Why does the LDS church allow and encourage Baptism at the age of 8?

Can an 8 year old really understand what he/she is doing?

Doesn't this rule compromise the principle of free agency?

Isn't this why minors cannot enter into enforceable contracts until they are 18?

If you want to protect potential converts, it should be about 30. Younger people might be vulnerable because they don't have their lives together yet. They're also still growing, both literally and figuratively.

At least Mormonism baptizes at 8 years of age, as opposed to the infant baptisms in Catholicism and other Christian sects. Mormons argue that everyone becomes "accountable" for their actions at 8 -- even though most laws hold that one cannot be held accountable until at least 18, as you pointed out.

I knew that I didn't want to get baptized when I hit 8, but I didn't have a choice. My parents and most of my extended family and friends expected me to be baptized because that's just what Mormon kids do. And what 8-year-old kid can really hold their ground against "adults" who are supposed to know better? Hmph.

I strongly agree that minors shouldn't be allowed to join any religion, but then they shouldn't be indoctrinated from birth either. That's just one nefarious side of organized religion -- very few people actually have a choice. Even if we could somehow outlaw baptisms or other "official" rites until the age of majority, most if not all religious parents and families would continue to brainwash their children until that time.

oneinbillions Wrote:
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> At least Mormonism baptizes at 8 years of age, as
> opposed to the infant baptisms in Catholicism and
> other Christian sects. Mormons argue that everyone
> becomes "accountable" for their actions at 8 --
> even though most laws hold that one cannot be held
> accountable until at least 18, as you pointed out.
>
>
> I knew that I didn't want to get baptized when I
> hit 8, but I didn't have a choice. My parents and
> most of my extended family and friends expected me
> to be baptized because that's just what Mormon
> kids do. And what 8-year-old kid can really hold
> their ground against "adults" who are supposed to
> know better? Hmph.
>
> I strongly agree that minors shouldn't be allowed
> to join any religion, but then they shouldn't be
> indoctrinated from birth either. That's just one
> nefarious side of organized religion -- very few
> people actually have a choice. Even if we could
> somehow outlaw baptisms or other "official" rites
> until the age of majority, most if not all
> religious parents and families would continue to
> brainwash their children until that time.

Baptizing infants isn't any worse than baptizing eight-year-olds, mainly because the expectations related to baptism are for different when infants are baptized than when an eight-year-old is dunked into LDS membership. According to LDS teachings, the child is accountable for his behavior and is making an adult choice even though in most cases he has no say in the matter unless he actually wants to be baptized. Baptizing an infant is much more a symbolic act taken on a child's behalf as a way of welcoming him into the body of the church, especially as the sacrament of baptism is interpreted religiously today. Expectations aren't placed on the babies who are baptized. That comes later, depending upon the denomination, when they're confirmed or have their first communion or whatever.

I agree with this 8 is way too young for this decision.

Baptism is equally meaningless at any age.

Hell, in the 19th Century 8 year-olds were often out working.

Haven't you ever seen 'Newsies'?

I heard somewhere that the brain isn't fully developed until the mid-twenties; For myself,I'd believe it, because I didn't think 5 minutes ahead,or weigh the possible outcomes of any of my actions until I reached the age of 25 or 26. Since the church claims to follow every example of what Jesus did, then the age requirement for baptism should be 30,since that was the age Jesus was when he was baptized.

valkyriequeen Wrote:
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> I heard somewhere that the brain isn't fully
> developed until the mid-twenties; For myself,I'd
> believe it, because I didn't think 5 minutes
> ahead,or weigh the possible outcomes of any of my
> actions until I reached the age of 25 or 26. Since
> the church claims to follow every example of what
> Jesus did, then the age requirement for baptism
> should be 30,since that was the age Jesus was when
> he was baptized.

I was on about the same schedule as you were.

my HUGE issue with this is you can "join" at 8, but cannot resign until you're 18. There's a disconnect there.

So you have the mental and spiritual acuity to join this organization between age 8 and 17 but you DO NOT have the same to resign? uh, think again.

"You" can't join at 8. Your parents join for you when they sign your baptism certificate, giving their permission. They also resign on your behalf while you are a minor. You hit 18, you can resign for yourself.

