A Noble Lie

Often what we hear from progressive and liberal Mormons is that the way to keep secularized youth in the Church is to admit that it’s basically bogus–that is, fundamental truth claims of the church are “fables”–but claim that it is a good way of life, and it’s possible you might feel some type of connection to God there, so you should stick with it.  This is basically a variation on the “Noble Lie” argument from Plato’s Republic (3.414e–15c).  This supposedly “keeps people in the Church.”  Well, I suppose it does to the extent that they may be physically present at meetings.  Others believe true discipleship is a great deal more than participating in a social gathering or an ancestral community.  

Some additional thoughts on the subject of youth retention from Max Wilson’s blog.