I'm currently nursing my weekly raging heachache courtesy of this "inspired program." I still attend and teach primary to keep the peace in my house. Every week after two hours of torture for myself and the kids I wonder who came up with such a program...certainly not God and definitely not someone who knows anything about children. Here are the main problems:

-Expecting young children to sit still for two hours after they've already been expected to sit for over an hour with their parents.

-Singing the same five or six songs over and over again to get ready for the Primary program.

-Primaries so large that some kids go months without ever getting called to the front to hold a picture etc.

-Huge class sizes that meet in classrooms that are smaller than my closet.

-Boring sharing time lessons.

-Boring and often age inappropriate class lessons that teach the kids with made up stories.

-Folding chairs that tip back easily and pinch fingers.

As you can probably tell, it was a bad day!

As a former Primary counselor, I completely agree. It is a truly pathetic program. It does nothing for the kids in any way. The sick thing is the co-option of Scouting for Primary. & I'm the ward I was in, I truly believed that Primary had taken a back seat to Cub Scouts. But I couldn't say anything because the PP & 2nd counselor were involved with Cub Scouts.

& I know it's worse where they have 3 & 4 groups of Primary in wards where the young (& older too) parents are popping out kids like freaking crazy. My cousin's old ward was like that, & incidentally that ward is in my mom's stake, & we're in California.

My grandson must endure that. I feel sorry for both of you.

can't consolidate all of the meetings down to maybe 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The kids shouldn't have to sit through Sacrament meetings. It's a waste of time because it's age inappropriate, and just 1 hour of primary would be enough.

Why do they need separate meetings for Men and Women? Plus Sunday School? Why not just ONE adult meeting, and send the children and youth off to their classes after the sacrament?

Agreed - One hour of Sacrament meeting, one hour of Primary/YW&YM/Priesthood and Relief Society. They could follow the basic Sunday School plan and throw in whatever special lessons they give those organizations periodically. There is no good reason to drag meetings on forever and I wonder if they know people just resent it.

Unfortunately that's the thing. They're trying to get everyone fed as much church crap as they can. There's no way they're going to lessen church time unless they want people to learn to think freely.

imaworkinonit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why do they need separate meetings for Men and
> Women? Plus Sunday School? Why not just ONE adult
> meeting, and send the children and youth off to
> their classes after the sacrament?

Because control. They have to separate the men and women to maintain the illusion that the men are learning more and therefore have more power - even though the PH and RS lessons come from the exact same manual. If the women got to sit in on the same meetings as the men, it would be harder to convince them that they weren't worthy of holding the same leadership positions.

I occasionally attend a local Christian church that has desperate simultaneous services for teens, kids and adults, all about 75 min long. It's so much less painful! Makes you feel more positive. They have all kinds of optional groups to choose from all week long - service, women, study/friendship groups for families... But can you imagine any "optional" or "self chosen" activities in the LDS church? Never gonna happen... Sad thing is the 3-hour block is a remnant from the all-day Sunday and everyday some social activity days of the church. This approach keeps all the pain and pressure and eliminates most of the "fun" but I don't see much chance for change. Glad I don't go anymore!

http://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/1400069289/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373863856&sr=1-1&keywords=habits


most everything around MoMism runs/survives revolves around the psychology/sociology of keeping people satiated. That, in turn, is centered around the power of Habits in our lives, 'thinking' as it were.

Tho primary Might Well be the 'least inspired' (btw, What Is???), anyone think they'll dump it?
Sure, it might evolve/adjust a bit (don't most?)

another 'Our Leaders are INSPIRED!' moment!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2013 02:49AM by guynoirprivateeye.

"Anyone think they'll dump it?"

Are you kidding? Brainwashing kids is their only hope of survival. They might tweak it a bit here and there but the continual droning of "the church is true, the church is true, the church is true" into to their developing little minds is their only real hope of long term brainwashed membership resistant to truth.

I left the church before I had kids. I do remember all of the crying kids and the stressed parents trying to keep their kids quiet. The kids don't belong in there anyway. When I was little we went to primary during the week after school. There was no Sunday blocks of meetings until I was 10 maybe. By the time the little kids get to primary they are beginning to go into meltdown mode.

I currently attend a church that is about an hour and 15 mimutes long. The kids 5th grade and younger go into children's church from the start. They learn fun, age appropriate lessons, do a craft, play with some toys if they are really young, and get a little snack. The kids don't want to hear a sermon meant for adults, and There is no need for younger kids to take communion, because they are not old enough to understand it.

After I drop my kids off in the Children's Church, I get a free cup of good coffee supplied by the church in the lobby, chat with some friends,and sit down and listen to the sermon with no interruption from my kids or others' kids. I actually enjoy myself, and my kids have fun.

My Daughter went to the Morg church with my Mother once while we were out of town. She was about 6yrs old. She went on and on about how horrible it all was. She just hated it, even primary. Later that day after we got home I caught her throwing the dress that I had purchased for her to wear (she likes to wear pants to our church) in the trash barrel outside. She told me she NEVER EVER wanted to wear that dress again!!

And I hate how primary uses the word "reverent" when they mean "sit down and shut up"

I have never heard the word REVERENT used in any other religion that I have been too. It's such a stupid Mormon Buzzword!!! Everything has to be reverent, singing, sitting, blah, blah, blah!! When I hear that word it makes me want to puke!!! I've never told my kids to be reverent, I just tell them to be quiet! Sorry about the rant, I just couldn't help it.

