Grandson will be 8 in the early summer. I am just dreading it. If invited I will not go I will send a card and money with wording appropriate for our faith - his mom's faith before she allowed the Mormons to brainwash her. My question is just what do bishops do to prepare these young boys for the big event of Mormon Baptism. What questions do they ask these precious young children? The thought he would be put in an uncomfortable situation, have to answer anything to a stranger, and sit with a nosey man who just wants another number to add to his rolls is sickening. Hope you can alleviate my fears but I doubt it. Just be honest. Do you remember the pre year eight interviews. I am a big girl and I can take it.

I wouldn't allow a child to go alone just in case the bishop might be harsher than most.

Parents of the child are usually asked to come to the pre-baptism interview with their kids.

From what I remember from my own kids' interviews, the child is asked if they understand what it means to be baptized and if they understand the gift of the holy ghost etc. A child might be asked if he says his prayers or reads his scriptures regularly. The bishop might explain covenants to the child and remind him that when he is baptized he's making a covenant with Heavenly Father.

I don't remember baptism interviews being particularly nosy, but the thing about the LDS church is that there's no set script that a bishop must follow for interviews. Bishops are encouraged to "rely on the spirit," so interviews can be very different from one bishop to the next. However, I don't believe most bishops would ask an 8-year-old very intrusive, uncomfortable questions

I wasn't asked if I "understood" anything.
I was asked if I read the scriptures, if I believed Joseph Smith was a prophet, if I wanted to be with my family forever...then the discussion devolved into a long (but mostly mild) "argument" between my inactive dad and the bishop as to whether or not my inactive dad would be allowed to baptize me.

The bishop caved. Dad did the deed.

Then when I was 21, and had left the church, he apologized to me for doing it. And said, "Better me, though, than some idiot you didn't know."

There were no masturbation questions or anything. Those didn't start until they were ready to give me the penishood later on.

The invasive questions generally don't start until at least 12 or 13, as least way back in the days when I was involved.

That's what I remember. The unfolding cult doctrine will also be a surprise. "What do mean I can't make out with girls?"

Is your daughter seriously brainwashed?
Your grandson is more likely to continue the cycle of abuse and indoctrination.
I'd contact Rick Ross if that's the case and you really want a relationship with your grandson. What is your (and formerly her) denomination? If it's a mainline religion they're probably clueless as to the nature of LDS Mormonism.

No my mainline Protestant church is not clueless to Mormonism. One pastor toldme as I said what she had done. " I hope she is okay with male domination. At an AF base when she was much younger we had a thorough description of most of their tbeliefs. Wish she had been older when our family heard all that. So does the DAD usually baptize the child. I think my son in law would do that if allowed. His dear MOM would be so proud. Funny how a mom can be so upset with an adult child from age 18 to 24 who ran around, admitted to me he had sex, did not go on a mission, etc. and then thinks he is doing just fine in her eyes again.,,,,as long as he got his gal to join Mormonism even if it took 4yrs. after marriage.....and of course currently he must go to church.

Thanks all for the replies. Guess when he is 12 I will have much more to worry about regarding the interviews. Thank goodness we all do have a good relationship as long as the subject of Mormons does not come up.

Hello, honest one! It's been a while since we've seen you around these parts, I think. Always nice to have you here.

Yes, the dad normally performs his children's baptisms when he is able to do so. Mormon baptisms are full immersion. There is often a big party afterward that the kids really look forward to. I think it is very nice of you to send a card, money, and good thoughts to your grandchild.

Dear Honest One, I was heartbroken when I went to my DH/TDM's grandchildrens baptisms, to hear these dear children being indoctrinated, making promises as little kids that they will be held to---and for me, worst of all was what I thought was the horrifying message that in order to have the presence of the Holy Spirit with them, they have to be "worthy" or He will leave them. aaargh!! The fact that their own father--already an exmo, was present like we were in the guest seating, and an uncle was imported from halfway across the country to do the deed----made me realize with sudden awful clarity that these kids, if they marry in the temple, will have their own father not included in their weddings---grrrr. REALLY upset me, for a long, long time. By now I'm more reconciled to the fact that each person on the planet eventually has to determine their own lives and choices; sometimes it's not so hard, but I don't have any control, or right to have any control, over someone else's journey. I can be there for them, I can love them.

However, even if I were their biological grandmother, I'd not have a right to interfere with their families. So I figure the best I can do is have a relationship with them that is trustworthy, so that there is a place to go with questions, a place that is emotionally safe for them. I can be myself with them, and as has been said so wonderfully over and over on this board, if they see someone (dear to them) who is happy, kind and loving and not Mormon, that alone is a disturbance in the paradigm.

Best to you and them.

If it were me, I would ask the bishop during the interview one pointed question. I would fix my face into the most innocent of looks and ask: "So Bishoprick, we are supposed to follow Jesus' example exactly as he taught, right? Well, as I recall reading about it, Jesus wasn't baptized until he was 30 years old. Whadda say we put this off until she's 30?"

oooh, good one!!

Valkyriegueen wrote..

______________________

" I would fix my face into the most innocent of looks and ask: "So Bishoprick, we are supposed to follow Jesus' example exactly as he taught, right? Well, as I recall reading about it, Jesus wasn't baptized until he was 30 years old. Whadda say we put this off until she's 30?"


I like that>>

And Jesus was not baptized with the Mo wording! The Mormon doctrine about copying Christ in baptism is absolutely incorrect. Indeed, in the NT it is explained that the baptism of John is not sufficient.

When I gave the baptism talk for one of my grandchildren, I stressed the real meaning.

I went to two baptisms for a niece and a nephew some years after leaving the church. I had been invited by my brothers (their fathers) and figured it was a 'harmless' enough church function to attend.

Boy was I wrong! I forgot that Mormons take every opportunity they can to indoctrinate. The baptism was a couple of minutes long the but SERVICE was like an hour! All these 'talks' and hymns. It was excruciating. Esp. with the talks all directed at the child being baptized.

For my own 8 year old baptism. I did it right on my birthday (now I can't understand WHY it has to be right away if you are only accountable for your sins after age 8, and baptism is meant to wash your sins away.. what 'sins' was I getting washed away if I didn't have any yet?)

But of course it's all now focused on becoming a REAL member of the Church (The 8 years you already attended I guess didn't make you a member?) So OF COURSE being that young you don't want to be the only non-member in your LDS family! At the first chance you get you'll jump at the chance to be initiated rather than be an outcast.

The prep I got was pretty easy. Some kind of visual presentation on a flip board. Something about God's plan. And what baptism is for. I don't remember details, just feeling like it was going to be something very special and that getting the holy ghost was going to change my life.

I could see the same excitement in my niece and nephew on their 'special' day. I felt bad for them.

My birthday baptism happened to fall on a World Series local baseball event. So immediately after the whole family went to the game. They tried to pretend it was just part of a nice big celebration for my birthday. But I soon realized it had nothing to do with me and I didn't even like the event at all. After all the attention I got while being baptized I was totally ignored. And worse yet my dad had brought what turned out to be his mistress (we found out later) to the game with the family.

So not the best memory really. Plus my dad baptized me and that wasn't really comfortable for me as he was an abusive father. And he really made the baptism all about him, how righteous he felt in his tight white suit being the one with the authority to do the dunking.

I think I really just wanted to experience what it was like to step into that font after I had seen so many others go in it, but hadn't been allowed access.

That temptation alone is enough to make young kids want to get baptized.