Ok, so I've gained my freedom from TSCC now, I am wondering, is there anything I need to do about my minor children whom HAVEN'T been baptized? None of us (including my member hubby, I no longer refer to him as a TBM because he isn't) attend church anymore. I ask, because the other day, I received a call the other day from a den mother saying, "Since Jonathan just turned 8 not too long ago, we were wondering whether or not he wanted to be in Cub Scouts?" I don't mind the scouts...it's not a big deal to me. But seeing as how they obviously were keeping an eye on the fact that he had just turned 8, they will be pushing for baptism, which will NOT be happening. (My SON has already told me that he does NOT want to be baptized). In any case, is he technically on church records, or not until he is baptized? Do I need to have him removed NOW? Or as long as he is not baptized is he ok? Thoughts? Thanks!

If your children are "children of record", meaning they were blessed as children in a Sunday service, they might exist on the roles of the church some place. I've seen member lists with young children listed with no parents. So at least one time it was possible. When my wife and I left, we specifically stated that our children also be removed. When we got our confirmation letter from our bishop he indicated that our names, including all our children, were submitted for removal.

The letter we got from the records department was very terse. Only my wife and I were sent letters, they did not send letters to our children. Neither letter mentioned our children.

Basically, once their/your names are out of the Church's computer system, they should fall off the radar pretty fast. If they are still in the church records, they will show up in the reports the leaders of children get, etc. Those lists tend to be recycled pretty often in larger wards.

That said, the den mother could just happen to know your son turned eight, and wanted to be friendly and invite him to participate in scouting. While scouting is fun, make no mistake it is a religious organization that you may or may not want your son participating in.

just to be nice, a cub leader will ask non-LDS boys in the neighborhood if they'd like to join the troop. Both times these were neighborhoods where there happened to be a couple of LDS boys who played with a couple of non-LDS boys, who felt left out when their Mormon friends went off to Cub Scouts. It was probably part missionary opportunity too but the leaders also sincerely didn't want those boys feeling left out. It could be something similar in your case. Is there anyone who can check the membership records for you to see if your son is still listed as a member of record?

If your son wants to be in scouting, could you find a nonmo group for him to join?

Local ward policy and the personalities of those in charge determine how aggressively your child will be pursued. In extreme cases, local mormons have sent missionaries to talk to young children without telling the parents. They have done this at a neighbor's house or on the route from school to home. In one case, the elderly sitter next door had a child secretly take missionary discussions and be baptized.

So I'm glad you're an involved parent willing to ask these questions.

Do you know this cub scout woman? If so, you might ask her about her motives, intentions, and policies. In any case, I wouldn't let your son join her group unless you fully trusted her not to teach mormonism at the meetings.

If your husband is willing, you might want to contact Greg Dodge in member records in SLC. Tell him you want your children's "membership" status stricken to eliminate all contact from officials in your area.

I think it's creepy that a cult has a child's name, phone number, and birthday when the parents are non-participants.

To protect the kids I would write and formallyu remove them. I did for my kids and they leave them alone.

We also asked that our entire family be taken off the records when we resigned, and included our children of record and their membership #s

I was a den mother in the Cub Scouts since I had so many boys! Yes, most den mothers really do care about the boys but you need to be aware that part of the integral Cub Scout program is the award "Duty to God". TSCC has its own program but so do other religious denominations. I had a little Jewish boy and I did research their own program. Educate yourself about the scouting program. Our boys did enjoy it and DH was ALWAYS a participant in the all-nighters as well as the hikes and that participation has provided them with wonderful lifelong memories. Good luck!