience, which becomes very problematic once differences and fallibility enter the picture. A hidden gem covered in this week’s come follow me reading recount’s Nephi’s own struggle with prophetic fallibility: “And now, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse myself because of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me, according to the flesh, I would excuse myself.” - 1 Nephi 19:6 The answer he gives in verse 7 is a warning not to use human frailty as an excuse to set at naught and trample under feet the things of God, which sounds a whole lot like “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” to me. I am troubled by messages that downplay discernment, and instead effectively ask one to revere the bathwater. I see this struggle between loyalty and conscience in the youth and young adults and they’re having none of it.

[@StandforTruth712]

Make your kids get a summer job at least and pay for some of their own stuff and activities. Have them save up for their own missions. Don't give them smart phones and their own cars. Dont let them waste their days playing video games or being on social media. Social media is responsible for the high levels of anxiety, depression and gender confusion kids are experiencing today. Be committed to family scripture study and council. Discuss finances and wordly idealogies and challenges they will face. Focus on spending time together as a family doing affordable fun activities like playing games or hiking together. Keep your homes up together and do service projects. If your stretched for time, limit extra curricular activities. We spent 1000s of dollars for music, dance and sport activities on our kids and guess what? None of them played instruments or sports or danced in college or professionally. Their relationship with God and family is more important and stable than anything else the world has to offer. Parents, for the sake of your children rise up!

[@osml2499]

Hymn #48 - verse 2: There (Enoch's Zion) they shunned the power of Satan and observed Celestial Laws. I believe this is properly read as "so that" they could observe Celestial Laws. We do not see, understand, nor teach that the influence of the enemy must be removed in order for Zion to be built. It does not happen the other way around. We instead ignore the enemy, how they operate and what power we have over them through the Name of Jesus Christ. We invite the enemy into our homes, schools, and yes even our churches. We have been commanded by the Lord to awake! We must awake to our awful situation and learn how to cast the enemy out (as we did in the beginning), then in a purer, stronger, sacred world environment we can build the Zion of our God!

[@thuggie1]

To be honest, I think this has always been a problem. The culture in and out of the church is completely different. This is what I think attributes to it more. Also, I when used to go raound with missionaries, they were naive to the point this was years ago I discovered they were going to a house that had a lot of chemistry equipment in the kitchen making very unsavory compounds, they where just teaching the gospel but it was not safe. This is an exstream example but maybe some life skills and teach that not everyone is honest.

[@rachelgoates3414]

Maybe it’s because it’s a global church, but I feel like Church programs are watered down or surface level-feels like a lot of fluff. I’m not terribly impressed that they’ve come up with another program. And the track record for being mental health savvy is not good at all. So I’m a little wary if they’re going to start teaching about mental health. Sadly, my older boys really got a lot of exposure to things in scouting which led them to their careers, and my younger boy does not have that. The other side of this is that we are fighting a major battle against the Internet and media, and I do feel like we are losing. I figured we could all of us when we went to to our church and every other week auxiliary meetings.

[@andread1211]

Unfortunately scouting had become a problem. I was in it for years. I saw leaders that were not responsible with the kids. Getting kids in dangerous situations where boys were lost, where boys needed rescuing, and were trapped in snow storms over night with no equipment, were killed, were abused, leaders taking sleeping pills and leaving the boys to fend for themselves, and I can go on. Parents didn’t have a clue what was happening. They assumed that since it was church related their kids were safe. I saw the same at girls camp. Girls getting lost, not being fed properly, drama and fights, leaders expressing that they are not their kids so they are not going to be in charge of the kids, very immodest clothing and swimsuits, terrible conversations. I won’t let my boys go without their dad and I won’t let my daughter go without me. Im aware of primary choristers using and waving Pride flags around in singing time, I’ve removed Pride advertisements in the church building. The Pride cycle includes the church. It’s getting bad.

[@truthbetold23762]

The church is all about talks to support the families! The youth program is a joke these days! All my teenagers boy doing is to go play in the church!