In LDS, how are 'milk' doctrines distinguished from 'meat' doctrines? When discussing doctrine with ex-LDS acquaintances, they've mentioned the concept of "milk before meat," presumably based on these words from Joseph Smith's revelation in Doctrines &amp; Covenants 19:


  "And I command you that you preach naught but repentance, and show not these things unto the world until it is wisdom in me. For they cannot bear meat now, but milk they must receive; wherefore, they must not know these things, lest they perish" (Doctrine &amp; Covenants 19:21-22).


The individuals I discussed this with said that there are teachings of the LDS church that are considered "meat" doctrines, which Mormons are discouraged from sharing with outsiders or prospective converts until they are ready to receive and understand them. Until that time, they teach them "milk" doctrines" to help them grow and establish their budding faith. 

I haven't been able to find a precise list or codification of what constitutes "milk doctrines" as opposed to "meat doctrines." Most of what I've found has been from anti-Mormon teachers and sources, which I won't trust as true until hearing the actual Mormons' side of things. 


  The Prophet Joseph Smith observed, "If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong, we may go wrong, and it [will] be a hard matter to get right." When a proper foundation has been laid, the truth can then flow more freely. The apostle Peter is said to have explained to Clement of Rome: "The teaching of all doctrine has a certain order, and there are some things which must be delivered first, others in the second place, and others in the third, and so all in their order; and if these things be delivered in their order, they become plain; but if they be brought forward out of order, they will seem to be spoken against reason" (ldsliving.com) .


Is there a codified list of what's a "milk doctrine" and what's a "meat doctrine?" Or is it up to the discretion of the individual Mormon to determine what an outsider or prospective convert can or can't "bear?"
Great question. As far as I know there is not a definitive list separating the two types of teachings. But perhaps a good reference point is those who first introduce non-members to the teachings of the Church: the missionaries.

LDS missionaries start by teaching people the plain and basic doctrine of the gospel. Every lesson is custom-tailored to each individual based on their needs. See, if they're teaching a scholar of the Bible in the US south, the discussion of the Restoration or the Plan of Salvation goes very differently than if they are teaching someone in India who may have never heard of Jesus Christ.

The Bible scholar would not be impressed by being taught about why scriptures are valuable and that we should read them every day. But that might be the very thing that a family in India needs to learn in order to grow their faith. So the missionaries might focus more on the need for a Restoration and the blessings of ordinances of exaltation to the scholar, and on the basic commandments and nature of God to the family in India, for example.

So what is milk to one individual is meat to another.

When missionaries introduce the Book of Mormon to someone, that is enough to overwhelm them: a whole other book of scripture comparable and equal to the Bible in its canonical authority; essentially the bible of the New World? Wow. Because of this milk/meat thing, missionaries typically do not also introduce the Doctrine and Covenants or Pearl of Great Price at the same time.

As another example, the Book of Mormon in 1 Nephi 13 discusses the discovery of America by the Gentiles in the centuries following the dark ages. This is a very cool vision that strengthens the testimonies of long-time members of the Church who are accustomed to the basic doctrines, but this is often irrelevant to new investigators of the Church. Teaching this too early can easily come across as too fanatical or dramatic, as it discusses in detail the transfer of the Bible to the New World, the American revolutionary war and how the Spirit was with them, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon shortly thereafter. Those who still need "milk" teachings should be focusing their study on faith, repentance, baptismal covenants, keeping the commandments, etc. (Not that veteran members shouldn't -- but I mean it's like a ladder, you can still go back down to the basics, but you can't start at the top and expect it to make sense.)

Gotta learn arithmetic before you can understand calculus. This is why the ordinances of the LDS church are progressive: baptism &amp; confirmation, young men receiving the Aaronic Priesthood and adult men the Melchizedek Priesthood, then eventually, when they are ready, Mormons receive further ordinances in temples which teach even more celestial truths. But the temple is like the Lord's university: although the gospel is simple enough for a child to understand, the teaching style in temple ordinances is appreciated by more prepared individuals who have already gone to "grade school" so to speak.