You give them the simplist explanation. The shortest answer, then you move the discussion to more basic principles.
But even this is contrary to what Millet said in the video. Millet didn’t suggest short answers. He suggested changing the question.
Your right in that we were not asked to debate, that the spirit leaves when you do so. The trick then is, as Millet stated, you turn the discusion to the root of the problem. You steer the discussion into the questions that should be asked.
I think you made a Freudian slip with the word “trick,” because tricking (i.e. deceiving) them is precisely what’s going on here. This helps explain why LDS missionaries are so unsuccessful. They dictate the terms by which a non-LDS should hear about the gospel. They have to control the environment and always be on guard of any outside influence that might cause the investigator to think critically. There is also a lot of leading going on too. Golden Investigators are generally those who don’t ask much and just go along with whatever the Elders say. A Jedi’s mind trick would work wonders on such weak minds. For example,
Elder: Did you read the Book of Mormon last night?
GI (Golden Investigator): Yes
Elder: How did you feel? . . ..
GI: Um, OK I guess
Elder: Did you happen to feel peace and goodness?
GI: Um I guess so.
Elder: Please turn to Galatians 5:22 and read for us
GI: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith
Elder: You see! That means God is telling you the Book of Mormon is true!
GI: Ya think?
Elder: Yes, I can feel the spirit right now. Can’t you brother Jones?
Brother Jones: Yes, I remember when I first felt the spirit this was God’s way of telling me the Book of Mormon was true which means the Mormon Church is true. My life has been blessed ever since then. I bear you my testimony that God lives, that Joseph Smith was a prophet…(missionaries begin to get misty)
Now that is the script as it is supposed to go. Of course this doesn’t usually happen, and when it does the elders start talking about their first GI.
But the number one problem I have with the missionary discussions is that we were supposed to commit them to baptism after only two discussions! We were told that we could commit them earlier if the spirit willed it, but never later than the second discussion. That was mandatory. Now please explain to me why anyone should commit to something before hearing the latter two-thirds of the “milk.”
Question about polygamy? You give the brief answer regarding Gods views on marriage, then turn to the question of whether or not Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. If Joseph was a true prophet, then the doctrine of polygamy is a true one. I had to answer questions like this all the time.
Yes I know how the logic goes – I employed it enough to know - and looking back it seems stupid to me. It is reverse engineering to obtain an answer. That is why they try to commit them early during the second discussion. So if they end up having concerns during the third-sixth discussion, you already have them committed and they feel stupid for raising concerns when they already told you they “know” the Church is true. Then you can use this reverse engineering tactic thusly: Since you already know the Church is true, and God told you so during our last discussion, then that means the doctrine of tithing is also true. So there is no room for argument. To argue about it means you're questioning God. That is why missionaries absolutely love to hook them early, so that way any subsequent concerns will put the investigator, not the missionary, in an awkward position.
Do I give them a taste of what I got from the fountain? Or do I teach them how to reach the fountain themselves?
This is just another way of stating the milk/meat doctrine, which still remains tasteless and a “trick.”
