It is so disturbing how certain and smug I was about my church's superiority and how focused I was on converting anyone who would listen. At that age, I can only say I was a product of my environment.
Related Post: I hope you Have ben teeching the trooth.
OMG. This makes me wish I'd kept a journal when I was younger so I could get inside my own head from the perspective I have now.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had that kind of perspective from my childhood, too. I am struck by how certain some people are that all it takes to convert a person to a religion is a few words or a prayer. To me, that belittles those who believe as well as those who don't.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I should have included this in my comment...I didn't mean to just barge in with a comment. I just discovered your blog and I'm enjoying reading your posts. Looking forward to more of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteI am so very glad that I don't have the multitudes of crap I generated as a kid in Primary and a Young Woman later on. I think my mom might have some of it...I never want to see it again. It would look exactly like this. *shudder*
ReplyDeleteCarla, I have mixed feelings about having this sort of documentation.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting, I suppose, but also sad in a lot of ways.
Elizabeth, considering I'd been told all my life that I belonged to
ReplyDeletethe One True Church, it's not surprising that I thought that all I'd
need to do was tell someone a bit about it and they'd be convinced.
You are right; it is a condescending point of view and one I'm glad I
no longer hold.
And I never consider thoughtful comments to be barging! Thanks so much
for reading!
CD, really, what else could we have thought, given what we were told?
ReplyDeleteDiana, yeah, this is not one of my prouder moments.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting Leah. It shows how we, as children, (as you very well noted) are the product of our environment; but it also shows how we grow as humans and adapt our views when we have a more open mind towards the world we live in.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that lacks with many religions, they want to push their views, and convert and proselytize without realizing that the beauty of this world is that we all hold different beliefs and traditions. It should be our sense of humanity what sustains us as a society, not religion.
Ya, but look how far you've come!
ReplyDeleteO man, this is nothing compared to stuff that I did over and over in my teens. It's brutal to look back. But truly? Almost none of it was really me, I was regurgitating what had been drilled into me all day every day.
ReplyDeleteSecular Dentist, I agree. There are some religions who just think that
ReplyDeletethey're Right, and so everyone else should naturally see things their
way and share their views. More tolerance and diversity would be nice.
I'm glad I was able to adapt my worldview and I got more information.
Some people (e.g. my parents) never do.
I don't currently take my children to church very often because
they're with their dad most Sundays, but I've been thinking about
taking them to the UU church, because I would like them to know ABOUT
religion and the UUs have a good religious education program for kids
that still encourages them to think for themselves and form their own
beliefs.
Young Mom, I was regurgitating as well. What else can you do at that
ReplyDeleteage, especially when you've been told there's really no need to think
for yourself because church authorities already have all the right
answers.
Thanks, Catherine! Still a ways to go, I think, but at least now, I'm
ReplyDeleteopen to a journey!
Yes, disturbing in one way (religious aspects) but cute in another (you were a very cute and smart little girl). Glad to know that we all grow up and can think for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteDo you know the primary song "Follow the Profit"? It reminds me of something that would be sung about Warren Jeffs, the leader of the FLDS in Colorado City, AZ.
"Follow the profit, follow the profit, follow the profit don't go astray. Follow the profit, follow the profit, follow the profit he knows the way!"
YIKES! Now that is disturbing!
The perfect blend of disturbing and cute!
ReplyDeleteConfession is the beginning of redemption !!
ReplyDelete:-)
Thanks, Collette! Yeah, some of those Primary songs are pretty scary.
ReplyDeleteGlad my kids won't be learning them!
Michael, I'm glad people are finding some cute in there! :-)
ReplyDelete:-)
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent well thought out and doctrinally accurate talk. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteNice to know a ten-year-old can master church doctrines, President.
ReplyDelete