What do you understand by this concept? Do you think is essential to drink the milk before chewing the meat of the Gospel?
I think that it is absolutely essential. It is not possible to understand the deeper doctrines without understanding the basics first. That is one reason that so many anti-Mormons have such a problem with some of our more esoteric doctrines--they do not even understand the basics, so how can they possibly understand the deeper doctrines? That is why missionaries are counseled to teach the first principles of the gospel and to leave the mysteries alone. It is not because there is anything wrong with learning the mysteries--it's just that investigators are not yet ready for them.