In the spirit of the Benedict Option, this post will highlight some practical things that Mormons do to keep their youth faithful and on the strait and narrow.  We do much better than most in those regards (though we only look successful comparatively, we have a long way to go ourselves).  The two efforts tend to be intertwined because the sexual revolution is probably the single biggest challenge to faith in our era.  And that is the first pointer.  There is no alternative to biting the bullet and taking a firm line in opposition to the sexual revolution.  Yes, some will leave because of it.  But if you waffle, the same folks plus others will simply drift away, because it won’t be clear that your faith offers anything concrete.

So here are a couple of practical things the Mormons do.

First, in our region a few months ago an Apostle came to hold a meeting with the youth only.  They were encouraged to ask questions in advance anonymously and then were allowed to ask questions there also, both verbally or in writing anonymously.  My own teenager reports that a lot of the questions were about identifying the Holy Ghost and the experience of being an Apostle.  Adults and parents who drove their kids there (it was 3 hours away for us, farther for others) were asked to wait outside so the youth would feel less social constraint.  To the extent the questions hit on sexual revolution topics, the answers were both specific and detailed–do this, do not do this–but also tied into more general themes of eternal destiny and what it means to be a child of God.  This kind of meeting doesn’t happen so often, but it’s valuable when it does.

Second, there is Standards night.  Most and maybe all Mormon stakes (a collection of nine or so wards (congregations)) have Standards night for the youth every year.  The youth and their parents are invited, wearing Church attire (dresses, shirts/ties/suits).  Normally every young Saint gets a new copy of the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, which they are encouraged to read and carry around.  You can see it here.   The pamphlet is divided into sections and has a list of Church standards the youth are expected to follow and be blessed for following.

Normally, the Standards night is a mix of talks and presentations, although less formally than in church services, so there is some back and forth.  Ours is coming up, and this year its going to be a little different.  The youth and the youth leaders have all had a chance to ask questions in advance–the questions were encouraged to hit sensitive topics, including sexual revolution stuff, gay marriage, etc–and Standards night will have panels of local Bishops and the Stake Presidency addressing these things.  If the questions don’t address it, I am told that gay marriage and our belief that religious freedom requires us to be able to practice our faith in this regard will be discussed anyway.

Parents are strongly encouraged to be there so they can talk with their youth afterwards, to the extent that we youth leaders have been asked not to arrange rides.

Comments and questions from Mormons and from fellow farers of the Way are welcome.