My scout camp experience

[_Scottie]

Nehor, you reminded me of something one of them said.

He said that once the boys reach 12 years old, they will receive the Aaronic priesthood. This was the power to act in the name of God with His authority and with this power, they will be more powerful than the President of the United States!

Interesting that I have yet to see a single LDS priesthood member do anything that I would call powerful AT ALL, let alone more powerful than President.

I don't necessarily fault the presidency. You are correct when you say they are well intentioned. They are just regurgitating the same BS they were brought up with. On the outside now, it has an aura of cultish-ness to say things like this.

[_DrW]

When I left the Church, my wife and I made a deal that our children would get to decide, when they were old enough to do so, whether they wanted to stay in the Church or not. Big mistake on my part.

We ended up with six adult TBM offspring, who are just now beginning to face the issues involved with their growing incredulity and disbelief in Mormonism. Problem is, they now have children of their own, and so the viscous cycle continues.

If this kind of thing would have happened with my three boys at Scout Camp, they would not have not gone back to Church again while they lived in my home without an admission of wrongdoing and a personal apology from the offending official (and we all know that would never happen). And I dare say that my wife, TBM that she was at the time, would have supported such a decision.

These kinds of cult behaviors (speaker #2 and associated actions) are so far over the line that no parent who cares for their children should ever "be okay" with them.

Perhaps this Stake Presidency watches too much Fox News and became inspired by all of the various childish pledges that are being extracted from hopeful Republican politicians (Including Mitt Romney) by the ultra (wingnut) right before they can "join the kid's club" and be endorsed.

[_bcspace]

If I had my way, I’d pull my kids out of the Mormon church so fast it would make their head spin. It always makes me cringe when members say that even if it isn't true, the church only teaches good things. BULL!!!!

You're not the man of the house that you'd have your own way? Perhaps you'd obtain that power if you attended the temple worthily......

[_Buffalo]

If I had my way, I’d pull my kids out of the Mormon church so fast it would make their head spin. It always makes me cringe when members say that even if it isn't true, the church only teaches good things. BULL!!!!

You're not the man of the house that you'd have your own way? Perhaps you'd obtain that power if you attended the temple worthily......

Let me try to decipher this. Unless a man holds absolute veto power over his wife, he's not the man of the house?

Also, if Scottie wants to pull his kids out of church, he should get a temple recommend?

[_Scottie]

You're not the man of the house that you'd have your own way? Perhaps you'd obtain that power if you attended the temple worthily......

I'm divorced and have no say as to how my kids are brought up religiously. Thank the legal system for that.

[_Yoda]

If I had my way, I’d pull my kids out of the Mormon church so fast it would make their head spin. It always makes me cringe when members say that even if it isn't true, the church only teaches good things. BULL!!!!

You're not the man of the house that you'd have your own way? Perhaps you'd obtain that power if you attended the temple worthily......

You really can be a jack ass.

[Guest]

He said that once the boys reach 12 years old, they will receive the Aaronic priesthood. This was the power to act in the name of God with His authority and with this power, they will be more powerful than the President of the United States!

Manipulative hyperbole. In one sense he was right but in others wrong. The Priesthood is more powerful then the President but no Aaronic Priesthood holder wields it absolutely the way a President does. It operates under the permissions of those holding key and more importantly the will of God.

Interesting that I have yet to see a single LDS priesthood member do anything that I would call powerful AT ALL, let alone more powerful than President.

In the LDS view after all is said and done and everything is tallied a Priest who administered baptism will have wielded more absolute power and had more impact then the decisions of any U.S. President.

Still, this argument appeals to the petty self-esteem garbage so many have been peddling for the last generation. The most I'll go with that is that you are a child of God with limitless potential. You have taken upon you the name of Christ. More then this and you're getting ridiculous.

Everyone knows that adult who thinks they are special, wonderful, unique, etc. They usually also tend to blather on about what they're going to achieve or could have achieved if they'd had the chance. They're generally insufferable gits.

Why do we teach this kind of rubbish to children? When it sinks in we've seen the adults it creates. Luckily some don't believe the stupid propaganda.

I don't necessarily fault the presidency.

I would. The Brethren for years have been instructing the Church to teach the Youth the doctrines of the Church and not sensationalist garbage. They still do it anyways.

You are correct when you say they are well intentioned.

Zeal without knowledge is not a virtue. I would be more forgiving to a novice teacher. I did not mean being 'well-intentioned' excuses them in any way.

They are just regurgitating the same BS they were brought up with. On the outside now, it has an aura of cultish-ness to say things like this.

Which is why they should stop. It mimics the worst of Evangelical Christianity with their altar calls.

It's sensationalist and manipulative and not 'pure knowledge'.

To those already committed it would most likely be nothing but a silly stunt to roll your eyes at.

To those struggling it will only create resentment.

Adding pap covenants/commitments also cheapens real covenants.

Most importantly it's a social appeal to vanity and fitting in and/or emotional pap rather then a spiritual appeal.

[_Scottie]

You're not the man of the house that you'd have your own way? Perhaps you'd obtain that power if you attended the temple worthily......

You really can be a jack ass.

I'm going to assume this was BC's attempt at a joke.

[_schreech]

The 2nd talk was about how the presidency wants all the young men to become better men than they are. In order to become better men than they are, they asked that all the boys committed to getting their Eagle, graduating seminary, going on a mission and getting married in the temple. Then they asked that any boy that is willing to accept this pledge to come down to the stage. They then escorted them all to the lodge where they took their picture and had them sign a paper with the pledge on it.

I was so infuriated by this talk.

This seems like the same manipulative thing they do in the temple...On your first time through, before you even know what the covenants are, you are asked if you will accept them of your own "free will and choice"...They shame you into conformity and then make you feel guilty when you can't follow through with the blind "covenants" they shame you into making...Its nauseating that these men actually did this to a bunch of young men...

[_Baker]

Elder Spencer Condie used a similar tactic in a series of zone conferences while I was on my mission. He had the missionaries in each zone commit to be obedient to all the mission rules - and then had them go down and write their names on a chalkboard. Although a DL at the time, I refrained. I knew that, no matter how well intentioned I was, there was no way in hell that I would obey every rule, and thought it stupid to pledge to do so.