Children do not have the developed minds to evaluate scenarios as they truly exist in reality and make lifelong choices for themselves.
Children’s brains are FAR from being developed at say, age 8;
The age at which children are expected to make a baptismal promise to God to follow him for the rest of their lives.
We aren’t saying that children cannot be held responsible for choices and actions that they make.
Children are actually more intelligent than we give them credit for.
However;
Telling a child that at age 8, he or she is now held accountable for their “sinful actions,” and spiritual salvation?
That age 8 is the time for them to choose to make a godly, spiritual, baptismal promise to follow a God for the rest of their lives?
That seems above the maturity scale of an 8-year-old.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/baptism?lang=eng
Announcing to your friends and family that your little 8-year-old child has “chosen” to be baptized,
Is an interesting choice of words
Considering that the church is really the only world this child has ever known.
Considering that this child’s friends are all getting baptized around them.
Considering how much enthusiasm and expectation family members place on this child.
So we aren’t sure that an 8-year-old can really understand the gravity of what baptism actually entails;
And not too sure that this could be deemed a “choice.”
After all; the indoctrination starts young –
Children are taught from a young age that they need to rely on external validation;
“I NEED my Heavenly Father to HELP ME…EVERY DAY!”
Taught not to rely on themselves and their own efforts,
But on another person to come and save them.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/childrens-songbook/i-love-to-pray?lang=eng
Children are told they “love to pray!”
Even before they can understand exactly what prayer really is.
But they learn to “love” it, all the same.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/childrens-songbook/we-bow-our-heads?lang=eng
In the Mormon temple endowment ceremony for adults,
A big part of it involves bowing your head before God and angels, with your hand raised in the air while you say “yes,” and covenant deeply-bonding promises to the God above you are expected to uphold until the day you die.
So it’s not a surprise that even children start young, and sing “We bow our heads,”
Before they have any sort of inking or idea of the temple ordinances and spiritual bindings they will have to participate in later on in life.
The earlier you can desensitize a person,
The easier it is to get them to agree and go along with some more, abnormal, things later on in life.
Get used to bowing your heads before God, children.
He is above you, and you are below.
He is almighty.
And you are lowly.
And the temple indoctrination just gets worse –
“I LOVE to see the temple!”
“I AM going there some day…”
“To LISTEN and to pray…”
“I’ll prepare myself while I am young…”
“This is my sacred duty.”
There is no choice in this song.
Just expectation.
In Japan, it is considered abusive for a parent to threaten hell against their child, if they do not want to participate in religious organizations.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14802375
In the Mormon church, children are told that a man quite literally HUNG AND BLED on a cross, and DIED for them and the salvation of their soul.
We fear that this is most definitely another form of mental abuse against children.
“See that bleeding, suffering and dying man on the cross? He died for YOU.”
“So you better be grateful!”
“You better sing your praises to him!”
“Be grateful because he died for you and your soul!”
Intense for a child…no?
But like we stated earlier;
The earlier the desensitization starts;
The more likely it is that the child will grow to be accustomed to the rhetoric.
It’s not a bad thing to have role models.
But we feel as though people forget that the stories of Jesus entail eating amongst whores, destroying tables at the temple, and cursing the Pharisees and government.
Religions twist the tales of Jesus to get children to be “good,”
To behave. To sit still. To obey.
But it is possible to raise your children to be good, kind, generous, and loving people,
Without the feelings of obligation which come from following a person of which they are told literally suffered, died, and bled for them.
Does a child singing “I’m trying to be like Jesus” also entail the bleeding, pain, gore and death he went through?
Does a child singing “I’m trying to be like Jesus” also entail self sacrifice to the extent of death for others?
There are far less gruesome ways to teach children how to be good people.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/childrens-songbook/truth-from-elijah?lang=eng
“THIS is what truth is, children. The church. the stories. THIS is truth. So let’s sing about it; make it a catchy tune so it will stick in your heads young!”
And this one may be the creepiest one yet –
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/childrens-songbook/follow-the-prophet?lang=eng
How do we re-wire our brains?
By telling ourselves things over, and over, and over again…
See where we’re going with this?
“Follow the prophet”
“Follow the prophet”
“Follow the prophet”
Not follow Jesus. Not follow God.
“Follow the prophet.”
Even if the original prophet married underaged girls.
Even if the prophet was a well-known con man.
Even if the prophet requires members to perform countless hours of free labor for the church while they receive pay.
Even if the prophet condemns lgbtq+ brothers and sisters.
“Follow the prophet.”
And it carries well into adulthood.
Same thing with obeying church commandments, rules and regulations –
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/childrens-songbook/keep-the-commandments?lang=eng
“Obey what the church says.”
“If you obey us and listen, you’ll be safe. You’ll find peace.”
And one of the most disgusting ones yet??
THIS ONE –
“Learn to LOVE giving your money to the church NOW, children!!”
“Get desensitized to giving 10% of all your money to the church NOW!”
Because you’ll be doing it for the rest of your life.
A billion-dollar church robbing literal children of their money?!?!
What an insane abuse tactic!!
Disgusting.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/childrens-songbook/i-will-follow-gods-plan?lang=eng
“Follow GOD’s plan for you, children.”
“Reject your own ideas of what you want for your life.”
“All that matters is what GOD wants for your life!”
And for the boys, of course –
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/childrens-songbook/called-to-serve?lang=eng
No choice to serve a mission.
No choice but to serve the church.
“I AM called to serve.”
“I WANT to be a missionary NOW.”
“I HOPE they call me on a mission.”
Any matter of choice on whether or not to serve a mission thrown out the window.
And even scarier –
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/childrens-songbook/quickly-ill-obey?lang=eng
“Obey your parents QUICKLY!”
Not listen to. Not be respectful towards.
OBEY.
Obey your parents,
Even if they are sexually abusing you.
Obey your parents,
Even if they hurt you.
Obey your parents,
Even if they emotionally and mentally harm you.
“OBEY your parents;”
And QUICKLY.
Rhetoric such as this fosters environments of internal familial abuse.
And if you can’t see that,
Maybe you need to take a step back and self-reflect.
And THIS one sounds like it comes straight from a horror movie –
We always envision this creepy, clown figure who preys on children; think the movie “IT.”
And when we hear this song,
It’s unsettling.
“Don’t be sad, children!”
“Turn that frown upside down! Smile that frown away!”
Teaching children young to utilize toxic positivity prevents children from understanding and accepting the other emotions they will feel as they go throughout life.
It teaches them that happiness is good. A smile is GOOD.
But anger? Sadness? Pain?
Hide it away.
“Turn that frown upside down!”
Your other emotions are bad; negative.
Only be happy!
How is that not a harmful thing to teach children?
Now that’s something straight from a horror movie.
–
Imagine shaming someone for leaving the church –
Because they believe it’s one thing to manipulate adults…but it’s a whole other thing and a whole lot worse to do it to children before they can even understand what’s going on.
