Why I Decided to Become a Mormon - Part Three: My (Mostly) Mormon Childhood

Growing up, as far as I can remember, there were only Mormons in the world. I remember learning in school that there were far more Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, and others in the world than Mormons. But still, as a young child it was difficult to actually interpret this information. Some of my friends were Mormons, and others weren’t, though I cannot recall ever categorizing my friends as “Mormon” or “Non-Mormon.” People were people, and religion meant little in how I interpreted their identity.

Like most Mormon children, I was baptized at the age of eight by my father. I remember the baptism quite visibly, being concerned about getting my baptismal clothes wet, especially the white socks I was wearing. I remember being immersed in the water, and being surprised at how warm the water was, just like a bath. I came out of the water, and felt my wet hair go back across my head.

A number of other children my age were also baptized on the same day. Following the ceremony, we received copies of the Book of Mormon from an older couple from the area who I did not know. They spoke to us children directly, encouraging us to look forward to our confirmation*, saying “the gift of the Holy Ghost is the best gift you will ever receive.” I had a hard time comprehending how the Holy Ghost could possibly be better than a Nintendo, which I greatly coveted at the time.

As I grew a bit older, I discovered, little by little, the subtleties and nuances of Mormon culture. I came to learn that my family was not “typical” in the sense of Mormon families in Utah. Though my family continued to participate in church activities regularly for several years during my youth, they did not participate in all aspects of what normally constitutes an “active faith.” For instance, my parents did not ever attend the temple** following the time when we were sealed as a family. Also, I recall regularly getting dressed to go skiing after church each Sunday during the winter. I did not think this was odd at all, but I remember being puzzled when my mother told me not to talk about our Sunday afternoon excursions to others from church. She explained that some might frown upon our weekly Sabbath outings. I wondered to myself: How could they feel that skiing was a bad thing?***

When I was nearly nine, my family moved to a different part of the valley, about 15 minutes away from where we had lived previously. We joined the new ward**** in our new town. The people were different, but church seemed the same. I never grew particularly close to any of the other kids my age, but I continued to attend with my mother, who regularly attended, and my other family members who attended church sporadically.

As I reached the pre-teenage years, I lost whatever childlike innocence I may have had (it is debatable if I had any to begin with) and I decisively and willingly jumped into the role of mischief maker and devil’s advocate in my Sunday School classes. To be completely honest, I felt intellectually superior to both my church peers and instructors, and disliked what I interpreted as unfairly “being treated like a child.” I found myself often being asked to leave classrooms, and hoping my mother would not find out that I caused problems. My behavior mutually reinforced the behavior of others with similar attitudes, thus rendering useless the spiritual advances made on us by frustrated instructors.

At the age of twelve, I received the Aaronic Priesthood*****, as is customary for Mormon boys. My father, who at this time attended church only periodically, preformed the ordinance. This experience became one of my first memories of actually feeling a hint of spiritual power. The manifestation was small and seemingly insignificant, but it impressed me deeply. As my father preformed the ordinance, hands on my head, he pronounced the words of a blessing, individualized and contextualized for me, yet delivered clearly, with confidence. The words which came from his mouth carried a unique essence of authority which didn’t quite seem to be what I would expect from him. It was as if my father had teamed up with some divine speech writer, together crafting a blessing specifically designed to hold profound significance for me and my life. I wondered how he had known what to say during the blessing. Truly, it had sounded like scripture, and I assumed it was something he had prepared and memorized. I asked him afterwards how he had accomplished this task, but he just shrugged and said that the words simply came to him as he gave the blessing.

* The ordinance of confirmation is performed in conjunction with baptism. One is confirmed to be a member of the church by one or more Melchizedek Priesthood holders (typically all actively participating Mormon men over the age of 18 or 19) laying their hands upon the head of the person being confirmed, and pronouncing them to be a member of the church. During the ordinance, the newly confirmed is also given “The Gift of the Holy Ghost,” which Mormons believe to be the unique blessing from God that one can have the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit) as a “constant companion” in life, directing the faithful members in all things.

** After receiving temple ordinances for oneself, Mormons can return to the temple and participate in the ordinances (including baptism, confirmation, sealing (Mormon temple marriage), and the “endowment” (an educational ordinance symbolically representing both the creation of the world and the spiritual progression of human beings)) as proxies for their deceased ancestors who were not Mormons during their lifetime. Mormons are encouraged to attend the temple often.

*** Mormons believe in “keeping the Sabbath day holy,” which is generally interpreted to mean that they do not engage in certain activities which are not spiritually-inclined on Sundays (or whatever day the Sabbath is recognized, which varies by local national customs). Mormons who follow this commandment typically do not engage in sporting events, entertainment, or other activities which involve spending money.

**** A “ward” is what Mormons call the congregation in which one attends Church. Wards are divided according to geography.

***** The Aaronic Priesthood is also called the “preparatory priesthood,” and it is given to Mormon boys at age twelve. It allows them to participate in certain ordinances which have a temporal (pertaining to life on earth) significance. The Melchizedek Priesthood, is considered to be for use in those things which have an eternal significance beyond this life. The priesthood is received through an ordinance which involves another priesthood holder laying their hands on the head of the new priesthood recipient, similar to confirmation, as explained above.