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That is really, really sad. In defense of her father, it would not be solely his decision that she would not be able to attend her sister's temple wedding. Even if he'd wanted her to, she wouldn't have been able to. Other than that, assuming that this story is really on the up and up, her parents should be ashamed of themselves. It sounds to me as if they are both a couple of first class jerks.
Could not agree more. Religious or not, any parents who would disown their child, and force them to miss their sister's wedding for something like this is a first class jerk. I will never understand it.
I haven't read the article...I'll openly admit that. But just want to ask....is it the fact that she's an atheist? Or that she rejects mormonism? If she had been ANY other religion....Buddhist, Christian, JW, etc...would it have gone down that way?
That's impossible to say. According to the advice and counsel of the LDS Church leaders, her parents should not have done what they did regardless of what religion (or lack thereof) she chose to follow. Since their behavior was in direct opposition to what they'd been taught, who knows where they'd have drawn the line. I suspect that parents like that would have found an excuse to throw her out over something or other, if not over her failing to believe in Mormonism.
I personally know more Mormon families than I can count who have had a child leave the Church and who did not respond the way this young girl's parents did. Neither one of my two grown children are practicing Mormons today. As a matter of fact, they are both living with their significant others (which is a huge no-no in Mormonism). That has not changed our relationship with them. I'd say I know of far more LDS parents who have good relations with their non-Mormon (even non-Christian, non-religious and atheist) children than do not. Of course you're going to find some horribly disturbing stories (such as the one mentioned in the OP) of Mormon families who don't abide by the tenets of their faith. Thank goodness all people are not the same.
One other thought... It's possible that we know only part of the story. There may be more reasons for the parents to have thrown their daughter out of the house than just the fact that she stopped believing in God. Who knows what trouble she might have been in or what he lifestyle might have been prior to her parents taking the action they did. There's really no way for anyone to know just what might have been omitted from the story.
Kaitlyn came out to her parents as an atheist when she was 17, and got kicked out of the house. There was a brief reconciliation, with a number of stipulations, including taking part in Mormon church activities, including taking the endowment ceremony. When the time came, Kaitlyn declined, and her parents gave her 11 days to get out of the house.
You know, this kind of thing is really upsetting to me, but I've been thinking about it and there are a couple of "facts" in this story that just don't add up. The main thing is that 17-year-old kids aren't even eligible to get a temple recommend. Kaitlyn would not have been able to participate in the temple endowment ceremony until she was at least 19, even if she'd been the model LDS teenager. Something's fishy. She may very well have been kicked out of her house, and it is entirely possible that her atheism was the primary factor (which, if you ask me, is just plain tragic), but at least some of the story, as it was presented, is not accurate.
Do we expose you to way too much rational thought?
As opposed believing in myths that were postulated by a bunch of desert dwelling, superstitious and uneducated bronzed aged goat herders?
No quite the contrary as I mentioned earlier nearly every point you've made in this thread is a blanket generalization, not just on Mormons but every group you've mentioned even the flippin atheists!
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katzpur
You know, this kind of thing is really upsetting to me, but I've been thinking about it and there are a couple of "facts" in this story that just don't add up. The main thing is that 17-year-old kids aren't even eligible to get a temple recommend. Kaitlyn would not have been able to participate in the temple endowment ceremony until she was at least 19, even if she'd been the model LDS teenager. Something's fishy. She may very well have been kicked out of her house, and it is entirely possible that her atheism was the primary factor (which, if you ask me, is just plain tragic), but at least some of the story, as it was presented, is not accurate.
From listening to the link I gave, I got the impression that she was to agree to take part in the endowment ceremony when she was 17, and later, when she was 18, she communicated that she felt it was not something she could with good conscious go through.
Katzpur, perhaps you could clear something up. It appears that you are implying that no matter what, if her sister got married in the temple, this girl, could not go because she was not eligible for a temple recommend.
Does that mean that ANY sibling under age of 19 would not be able to take part in the wedding ceremony?
From listening to the link I gave, I got the impression that she was to agree to take part in the endowment ceremony when she was 17, and later, when she was 18, she communicated that she felt it was not something she could with good conscious go through.
First of all, one doesn't just choose to go through the endowment ceremony. In order to do so, it's necessary to have a temple recommend, and in order to get a temple recommend, a person would have to be able to show that he was spiritually ready to do so. Kaitlyn would have been disqualified by her answer to the first of about fifteen questions. The first question is, "Do you have faith in and a testimony of God the Eternal Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost?" If she'd said, "No, I'm an atheist," that's about as far as the interview would have gone. So it wouldn't have been a matter of her just drawing the line at not wanting to go through the endowment ceremony (which is kind of what it sounded like was supposed to have been the case). Both she and her parents would have known that. It's not as if the questions come as any sort of a surprise.
Also, it would be extremely unusual for a young woman to go through the endowment ceremony, even at age 19, unless she were intending on getting married in the temple right away or was about to leave home to serve a Mormon mission.
Quote:
Katzpur, perhaps you could clear something up. It appears that you are implying that no matter what, if her sister got married in the temple, this girl, could not go because she was not eligible for a temple recommend. Typically, a young woman who does not serve a mission does not go through the endowment ceremony until just before she gets married, no matter what her age is or how devout she may be.
Does that mean that ANY sibling under age of 19 would not be able to take part in the wedding ceremony?
Yes, your understanding is correct. No minor children are permitted to attend temple wedding ceremonies. When I got married at the age of 21, my sister, who was 16 at the time, was not able to attend the ceremony. I can imagine that this might seem odd to some people, but to LDS teens, it's not. They understand the policy in advance and know they'll be included in all of the other wedding festivities.
Based on your daily anti-religious posts, I don't believe for a second that you'd be supportive. You have shown no tendency toward acceptance of religious people. I can only imagine the hostility you'd have toward their choice.
I would try getting my kid a motivational speaker.
"If you get involved with fundamentalism, you'll end up attending that wacky little church down by the river."
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vizio
Based on your daily anti-religious posts, I don't believe for a second that you'd be supportive. You have shown no tendency toward acceptance of religious people. I can only imagine the hostility you'd have toward their choice.
I've told you this before, Vizio.
When my daughter was 15, she wondered why we didn't go to church, and would I mind if she did with a friend.
I offered to drive her if she was serious about going. She never did go.
Children should make their own choices when they are old enough to consider rational issues. I felt she had the intellect to make her own observations and decisions. Indoctrination by parents is tantamount to child abuse from my perspective. Our governments allow it, so be it.
It's not the religion, or any religion- it's the people practicing it.
Not necessarily. Religion has a special talent for destroying families. Requiring acceptance of certain beliefs, shunning those that don't hold adequately to those beliefs, forcing families to choose between their faith and their families, this is the province of religion.
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