When I was 8 I didn't care about getting baptized. It certainly wasn't a 'choice'. It's just what we did. I do remember getting first dibs on the dress I was to be dunked in and I was happy because I got the prettiest one (IMO). There were a few of us getting dunked on the same day and I recall going to some closet in the church building and picking out a dress. I have no idea what the procedure is nowadays. But yea, what was important to the 8-year old me was getting to wear a pretty dress.

It disgusts me when I see 'brag posts' on social media about another friend or relative who is lamenting about their 8 year old and that they are 'so proud of their decision to be baptized!'....as if they had a choice. My niece got baptized last year and I suffered through seeing the brag posts. All I could think was greaaaat....another one bites the dust.

Even my TBM mother admittedly proclaims that if you don't make them go to church when they're young, they won't want to. Uh, yea. How about let's add to that if you force Mormonism down their throats when they're young it will cause them to snap and run the other way (me). My parents pushed religion so hard that I wanted nothing to do with it. Perhaps they unknowingly did me a favor. Maybe if they pushed less I would've stayed in tssc longer. Glad I made it out at 18!

Just for the children of homosexuals.

Like legal contracts, where minors cannot be held liable -- nor be expected to sign them -- no one should be baptized into any religion before the age of adulthood (.e. at least 18 years old).

I agree that ideally it would be 25-plus to really make a sound decision, but 18 is probably more of a realistic expectation, given other norms -- at least in western society.

In the US and other countries parents make decisions for minor children and always have. Baptism is not legally binding for adults anyway and we have a Constitutional right to practice religion. That includes following the beliefs of religion in such areas as baptism. Good luck changing it.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2017 04:37AM by bona dea.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/5132964/Atheist-wins-right-to-have-baptism-removed-as-he-did-not-consent-as-a-baby.html


http://www.christianpost.com/news/catholic-church-says-de-baptism-is-impossible-68280/


http://debaptized.com/



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/25/2017 10:59AM by anybody.

Personally, I consider baptism to be a meaningless rite. It doesn't change who you are or who you will become. Of course, I'm coming from a totally different religious background, having been raised in the United Methodist church, and baptized there as an infant. I do remember a minister we had who occasionally had the congregation place their hands on top of their heads and say, "I am baptized. I belong to God. Thanks be to God." I'm embarrassed and ashamed to say I did it. And when Ronald Reagan was elected, I called my church and told the minister my daughter had never been baptized but now that Reagan was going to be president and probably going to blow up the world, I wanted it done immediately. LOL! My daughter was 11 and went along with it. I can't imagine what I was thinking, except that at that time in my life I was a Christian and I thought it might make a difference. Shaking my head now, wondering at the insanity of it all. Now, as a no-longer-Christian and no-longer-Methodist, but a happy atheist Unitarian Universalist, I am very glad to say that none of my grandkids were baptized, but they were all "dedicated" in the UU church, which is a totally, TOTALLY different ceremony with a TOTALLY different meaning than baptism. It is a ceremony that may be done for a child of any age--it involves the parents and the congregation entering into a covenant to protect the child, help them grow in their own way, help them to learn to think for themselves and be kind to the earth and everyone and everything on it, encourage them to find and develop their own spiritual path, etc, and other neat stuff. UU kids do not become members until they are at least 18, and they have to decide for themselves that the want to BE a member. If they do, they "sign the book," which only means they go to the minister and ask to sign the membership book. Adults who were not raised UU, but are coming from a different faith/belief system, have visited the church for several Sundays and like it and want to become a member, are encouraged to take a "UU history" type class, so they really know something about Unitarian Universalism itself as well as the individual UU church they are joining. Two of my three grands have signed the book--the youngest at 18, the eldest just recently at 25. The middle one is autistic and does not want to sign any books. That's okay, Gavin. You don't have to. You are welcome at church activities and potlucks anyway. :)

BTW, to the jamesdeanrebel who started this thread--you might be interested to know that I attended James Dean's funeral when I was 14. Fairmount, Indiana, isn't that far from where I live, and I went with a friend, who had talked her mother into driving us. We were both huge James Dean fans/cultists. The closest I ever came to suicide was in the month after James Dean was killed. I had a lot of pictures that we took there that day, including some at the cemetery, but I took them to school and somebody stole them from my locker. :(

In the United States, religions have far more rights than mere mortals. *I*, for example, must pay taxes and am not allowed to threaten children with eternal damnation unless they clean my buildings for me.

The minimum age for baptism should be 106.