Is it commonplace for children to take the missionary discussions? My niece was baptized last year (age 8). I was on the phone tonight with my TBM sister (her mom) and she said she had to go because the missionaries were coming over to give the 8 year old the discussions. I don't ever recall having to do that as a child...

It was unusual in my mission but I did give the discussions to one child. As I recall, she was in a "part-member" family meaning only one parent was a churchmember and the other a nonmember. I can't remember the exact policy of why a child would be given the discussions.

The Church has been given a lot of hell rightfully so, for all those baseball baptisms in the 60s, 70s, where they gave discussions to scores and dozens of kids at a time without clear parental consent, not to mention abuse allegations, so by now they work pretty hard to not be sneaking around, only have contact with children with parental supervision and consent

My parents were super irritated that I did not baptize my son. When he turned 9 they said "now he has to have the discusdions" to which I said "you mean he has to know and understand what he's getting into?"

When my family were still gung-ho about my kids getting baptised (couple of years ago), because they did not attend regularly, the bishop said they would need to take the discussions.

It all depends on the bishop, I suppose, and whether or not the missionaries have anyone to teach. They are supposed to have permission from both parents to baptise, but it is not necessary to give the discussions - one parent will do.

Knowing they were to be taught by the missionaries, I looked online at the LDS.org site to see what exactly they would be taught and that was the death knell for me and mine and this 'church'. When I uncovered, in the 'gospel topics' pages, the lies that were no longer lies but were now 'truths', I was out.

Anytime after that, when my family raised the issue of baptism, I always replied with 'jesus wasn't baptised til he was 30 so my kids have plenty time'.

However, would a kid of 8 or 9 really "get" the discussions? Heck, I had a lot of issues with them, and I was about 40 at the time. I realized that a lot of the stuff they were teaching was nonsense.

I let myself get carried away with it because I was at a very vulnerable place in my life. The mishies were adorable (don't get the wrong impression; I was easily old enough to be their mother) and the people in the ward were all very nice. I was very lonely after an abusive marriage, a destructive divorce, and a job that was "iffy" from day to day.

Real life was so unpleasant, I think I used church as a distraction. Everyone always seemed so happy, and glad to see me. They made me feel worthwhile, and that I had genuinely useful talents. It was wonderful to feel welcome somewhere.

....then they all turned their back on you when you left?

bluebutterfly Wrote:
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> Is it commonplace for children to take the
> missionary discussions? My niece was baptized last
> year (age 8). I was on the phone tonight with my
> TBM sister (her mom) and she said she had to go
> because the missionaries were coming over to give
> the 8 year old the discussions. I don't ever
> recall having to do that as a child...

I'm not sure I understand this. Is your niece considered a child of LDS record, i.e. an LDS child? has she attended primary even semi-regularly? If so, I'm not sure why she would be required to have the discussions before baptism.

Yes, she is a BIC Mormon. She got baptized a few months before turning 9, but she was in fact 8 when baptized. She is now almost 10 and is taking the discussions. I guess there's something I'm missing?

I believe this policy changes from time to time, and from Bishop to Bishop.

Why do they call then "discussions" ?
Nothing is ever discussed.

why? because calling them 'lectures' sounds like indoctrination and calling them 'presentations' sounds like a sales pitch. They are supposed to stimulate 'discussion' with the investigator but what discussing can an 8 or 9 year old do?

I have a niece who was raised in the faith and, unlike my kids, attended regularly. She did not get baptised until she was 9 and was counted as a convert in the records because she was not baptised at 8. She did not require being taught by the missionaries, but it was a different bishop then than when my kids came of age.

Well, I guess that helps the Church's stats. Plus the missionaries get to claim a convert.

This was similar to my thought that the missionaries may just need someone to teach. My RM kids had hard times even getting an investigator to go past the first indoctrination.

My best friend was 9 when he was baptized.

Not only did he have to take the discussions, he had to submit to the invasive sex questions (including the ones about homosexual experiences) from a missionary.

HE WAS NINE YEARS OLD.

To say that his mom was pissed is an understatement of cosmic proportions.