The Depressing Plan of Salvation

[_KimberlyAnn]

Madeline is my ten year old daughter. She has Obsessive Compulsive disorder, and it's somewhat disabling to her, but with medication she is able to function fairly well. However, she's always had a hard time fitting in and her compulsions sometimes land her in trouble at home and school. They used to land her in trouble in primary, too.

One morning in sharing time, the Primary President taught the children the Plan of Salvation. Madeline was seven and had just returned from a time-out in the hallway for interrupting her teacher. She watched as the teacher drew the circles representing the three kingdoms and the paths, wide or narrow, that led to each. She listened as the requirements were listed for each kingdom and learned how, only in the Celestial Kingdom, families could be together forever, but everyone had to be really, really good and do all the things they should, or they would be in a lower kingdom and not with their families. And she saw how difficult it was to follow that narrow path and she felt that she would never make it. Overcome with what could only be described as despair, raised her hand and tearfully asked what happened if there was just one naughty person in a family who couldn't make it to the Celestial Kingdom. She thought she would be separated from her family because she has trouble keeping things together sometimes.

Madeline's Primary President thought her question was sweet and told her that if she prayed, Heavenly Father would help her be good enough to keep the commandments and be with her family in heaven. That was little comfort to Madeline, though, because she'd already prayed her little heart out that she could be good like the other kids and not have tics, but God hadn't answered that prayer.

So, I consoled her the best I could, and told her Heavenly Father loved her and I did, too, and that I wouldn't be without her in heaven - I just wouldn't allow it! Thankfully, it wasn't long after that incident in primary that I figured out Mormonism wasn't "true" at all and left the church, taking my daughters, and eventually my husband, along with me.

Madeline no longer worries about the silly, make-believe Mormon so-called plan of happiness. It's not only not real, it's depressing.

KA

[_barrelomonkeys]

Madeline is my ten year old daughter. She has Obsessive Compulsive disorder, and it's somewhat disabling to her, but with medication she is able to function fairly well. However, she's always had a hard time fitting in and her compulsions sometimes land her in trouble at home and school. They used to land her in trouble in primary, too.

One morning in sharing time, the Primary President taught the children the Plan of Salvation. Madeline was seven and had just returned from a time-out in the hallway for interrupting her teacher. She watched as the teacher drew the circles representing the three kingdoms and the paths, wide or narrow, that led to each. She listened as the requirements were listed for each kingdom and learned how, only in the Celestial Kingdom, families could be together forever, but everyone had to be really, really good and do all the things they should, or they would be in a lower kingdom and not with their families. And she saw how difficult it was to follow that narrow path and she felt that she would never make it. Overcome with what could only be described as despair, raised her hand and tearfully asked what happened if there was just one naughty person in a family who couldn't make it to the Celestial Kingdom. She thought she would be separated from her family because she has trouble keeping things together sometimes.

Madeline's Primary President thought her question was sweet and told her that if she prayed, Heavenly Father would help her be good enough to keep the commandments and be with her family in heaven. That was little comfort to Madeline, though, because she'd already prayed her little heart out that she could be good like the other kids and not have tics, but God hadn't answered that prayer.

So, I consoled her the best I could, and told her Heavenly Father loved her and I did, too, and that I wouldn't be without her in heaven - I just wouldn't allow it! Thankfully, it wasn't long after that incident in primary that I figured out Mormonism wasn't "true" at all and left the church, taking my daughters, and eventually my husband, along with me.

Madeline no longer worries about the silly, make-believe Mormon so-called plan of happiness. It's not only not real, it's depressing.

KA

KA,

That breaks my heart when I read she prayed to God to help control her OCD. I don't understand the LDS plan of happiness... but I do know that if she was made to feel that she was flawed and was not loved by God that there is no happiness there.

[_KimberlyAnn]

KA,

That breaks my heart when I read she prayed to God to help control her OCD. I don't understand the LDS plan of happiness... but I do know that if she was made to feel that she was flawed and was not loved by God that there is no happiness there.

Book of Mormon, I don't think it was anyone's intent to make her feel unloved by God because of her OCD, but the fear of not being with her family because she wasn't as compliant as other kids was hard on her. Forever Families is a weapon of the Mormon church and it works well to instill fear and guilt in it's members.

KA

[_Daniel Peterson]

Curious, how people react to things.

To me, the plan of salvation has always been the most sweeping and exhilarating aspect of Mormonism, a cosmic drama that binds the distant past and the far distant future into a vast and very satisfying narrative. It was, in fact, this aspect of LDS teaching that first caught my interest (as I've written, somewhere).

And, of course, the notion of being connected with my parents and my children in eternal family relationships seems to me wonderful beyond words, and anything but fearful or guilt-inducing. Alternatives such as believing in an eternity without individual personality, or in a future of heavenly divorce, or in decomposition and everlasting nothingness (not only for myself but for the family and friends I've already lost) seem to me . . . well, less attractive.

Incidentally, there is nobody in the Church -- no normally functioning adult, anyway -- who would ever tell somebody suffering from OCD that he or she is bound for a lesser kingdom or for eternal separation from his or her family. And I, for one, were never tolerate anybody saying such a thing in my presence.

[_Levi]

If you are totally faithless, and believe the world centers in you, and that there is nothing to give, I can understand your position.

Just a thought.

Levi

[_Hoops]

Well, it seems there is someone with in the walls of LDS who would make such a claim to a child with OCD.

There are ridiculous people in every church, since the building houses sinners. But the real lesson here is how ridiculous salvation by works really is.

[_Blixa]

If you are totally faithless, and believe the world centers in you, and that there is nothing to give, I can understand your position.

Just a thought.

Levi

What does that mean?

[_KimberlyAnn]

If you are totally faithless, and believe the world centers in you, and that there is nothing to give, I can understand your position.

Just a thought.

Levi

What does that mean?

I believe it means Levi thinks I'm faithless, self-centered, and selfish.

[Guest]

Well, it seems there is someone with in the walls of LDS who would make such a claim to a child with OCD.

I dunno. We're getting a mother's reminiscence of something evidently told to her by her little girl about what a volunteer teacher once said to the little girl, which, even so, doesn't seem to be setting out the doctrine that you want to ascribe to the teacher. I would be very surprised if that teacher, asked whether she thought OCD could keep a child from the celestial kingdom, would have said Yes.

There are ridiculous people in every church, since the building houses sinners. But the real lesson here is how ridiculous salvation by works really is.

I agree that it's a false doctrine. Who teaches it?

[_barrelomonkeys]

If you are totally faithless, and believe the world centers in you, and that there is nothing to give, I can understand your position.

Just a thought.

Levi

What does that mean?

I believe it means Levi thinks I'm faithless, self-centered, and selfish.

I think it means he lacks compassion and the ability to see past himself to recognize what a tragic story you told.

Just a thought.