tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post4907910636157202161..comments2023-05-10T10:41:32.689-04:00Comments on Against the Greater Light: Baptizing the BrainwashedAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-7847422664402150122018-09-02T15:47:24.823-04:002018-09-02T15:47:24.823-04:00I guess I can't speak for the other girl's...I guess I can't speak for the other girl's family, but the gifts my nephew received were regular birthday gifts. His baptism was actually on his birthday, so he got the usual games, books, and toys...and was particularly thrilled about a digital bedside clock with different color settings for the built-in night light.<br /><br />But, speaking of gifts, after the actual dunking, my nephew's grandmother (the one who isn't my mom) gave a speech as well in which she tried to explain the gift of the Holy Ghost with an object lesson involving a wrapped present with nothing inside it...because the Holy Ghost is invisible. It wasn't quite as cringe-inducing as the other talk, but...it was pretty uncomfortable.<br /><br />Also, I have a never-Mormon friend who works in special education and I ranted to her at length about this experience via text message. She mentioned that, based on how I described the little girl, it could be that she's somewhere on the autism spectrum. I asked, "Doesn't that mean it's even MORE important to make sure she understands what's happening?" My friend replied immediately, "EXACTLY."<br /><br />But...if this little girl actually is autistic, that increases the pressure on the parents. There's already a stigma in broader society about autism, and to hold your child back from baptism because of it would just heap more stigmatization on the family. So I can sympathize with the parents. I get it, and I don't think they did this with bad intentions, but that environment is just wildly unfair to everyone involved.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-28550507974402211612018-09-02T15:34:35.978-04:002018-09-02T15:34:35.978-04:00Agreed. I think for the parents they're displ...Agreed. I think for the parents they're displays of allegiance. But for the kids, it's essentially a display of simplistic deference to their parents' wishes...but they'll be held accountable for it later in life as though it had always been a conscious decision made to guarantee lifelong allegiance to the church. It feels a little bit like a bait-and-switch.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14724409661360473452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-72777828231447289842018-09-02T13:15:56.453-04:002018-09-02T13:15:56.453-04:00I know you've mentioned to your dad in the pas...I know you've mentioned to your dad in the past that you feel the church indoctrinates and brainwashes kids. He disagrees. From what you're saying, it appears the two kids are also being rewarded with gifts. Though it's really none of my business, I can't help but wonder what he thinks about this. Though I'm still on the rolls, I've been mentally out for years. Looking from the outside, it's so easy to see how messed up it is. Insiders just look past it. Sadly, these types of things are really more common at baptisms than you might think. NearKolobitenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4172451149432147710.post-11795646858124859472018-08-25T13:34:17.392-04:002018-08-25T13:34:17.392-04:00Great writing. Thanks for putting your time into t...Great writing. Thanks for putting your time into this post. <br /><br />This is super frustrating. To me it serves as a reminder that the church leadership really still believes. These mindnumbing displays of allegiance are happening every month at Stake Centers all around the world, and everyone is so wrapped up in these silly ideas, that they cannot see the obvious in front of their faces.Rednoreply@blogger.com