tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post1932276731826507193..comments2023-05-10T10:41:32.689-04:00Comments on Against the Greater Light: Baby BlessingsAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-55065807869359196622017-07-09T18:30:28.972-04:002017-07-09T18:30:28.972-04:00Well...I suppose weirdness is really in the eye of...Well...I suppose weirdness is really in the eye of the beholder.<br /><br />Of course it's good that parents love their children and demonstrate faith in their futures, but that doesn't, in my eyes, diminish the weirdness involved in a Mormon baby blessing.<br /><br />I have plenty of respect for my faith, but Mormonism is not my faith. While I do try to be respectful to members of the church because I don't believe they're at fault, I have little respect for the organization or for its highest levels of leadership. Of course I have deep resentment. Mormonism has been an overwhelmingly negative influence on my life and a much worse influence on many other lives.<br /><br />Yes, I mocked, but I don't think this is an attack on anyone. I'm tucked away in a distant corner of the internet. I don't reach out in any attempt to impose my beliefs on anyone else. My intended audience is not faithful followers of the LDS church. I'm sorry if you were offended, because that was not my intent.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-19117294610978539922017-07-09T18:11:23.867-04:002017-07-09T18:11:23.867-04:00Alex:
Baby blessings are NOT "weird". Lo...Alex:<br />Baby blessings are NOT "weird". Long before Mormonism arrived, humans all around the world have 1) formally welcomed a new child into the group, and 2) asked their Deity to protect the child. Don't mock (yes, mock) this event just because you have a blog.<br />Almost all parents throughout time love their children (I pity those that don't). They want the child to be healthy, grow into adulthood, and bring grandchildren into the world. A blessing on a child only a few months old is perhaps the most basic demonstration of faith in the future.<br />Your snarky tone and your lack of respect for your faith indicate deep resentment. Please try to find peace in your life without attacking things that bring peace to others.work in progressnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-4517994551926133272013-02-28T05:46:52.568-05:002013-02-28T05:46:52.568-05:00Just like you, all I can really claim to know abou...Just like you, all I can really claim to know about are the experiences that I've had. I've never given a baby blessing, but my impression from giving other blessings and from seeing other people give them is that, generally, there's not much substance to them. Even though I don't believe there's anything after this life and I doubt that God exists, I have no right to tell you that your feelings were wrong.<br /><br />I guess all I can say is I hope you're right about your daughter turning out to be such a kind person. We could use some more of those!Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-7995298254185727902013-02-27T19:39:56.075-05:002013-02-27T19:39:56.075-05:00Anything ritual can seem weird, and there is much ...Anything ritual can seem weird, and there is much of a social dimension to it, and a genre, if you will, that inadvertently (or consciously gets developed). As a Mormon who has blessed 3 of my children and am about to bless my fourth, I have to say that I've felt some of the concerns you raise here about the "authenticity" of the blessing (I don't think you use that word). But I have to say that I really have felt a power that was not my own telling me things to say when I gave a blessing. I remember when I blessed my daughter, I had a strong impression about the type of person she would be and the way that her loving nature would help others and that she would be a friend to people others might not treat kindly. I really was overpowered by the emotion of that feeling, and I know that it didn't come from me and wasn't just something that I was hoping she would be. Of course, if you don't believe that there is anything other than this life and that no God exists you could explain my feelings as some kind of desire or social performance, but I did not feel that way about it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-86294242848907043992013-02-03T23:42:41.488-05:002013-02-03T23:42:41.488-05:00It definitely can be done at home--we did it. The ...It definitely can be done at home--we did it. The luncheon afterward is optional. ;) Also, I find it odd that you consider it cultish. Most religions (Christian and non Christian) perform some sort of religious ceremony for infants: infant baptism, Christening, the Jewish Bris ceremony, etc. as a rite of passage. Nothing new there! <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-73476391546079827402013-02-03T22:19:38.356-05:002013-02-03T22:19:38.356-05:00You can do a baby blessing at home if you prefer, ...You can do a baby blessing at home if you prefer, you just have to get approval through your bishop. I think people like doing it in church because that's the way it's been done for so long, and so people can see their cute baby. However, it is not mandatory that it be in sacrament meeting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-81905773991668886312012-06-24T23:41:44.421-04:002012-06-24T23:41:44.421-04:00I'm Mormon and not on the same path you are, b...I'm Mormon and not on the same path you are, but I agree... baby blessings are weird! I just had a baby a month ago and people keep asking when the baby blessing will (although its supposed to be a non-essential ordinance) I tire of the whole mormon culture expectations that say I have to invite everyone I know just to show the rest of the congregation how popular I am by how many seats we can fill with friends and family. And lets see how big we can make the prayer circle cause you know we'll need 20 guys to hold up the one baby. And many fathers in their blessings address their infant by name as if they are talking to them and somehow miraculously the baby can understand every word they are saying. And when its all done we're going to ditch the rest of church and have a big bbq at home to celebrate. ugh! I really wish it could just be an intimate thing at home.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com