Comments on: LDS Baptism: Get ‘em while young!

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 01:32:21 +0000

It’s been a good discussion I can tell with some good questions, and good answers. I can’t remember all of them that I wanted to comment on but I thought it would be nice to put a few thoughts.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints, and my son is about to be baptized. (I really liked Adam’s comment from April 19th 2011.) The promises that we make at baptism are this: 1. Take upon us the name of Christ 2. Always remember Him and 3. Keep His commandments. It’s not that hard for a child to see that being nice and not hitting etc are part of His commandments and that it is good to be good, and try to be kind and Serve and Love. Kind of like Pre-School rules that we can learn to follow so we all don’t end up in tears by the end of the class.

Heavenly Father gives us commandments for our happiness. He has a lot of experience at knowing what choices will make us happy and which once will not.
This is a promise to try to do good, and it takes a lifetime to work at, and Heavenly Father is loving and patient and merciful with all of us. (meaning every person on earth) And He has big rewards for us and He has a lot to teach us. It doesn’t hurt to get started young and develop good habits that lead to happiness.

For the question that someone brought up about waiting until we are older to wipe the slate clean through baptism… Well it is easier to learn to get rid of bad habits while we are young before they are rooted in, or to never start them at all, and on the plus side there is the Sacrament! We get to go to church every week and take the sacrament and renew the promises we made at baptism and thus be cleansed and purified, and have the slate wiped clean, if we are truly repentant and wanting to be good.

I love it all! I love Heavenly Father’s plan of Happiness, and I know that it is true! I have prayed to find out for myself, even years after my own baptism at age 8, and I have lived the principles and I know them to be good and of God.

Cheers

By: travis

travis — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 06:25:06 +0000

i would like to comment on three of the comments if i may. this is a first i have ever visited a page such as this and was sort of displeased by some comments that were there and hope to explain something that others and LDS member(which i am a active member and a soldier) dont always understand WITH OUT OFFENDING ANYONE. *Note these are my personal beliefs and not those of the military, LDS faith, or other LDS members.*
to the FIRST comment of this …what ever you call it: i was that child when i was younger. my father left all religion behind and divorced my mother just before i was born and left my mom when i was a freshman in high school…. that left me very angry abd hateful of alot of things. religion was one of them…. the one thing i learned the most during that time was to be accepting of everyone… weither you believe darwn, big bang(probably the same thing) or god’s hand in all things we are interconnected in some way or another….family i guess you could say. we should accept that religion is not going to be for everyone and let them live their life the way they want to. i didnt spend 2 years of my life saying “believe in christ, mormomism, god, etc or go to hell!!” because that is wrong. i didnt hate the buhddist i met on the street because they didnt want to believe in god. i loved them for their difference, their verity that they give to life. thats the love of chirst that i follow.

to the confused mother: i am sorry for the situation you are in…i sure somewhere in her grandmothers heart she wants her to be happy. however the failing of the children are not always the failings of the parents. my parents failed. yet from their examples i learned what to do and not to do. For your daughter not being allowed to visit “friends” homes is….. a disrepectful of those parents. christ taught us to love not for similarites but for our differences. my father taught me to love people for their differences. in high school i hung out with the druggies, gang bangers, skaters, emo, etc. i learned from them the more i hung out with them. now i kept my standards and my friends excepted that. hangout with them consisted of me not having to say anything… they did it for me… “oh stocks a mormom he doesnt drink” oh stock dont come to this party there is not gonna be good stuff there…. acceptence is a path that everyone seeks but few find. in all religions faiths and ideals! and i do agree everyone no matter who, what, or when is no different in trials and hardships.
which brings me to my last one: Mckayla….who do you think you are? what right do you think you have to condem anyone? your statement was dripping with a sense of arrogant pride that makes me sick. as a member you need to get off your freaking high horse and reevaluate your self… try humility!!! you are no different then me or anyone on this page. some of us are happy some of use are sad… that IS LIFE!!!! to gain experiece and to learn and grow. now how can we feel if we do not know the other. happiness and saddness. trust me i have felt my LOAD of saddness…. are you telling me that i am not a good member because of that? let me see where the prophets have said that and ill be sure to eat that. i too love being a member, it has brought me nothing but happiness but life has thrown me alot of curve balls and i may have gotten hit in places i dont care to suggest…which definately knocked me down…..so what!! everyone has that. everyone experiences life and deals with it weither they are LDS or not. i have had good friends both LDS and not. i served in korea on my mission…talk about difficult but i meet people who were better then me and they opened my eyes and humbled me extremely. im not trying to rag on you but look at what you said and think on it.
administrator: i thank you for your post it was enlightening. i wish to apologize if i have offened anyone. i only wish to explain why sometime we LDS people get a little “excited” about our church. im sure as you know alot about our church. we have a message and we want to share it. me…i share if you want to know. but this message has given me hope peace and many things you can find anywhere if you look hard enough. if you wish to know ill share if not…you are free to make your own choice i do not condem you or your comments. i fight for this country to be free. thats why it was created i the first place and ill go to hell first before i let that change. may what ever power or entity you believe in guide you and protect you.
travis

By: Erin

Erin — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 05:58:30 +0000

in response to admin, may 2nd at 8:18am.

