Brian and Keri Tibbets recently published a book titled “The Headgate”. It has been the subject of much online discussion and passionate (so I’ve heard) debate. Brian and Keri hit on key principles of truth, and show how they apply it in their home education model, following a classical education.
They were inspired. Another example of this principle is from BYU Idaho’s website on the learning model, “Pastures of Learning“:
Pastures are used by herdsmen to allow their animals to graze while restricting them to a particular area. Fences keep the animals from wandering and give them a protected place to gain nourishment. Once the best foliage is exhausted within the enclosure, the animals are transitioned to a new pasture to avoid overgrazing of the field.
Truth is truth, and “The Headgate” is a perfect example of a true principle that is found all over the standard works and modern day revelation. Granted, not everyone will apply the principle exactly the same way, but it is still a true principle. Is “The Headgate” too extreme? No, not nearly.
“The Headgate” is only the tip of the iceberg. Keri and Brian state in their book that it stemmed from a desire to help others who are trying to teach their children using the Thomas Jefferson Education philosophy and method. It goes much farther than that, however.
Why not close the headgates to any influence that does not lead one to Christ? If it works for leading children to want to read, could it not work for leading children to come to Christ? And, if it works for children, it could certainly work for adults, couldn’t it? Besides, isn’t Christ the Master Teacher? Would it not be best for our home centered education if He was our Mentor? Said David R. Stone in General Conference:
What an insidious thing is this culture amidst which we live. It permeates our environment, and we think we are being reasonable and logical when, all too often, we have been molded by the ethos, what the Germans call the zeitgeist, or the culture of our place and time.
Because my wife and I have had the opportunity to live in 10 different countries, we have seen the effect of the ethos on behavior. Customs which are perfectly acceptable in one culture are viewed as unacceptable in another; language which is polite in some places is viewed as abhorrent in others. People in every culture move within a cocoon of self-satisfied self-deception, fully convinced that the way they see things is the way things really are.
The intense reaction to “The Headgate” more than likely has something to do with the fact that it pricks our hearts. It stirs within us our godly desires, much to the dismay of the natural man. It inevitably leads us to question that “cocoon of self-satisfied self-deception.” It flies in the face of our culture of materialism and dares to imply that good parenting involves placing inspired constraints on children. It also leads us to a place where we can consider that good parenting also involves placing inspired constraints on ourselves. Again, from Elder Stone:
Seduced by our culture, we often hardly recognize our idolatry, as our strings are pulled by that which is popular in the Babylonian world.
And therein lies the source of all the furor. No one wants to be reminded of their own problems with idolatry, do they? I certainly found it uncomfortable.
Idolatry is among the most serious of sins. There are unfortunately millions today who prostrate themselves before images of gold and silver and wood and stone and clay. But the idolatry we are most concerned with here is the conscious worshipping of still other gods. Some are of metal and plush and chrome, of wood and stone and fabrics. They are not in the image of God or of man, but are developed to give man comfort and enjoyment, to satisfy his wants, ambitions, passions and desires. Some are in no physical form at all, but are intangible. (Spencer W. Kimball)
“The Headgate” and its application is a stepping stone to a greater headgate:
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord. (Isaiah 52:11)
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. (1 John 2:14-15)
Our family began shutting out the distractions that got in the way of seeking out of the best books years ago. But, I warn you, there is no point of return once you begin the process. “Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same.” (Doctrine and Covenants) There is no going back.
When the mists of darkness clear, what is left is the realization that while the effort and energy that have been expended to create a home that is focused on the reading of good books, it is only the beginning. Home centered education takes on a greater goal–to train up children to depart from wickedness, touch no unclean thing, and be clean.
Education of the child becomes more and more personally challenging, because you cannot teach what you are not. Home centered education becomes a pursuit of the purest truth, and the standard works and modern day prophets become the core curriculum. Home centered education becomes less about “inspire, not require”, to more “inspire, then require.” Finally, those who are educated in truth no longer need to be “inspired” by outside influences at all, but will do all that is required for the good of the family and mankind, without necessarily always knowing why or being motivated by an outside force or example. It will be done simply because it is what is required by God. (See Love and Law, by Elder Oaks)
As you begin this journey, you will soon begin to see that true learning happens best when the spirit is allowed to flow unrestricted. You will see that there are headgates of the world that are polluting that flow, and you will want to change it.
This is no easy task. We have to give away more than Legos. We have to give ourselves up to Christ, and accept that we will be mocked, ridiculed, and even scorned by those who were once friends, and even by those of our own faith. We will seem strange to most people. I am reminded of the following story:
One day a dispassionate young man approached the Greek philosopher and casually said, ‘O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge.’The philosopher took the young man down to the sea, waded in with him, and then dunked him under the water for thirty seconds. When he let the young man up for air, Socrates asked him to repeat what he wanted. ‘Knowledge, O great one,’ he sputtered.
Socrates put him under the water again, only this time a little longer.
After repeated dunkings and responses, the philosopher asked, ‘What do you want?’ The young man finally gasped, ‘Air. I want air!’ ‘Good,’ answered Socrates. ‘Now, when you want knowledge as much as you wanted air, you shall have it.’
The principle of the headgate is the first step in a road that will ultimately lead you to ask the question: Do I want my family to be one in purpose, the pure in heart, educated from on high, as much as I want air?
At that point, you will have to knowingly continue on a path away from further light, or you will have to give up anything that stands in the way of pure truth and intelligence from on high. You will not be well liked by most, and, many people might find you offensive. Why? Because as Brigham Young so succinctly put it:
The majority of the world of mankind would rather be damned than oppose their appetites. They feel like following them at the expense of their salvation. (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, October 1860)
So, bring on the headgates. The antithesis of pure knowledge is darkness, idolatry, and wickedness. The only way will win against these forces is to shut off all the headgates that do not lead to Christ. We have to want that as much as we want air. One of the best places to ensure that victory is in a home centered education model that pursues pure truth and allows nothing to stand in its way.