It is also the program in which children are taught to worship the church.

I used to hate primary, but it was where I learned to say I loved church, and think that I really did, when I was really miserable sitting in the endless meetings.

Bingo. Primary is brilliant if your goal is to turn little kids into obedient, compliant adults.

It is indeed very inspired.

Other churches look at the needs of kids and try to fill them. Children need to move around, experiment, interact with each other and enjoy a rich environment with color, toys, art, and nature.

The mormon church needs compliant dead-faced kids quietly follow along, don't ask questions, and don't expect too much attention or appreciation. The morg wants kids to fade into the background unless they're willing to stand up and glorify leaders and the organizational model.

I substituted a couple times for primary once upon a time. We were able to get out first everytime, since they let us out class by class based on reverence. When I explained how the "system" worked, the students realized the incentives and so all I had to tell them was that it was reverent time, and they knew to sit quietly, fold their arms and then they would be free!

It's such a catch 22 for parents in the Mormon church too, because on one hand, leaders tell Mormon parents to have as many kids as they can possibly afford. But then on the other hand, leaders complain about how parents don't keep their kids under control during sacrament meeting. I mean, never mind that the church doesn't provide any child-friendly alternative during the main block.

the program is for socializing children into believing Mormon b.s. Listen to the songs and lessons, it is to train young children to think a certain way.

The lessons are geared to get children to believe that they are in the only true church. They learn to say, "I know the church is true" and chant "Follow the prophet" at age three. Hearing children mimic that line, watching them walk with arms crossed, listening to them tell adults what is right and wrong--these are the signs you are in a cult.

Yeah, I was in primary for years. My last class was the sunbeams. My shelf broke during this time. I tried to hang in there as long as I could. At least with the sunbeams, I could do all the fun lessons about birds, flowers, etc.

I agree that church is waaaay tooo long and after sitting in SM for 1 1/2 hours, the kids are hungry, tired, and spent. Learning and singing a new song each month and then repeating all the songs is boring. The chorister can make it fun or make it a total snooze fest.

Sharing time can be boring. One presentation we had was about the WOW and they talked about "Monster" drinks being bad, Also they went off on tattoos and 2 earrings.

So glad I don't teach or go anymore!

Who in the hell was dragging SM on for 90 minutes? They should have been called into the SP's office for that! Bloody hell!

I'm 52, and still attend due to my wife who will never, ever, even look at anything that might "shake her faith". We teach primary together. Honestly, I don't get what the fuss is about. Primary, like church, is too long, yes. The lessons are simple, but they are kids. They do teach some lies, especially the ones about hero worship of Joey Smith, but they also teach many very sound principles about forgiveness and sharing and helping. And the kids are adorable! Honestly, I couldn't go to any other meeting at church (Priesthood, sunday school, etc.). I used to dislike primary when I had my own (little) kids, but now I'm older and "wiser" and just seem to enjoy it. Maybe that is the reason, most of you who don't like it still have kids, I think we change as we get older. I don't freak out when the kids "misbehave". It's obviously very hard for them to sit still and listen, but I don't care as much about that as most other people. They're just little people, trying to find their way in life and starting to learn how to behave and get along.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2013 11:18AM by elciz.

As a retired teacher/grandma I know what a good childhood program when I see it and it isn't primary.

I provided a kid friendly environment and wholesome lessons all day every day for over thirty years. If I could do that, I think the mormon church could do it once a week for a short time on Sundays.

Have you ever taught in primary?

Also, nursery school, kindergarten, first grade, second, and third.

You're missing the forest there elciz. Yes, the kids are adorable, but the programming is evil. Never forget that.

Evil is too broad a word. There is nothing evil about teaching forgiveness, sharing, etc. There is mis-information about gold plates, Joey's visions, but evil is just a bridge too far. That's where your credibility takes a hit is when you make blanket statements like that, IMHO.

without forcing kids to chant cultish songs and sit in little chairs folding their arms for half the morning.

I started to hate it when I was teaching nursery. We had 25 kids meeting in an overflow portion of the gym with hand-me-down toys and no outdoor playspace. It seems to me that a church so family-focused could invest in all the things most churches do: dedicated space for the children to meet in and an outdoor play area to get the wiggles out. So many wiggles!

LDS Inc has had a lot of STUPID programs.

I can hardly say that primary is the premier example of MORmON stupidity. Because I think the MORmON Institutional ADULTERY program aka *polygamy* and the MORmON rabid racism program was much worse than primary. ..... and don't forget the cross the plains with a handcart way too late in the season program, that was way STUPID!

I Can think of primary as the opening chapter to SUCK-CESS ive MORmON exploitation that last throught out a lifetime.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2013 03:02PM by lucky.

The thing about primary is that the kids really want more than what is being offered.. By time they sit in church services for an hour (which is pain staking already... besides my own that are completely bored, there are everyone else's that cry and whine over the speakers and they are very distracting) but by time they reach primary, they are a handful.. All I can do is just hang on for the next two hours of babysitting -deer in the headlights children. The church is so focused on reverence and controlled atmosphere that I feel bad for the kids by the end of the day..

I think primary is partly designed to prepare kids to sit through the temple stuff. They learn how to sit down, be quiet, listen to bizarre stuff. They're not in charge of what they're doing, and they're not supposed to question why.

When they get older, they've been prepared to sit through the temple ceremony without questioning why they're there, and without bolting for the nearest door.