Isn’t it odd when you hear of how many celebrities go in and out of rehab and go to jail for breaking various laws? Isn’t it more odd how you can see all these news adds and maybe chuckle to yourself, like I sometimes do, “There’s another celebrity that’s lost it. Geeze Lohan, get your business together woman!”

Granted, there are many more celebrities that don’t do these things, but the point I’m trying to make is, there are too many cases of false happiness in this world. Why is money equated with happiness? This points to the well debated question. Why is religion equated with limitation?

In high school, I’m often sneered at for following what is called The Word Of Wisdom, not to drink, do drugs, or drink caffeine, but also to abstain from sex before marriage. I mean, to me these are all perfectly logical guidelines to follow in order to obtain eternal everlasting happiness. Think about the benefits from not drinking, smoking or drinking coffee. These things are very addictive and cost a lot for you and your family and also, think about how awful it would be to contract an STD, or become a parent before you were mentally or financially ready! A lot of the time we equate happiness with instantaneous gratification that often lead to negative consequences.

I’m not saying that if you are not in a church then you are obviously sinning and having a terrible life, because, you may not believe it and I don’t want to force you to, but you are indeed a child of our Heavenly Father, and anything of true worth and happiness is of Him which he will bless you with wether you are LDS or not. These blessings of happiness are all that you said, Life, love charity, kindness, and friendship!

I am deeply hurt when you say that religion has robbed happiness from the world with guilt and fear. Heavenly Father is like any other parent, He wants me to be happy and as tedious as His commandments are, I follow them because I know they are right. For example I clean my room out of fear of losing the computer! Of course I feel guilty when I’m being punished for a dirty room by not being able to have the computer, but even more, there is a benefit to cleaning my room even though no child sees this, they grow to be clean adults who like to have a clean house! I would be sad if I could not live with Him eternally or not be worthy to enter the temple if I broke a commandment because I didn’t see it’s worth to me.

So if you have got nothing from my rambling, I beg you to simply stop judging what seems strange. Please stop hatin’ on the LDS faith, it really makes me feel crummy and that makes me open the fridge.

By: Celine D'Espions

Celine D'Espions — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 06:51:45 +0000

I don’t think I have anything original to add, but wanted to thank ALL the posters for their insights. This is an issue I have been concerned about since I have children, and have been teaching this age group in Primary (I am LDS). It bothers me that so many children see baptism as a common step, like moving up a grade in school, and not as the commitment it is. I try to stress what the children are promising whenever it comes up in a lesson, but feel the children are not quite mentally able to grasp the gravity.
Some children are more mature than others, just as some adults are. Some adults are stuck in an “ideal” phase of perception their entire lives and fail to see, understand, or (gasp) empathize with those who step outside blind acceptance, and look around them with legitimate questions. Anyway…
I think eight years old is a reasonable beginning age, but that it ought not to be THE defining age for all children. Perhaps it could be common to have them talk to the bishop then but not expect every eight year old to get baptized right then?

By: admin

admin — Mon, 02 May 2011 15:18:59 +0000

Thanks, but no thanks for your condescending pity, Mckayla. How arrogant of you, typical of the piteous, to assume I will “live in sorrow” most of my life.
While I don’t feel inclined to feel sorry for you (the ignorant sometimes shows they are willingly ignorant), I will indulge you some understanding. Life, happiness, love, charity, kindness, friendship, etc, are not proprieties of the Mormon Inc. or of any other religious organization. They are a product of us, human beings. Religion has merely hijacked and distorted them to mean something else. Something you should adhere to out of fear and guilt.

Well, I choose to live my life outside of those bonds, and I’m finally able to be genuinely happy, love my wife and kids, sustain rich friendships, and contribute to society without any expectation of retribution. Unlike you.

Cheers.

By: mckayla

mckayla — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:03:28 +0000

if you really think what you then thats sad. I’m sorry you cant let yourself see the true happiness an LDS life can give you. you will live in sorrow most of your life, but I’m happy to say i will never have to go through that i love my life and i love that i am LDS!

