In the recent past, several parents and concerned saints shared stories with me of their experiences with BYU evolution teachings harming their children as part of a petition we sent to then BYU President Kevin Worthin with over 70 signatures to which we heard no reply. The following are a few of the accounts shared with me.

Jill Korajac shares:

“We sent our first two children to BYU under the complete assumption that what was being taught there was in line with the doctrine of the Church, scripture, and the words of the prophets. We have been severely disappointed to learn that not only is that not the case, but that the university is filled with progressive professors teaching the philosophies of men, outright Darwinism, and other new age ideas that do not align with doctrine and revelation. Why is this happening at a private university owned and operated by the Church? These teachings have affected our older children and their spouses who also graduated from BYU, and it has been very sad for our family to have this influence and undermining of what we strived so much to teach in our home. We had trusted that sending our children to BYU was the best thing we could do for them, and we have felt deceived and betrayed.”

– Jill Korajac

Unfortunately, is not an isolated story.

 

Margaret Stoddard shares:

“I attended BYU in the late 1960’s, and I’ve had nine children attend the BYU’s–five graduating from BYU Provo, and four from BYU Idaho. While attending these Church-owned universities, each of my children was confronted regularly with the teaching of organic evolution (that man evolved from lower forms of animals), which was presented as fact, not theory. In one biology class at BYU, my son’s professor literally bore his testimony to the truthfulness of Darwinian evolution. Often my children confided in me that any time they commented in class against what was being taught contrary to the teachings of the Church on the subject, they were shut down and impugned by their professors. I agree with my children, that the students at the BYU’s are not just merely being taught to believe that evolution is a “fact,” but that they’re being indoctrinated to believe it, and literally brainwashed…

I have spoken to numerous friends who have had children attend one of the BYU’s, only to have them fall away from the Church (many of them returned missionaries) because of what they were taught there, which caused them to lose their testimonies of the Gospel…

 

“When my daughters were attending BYU Idaho, I was concerned about what they were being taught in their science classes, and so I visited one of their religion teachers.  He said that the religion department was told by the administration that they were not to teach anything against evolution, not only to avoid contention, but because when those students attend the science classes on campus and realize that evolution is a “fact,” they will lose faith in the teachings of the Prophets and the scriptures on the subject.

 

“This is a serious matter. The students are not even being given the opportunity to use their agency and choose what to believe on the subject of organic evolution, because they are being propagandized by only being taught one side.”

 

Ruth Willardson shares:

“Our daughter went to BYU, and struggled with the teachings she received. She is now an atheist and leaning towards socialism, which is also taught at BYU. She has a mighty influence on her siblings and now three of her six siblings are also atheists and socialists. Think of how our hearts are broken. Also, one of my husband’s coworkers is a BYU student. He was a returned missionary, and had a strong testimony of the restored gospel, until he took a BYU class recently on Marxism. He’s lost his testimony and is now a self-proclaimed Marxist.”

 

Ruth Willardson also shared of an experience where she witnessed BYU graduates dogmatically promoting evolution to a group of school children based on what they had learned at BYU:

“Several years ago I was substituting for a biology class at Provo High School. This time was completely different though. I was told that I would simply be a “warm body” and that two biology majors from BYU would be teaching the class. I was to remain in the teacher’s study which had a glass window that I could observe from, but that I was not to interfere with their teaching. These two girls told the class that what their parents, primary and youth Sunday school teachers, even their bishops had told them about the Creation, was completely false, and that they were chosen to come and set the record straight. I believe that what I observed that day was a class full of students shocked, disillusioned, and losing their testimonies. I spoke with these two afterwards and discovered that they were just like these students until they were taught “the truth” at BYU! They were SO convincing that they almost had ME believing. But I went home and prayed about it and I received a strong confirmation that what they taught was false doctrine…one of them told me that she had come very close to being excommunicated for her outspoken opinions on how Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and Adam started the whole creation and that Adam and Eve’s parents were some sort of apes.”

Brian Nettles shares:

“My name is Brian Nettles, a graduate from a long time ago.  I just don’t understand how BYU could corrupt the intent of the university as badly as it has.  I have great faith in the leaders of the church.  But I ask myself often how long it will be before they make a purging of the BYU leadership over this issue.  I hope it happens soon.  I cannot even recommend my son to go to this school and it is all because of this issue.  Evolution should be taught as the philosophy of the world, not the philosophy of God.”