Exposing what the Mormon Church doesn't teach and speculating on why they don't teach it

First off, I need to offer a little background on me as well as the podcast. I was born and raised in Northern Utah and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the LDS church) until around the age of 15. I was faithful to the LDS church, better known as a true believing mormon, or a 'TBM', but I slowly became apathetic toward it, like most teenage mormons do. I was also dissatisfied with various answers I would get to seemingly important questions about the doctrine, but I just figured every doubt could be explained away and I was going through a doubting phase much like all my friends, family and church leaders told me I was.
However, the doubt and apathy conspired to eventually corrode my will power for church attendance, so I just stopped going to church around 17, much to all my friends and families' dismay. Even though my attendance at church declined, I still attended Seminary class throughout my freshman-senior years in high school. Seminary is more or less mormon speak for bible study during school hours that the church sponsors. They fund a separate building off of school property, within walking distance of the school, and the class is called "released time" for legal purposes, of course.
After high school, I ended up graduating seminary, but, out of loathing the church, I virtually severed every tie I had in the community. I still spent time with my closest friends, but everybody else became very distanced from me. Fast forward 5 years, and I'm living in another state with essentially a new life. I'm now a moderately 'out' atheist and I want to examine the cult I was raised in.
Now, please don't think I'm just using that word for shock factor, honestly, I try not to shy away from the word 'cult', as the root of the word refers to a 'culture'. Now when I say culture, I mean that it's an entire way of life to structure the TBM's life around, much like any fundamental religious sect is. It wasn't just the church I went to on Sunday, it was also the meeting place for youth activities once or twice a week. It was the place that I saw my closest friends and classmates, and associated with them under reverence for the Lord. It was a place of where my youth soccer coach, was also my bishop (Pastor essentially). It's the building I devoted countless thoughts, feelings, and hours to, and of course, these thoughts and feelings that can't resist revival every time I drive past the ward building or see a member of my old ward. But most of all, the church provided the entire support structure, on which the person that is 'Bryce Blankenagel', was built. That's something I don't take lightly, and I'm thankful for.
I can't deny that the structure was beneficial, and I agree that it takes a village to raise a child, which is heavily embedded into the church's doctrine. However, teaching a child, or any person for that matter, what to think, instead of teaching them how to think, is not something that should be considered a good thing for the child, or society in general. So that's what I'm advocating against. Let's look at the evidence provided about the Mormon religion, and see what the people that were there in the early days had to say about it.