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 06:37:17 +0000

When I hear comments such as the one heading these postings, I reflect on the subjective nature of a human being and, after reading the proceeding comments, the freedom of choice. I can tell you that I knew right from wrong long before age 8 because I was fortunate enough to have parents who took the time to explain to me the feelings I was experiencing when I made choices of either nature (one of my parents is not even LDS). I couldn’t have been more than 5 years old before I understood the concept of obedience. When I was baptized, I knew that I was making a list of promises and I knew that God had a list of blessings and consequences in store for me. Some of my friends, however, were not as fortunate to have dedicated, patient parents–parents who gave me of their time and their personal pursuits to understand the most important things in life. For whatever reason they complained for many years until one day they softened up to see the reality of the blessings and consequences of their actions. It was only then that they agreed that 8 could be an acceptable age IF parents and teachers make a concerted enough effort from the beginning. The commandment, as per LDS doctrine (D&C 68), is to diligently and lovingly prepare the child, as did my parents; my non-LDS father made sure that I knew what I was doing, even if he didn’t agree with the particulars of my faith. This is because the choice to follow Christ is clear and simple when the child receives proper guidance and choice development skills.
Additionally, I do not feel that having a proper vantage point on the consequences of my choices and given the chance to develop my character were brainwashing in least degree. They simply stand on hill and illuminate to me that which is not obvious; they want to see me well on the way to a happy life because they love me. Observe that every normal tween knows what a child does not, every normal teen knows what a tween does not, and every normal young adult knows what a teen does not, and so on. They share their views in hopes that those farther behind will avoid the pitfalls.
Yes, we learn and grow to make educated choices, but principles are the first thing we must learn because education has too many facets. Could everyone really make a choice of baptism if education were the prerequisite? How could you quantify an amount of education sufficient when the sea of knowledge never ceases to expand? Baptism is an ordinance based on principles which even, yes, a well-parented 8-year old can understand.
Forgive me if my words are not concise enough, but I feel I must make the matter as clear as glass—when the commandment to teach and instruct the child is diligently executed (D&C 68:25-27) then the child WILL have the evaluation, experience, and knowledge necessary to decide if following the commandments (living basic Christian principles) is worth their time.
Now, not every child has the fortune of having ideal parents who exemplify that kind of diligent parenting—to those who feel that they were cheated I am truly sorry that the love and sanctity of the matter has been robbed from you. I cherish the legacy that my Christian parents left for me. Furthermore, I cannot plead enough, most apologetically, for outsiders of our doctrine to understand the complexity of human frailty. The parents aren’t perfect; mine certainly weren’t; I certainly won’t be. It takes genuine discipline—genuine time and concerted effort to really see the flower come into full bloom. We look to Christ: Christ had disciples; the disciples gained discipline. He taught them to teach the members such discipline. That discipline must carry through, every member down to every learning child. That sacred instruction between faithful parents and willing child fosters the room for requisite growth to exist. Nevertheless, we must almost leave room open for people to change their minds, to forgo the positive consequences, and to forsake what they have been taught. Pain of parenting causes such deep anguish, deeper than most people have ever experienced (especially when they make such a long-suffering, arduous effort only to fall to pieces as the child seeks and feeds on a rebellious attitude) such that their coping mechanism may be to prod the child harder, or to cause the child undue pressure. The parents are still learning—and we must forgive them as Christ forgives them—but that is no reason to revoke the doctrine of baptism and the doctrines of free agency, for God has established them out of love for all His children. They are true and only true adherence to them leaves the child, no matter which lifestyle they elect, feeling loved and respected.
That’s all we can altruistically hope for.
That’s Mormon life.

By: Brenda Wainohu

Brenda Wainohu — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:15:00 +0000

I just want to correct the error above I was baptized at the age of 8.

By: Brenda Wainohu

Brenda Wainohu — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:11:45 +0000

Hi I’m from NZ and I have to say that Baptism at the age of 8 has been the most inspired thing I know, I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latterday saints and was baptized at the age of 9, everything about my baptism was beautiful and to this day, there is no other place that I would rather be and putting the things in order to prepare to meet God. My Husband is a convert to the Church and was baptized at the age of 21 and his only regret in life was that he wished he had of known about the Church before he turned the age of 8, this Church is true and if it wasnt than all the saving ordinances put into place for you and I wouldnt be true, so if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God!!!
B Wainohu

By: Annie

Annie — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 21:04:46 +0000

Lol you guys are acting like 8 year olds are little retards! They are not and they defiantly know wrong from right. 18 years is way to old to give them the choice, because they have already had it for years!!
I find it very funny that you used this picture of the baby in water, you don’t see that as a type of brainwash. They use that in marketing, showing a outrageous picture to make people react in either a positive or negative way… and you my friend picked the perfect one to jump start the negativity you feel about the church. Maybe you should not be questioning what we do, but question yourself.