I wanted to respond to the comment regarding the misdirection of the Mormon Church regarding �home schooling.� First, let me say thank you for being open and honest in your opinion. Second, there is not any official church doctrine regarding �home schooling,� although there are volumes on the priority of education and family. There are also members of the LDS Church who choose to home school (because they feel this is the best way for their family to be the highest priority and to get the best education possible) and even some Church leaders who have published their personal opinion on the benefits of home schooling. But this is simply their opinion, not the Church�s doctrine.
Just as with any of the major world religions, the LDS Church is not an elite organization that only allows those without imperfections to join. If we did that, our buildings would be completely empty because no one would qualify for membership. We open our doors to everyone. We teach people correct principles and let them govern themselves. The result, however, is that there are those who claim membership, but do not follow the doctrines taught within the religion. Unfortunately, there are even those who act completely contrary to the teachings of our Church; (child neglect being a prime example,) but continue to label themselves as Mormons; thus misrepresenting all of us to those unfamiliar with our teachings and giving us all a poor reputation. As we have seen in the tragic events of the last few years, we are not the only major world religion that has had this problem.
Please understand that I am not trying to justify this person�s actions. Nor am I condoning the actions of anyone who looks the other way when they see this or any behavior of the like. But I will say that it is unfair to judge a group of almost 12 million people who have made a commitment to follow the teachings Jesus Christ by the poor example of one family.
There were those who listened to the words of the Savior, Jesus Christ when He served his ministry on the earth 2000 years ago. But it would be unfair and the conclusions would be inaccurate if someone was to look at the actions of one in the crowd who returned home and assume what the teachings of the Lord were by that person�s behavior without listening to the sermon first hand. This situation is no different. If you want to know what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches in regard to education, treatment of children or anything else, a reliable and accurate resource is
www.lds.org.