Mormon Church Youth Devotional on Doubt Is Textbook Manipulative BS
In a 2019 youth devotional titled “Navigating Doubts and Faith,” Dale G. Renlund and Ruth Renlund addressed doubt in the LDS Church using childlike metaphors and moral framing aimed at impressionable youth.
The talk compares legitimate historical and doctrinal concerns to “dents and peeling paint,” minimizing issues that go to the very core of the church’s truth claims. But the problems critics raise aren’t cosmetic. They involve foundational questions about Joseph Smith, the translation of the Book of Mormon, DNA evidence, biblical scholarship, evolving First Vision accounts, and the origins of polygamy.
By portraying doubters as ungrateful or morally suspect—and warning youth against “faithless and unfaithful sources”—the devotional subtly discourages independent research and critical thinking. The message teaches young members to fear outside perspectives and distrust former believers, even when those people are family or close friends.
On the surface, this talk frames itself as guidance about faith. On closer inspection, it functions as inoculation against honest inquiry.
Based on: https://www.ldsdiscussions.com/blog-navigating-doubts
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