Finding Personal Answers vs. Memorizing Canned Responses

My experience has taught me that any differences in issues that face different generations only become divisive issues among the generations when the older generation stereotypes the younger generation and/or refuses to see the issues of the younger generation as legitimate - and, in practical terms, exactly like those they faced as youth and young adults (just as real and difficult and emotional). (e.g., when they say, “There’s no good music nowadays,” instead of listening to their children and accepting that their children's music is just as good as what they liked in their youth.)

With that as the foundation, I believe that each and every one of us faces the exact same challenge with regard to spiritual progression - building and maintaining our understanding and testimony of the Restoration and the foundation concepts of the Gospel in the face of opposition from “the world”. If apologetics helps people (youth or adults) understand those foundation concepts and provides them with resources and tools and a sounding board and assurance and the ability to say “I don’t know yet; I will find out” and a broader vision to realize that very intelligent people have addressed their issues without losing faith (in short, if it provides a framework within which the rising generation can find and craft their own answers) - then it works; if not (if it merely gives them some canned responses to parrot back when confronted with certain topics), then I believe it fails - since there always will be more topics than possibly can be included in a repertoire of canned responses.

In other words, if one generation simply says, "Here are the answers that worked for us (me); memorize them," the new generation will end up lost when they are faced with really understanding issues for themselves - even if the questions essentially are the same as the previous generation faced. In dealing with issues current to their own time, the new generation will fail miserably. Their issues are every bit as valid as their parents' issues, and they need to be able to find their own answers - just as they need to find their own music, artistic tastes, relationships and overall lives.

We need to help them learn to remember, read, ponder and pray - not simply memorize.