Robert Kirby and Baptism

[2bizE]

Thought this was pretty accurate.

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/kirby/201 ... puh-leeze/

[BriansThoughtMirror]

That was a pretty good article. I mostly agree that an 8 year old doesn't know what they are getting into. I think, though, at least for some, they have SOME kind of limited understanding. That is, they know that baptism means they are promising to be good, and they really want to be good. They certainly don't have the perspective to choose between Mormonism and any of the other competing worldviews.
I realized a while back that while I "chose" to be baptized, i "chose" to go through the temple, and I "chose" to be a committed Mormon most of my life, it was more a matter of choosing to deeply internalize the things I was supposed to internalize, as determined by my environment. It was a matter of embracing my people. While I thought it was a choice between righteousness and unrighteousness, it was really a choice between group loyalty or disloyalty. It was a choice between being a worthy person in my community or being a deadbeat- a choice between being "good" or "bad", as I saw it- more than it was a choice between truth or error. I never questioned whether "good" was really good, or if "bad" was really bad. I only questioned myself, as to whether I measured up. I wanted to be good. I wanted to make my loved ones proud. I wanted to please God, as I understood God to be. So I chose to be a "good" kid, as determined by my family and culture. It was a choice, but it was a choice with very limited apparent options, and with a very distorted view of what that choice meant.

[shadow]

That was a pretty good article. I mostly agree that an 8 year old doesn't know what they are getting into. I think, though, at least for some, they have SOME kind of limited understanding. That is, they know that baptism means they are promising to be good, and they really want to be good. They certainly don't have the perspective to choose between Mormonism and any of the other competing worldviews.
I realized a while back that while I "chose" to be baptized, i "chose" to go through the temple, and I "chose" to be a committed Mormon most of my life, it was more a matter of choosing to deeply internalize the things I was supposed to internalize, as determined by my environment. It was a matter of embracing my people. While I thought it was a choice between righteousness and unrighteousness, it was really a choice between group loyalty or disloyalty. It was a choice between being a worthy person in my community or being a deadbeat- a choice between being "good" or "bad", as I saw it- more than it was a choice between truth or error. I never questioned whether "good" was really good, or if "bad" was really bad. I only questioned myself, as to whether I measured up. I wanted to be good. I wanted to make my loved ones proud. I wanted to please God, as I understood God to be. So I chose to be a "good" kid, as determined by my family and culture. It was a choice, but it was a choice with very limited apparent options, and with a very distorted view of what that choice meant.

I really like this insight. Sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to critically study the church, and this is a really good perspective to be understanding and compassionate towards myself. Works equally well if you look at TBMs in your life in the same light.

[BriansThoughtMirror]

Thanks! I had this thought when I attended my niece's baptism a year or so ago- she wants to be good, and for all she knows, LDS baptism is how you do that. It helped me make it through. All of that stuff still hurts, though. Maybe a little less these days...

[azflyer]

"Jesus forgives you. Do I look like Jesus?"

Best quote from the article

[Corsair]

I think that Robert Kirby is secretly trying to pick a fight with the LDS church but he has to wait until the PR department or his bishop throws the first punch. This delightful article is deliciously subversive against orthodox belief.

[Raylan Givens]

This is why my Sabbatical is happening now, one year away from eight for my oldest. We don't want the endless pressure...