I got a hold of some Mormon literature. Don’t ask me how. This particular workbook is called “I Will Make and Keep My Baptismal Covenant.” Basically a teachers’ guide for teaching baptism.
This is the interesting part:

“Why am I baptized when I am eight years old?”
“And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:27)
The Lord has set the age at eight years as the time when I begin to become accountable and can be baptized (Doctrine and Covenants 20:71; 29-47; Genesis 17:11; Primary 3, lesson 27).

Sounds almost like a Monty Python sketch:

“Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three.”

Anyways I looked up Genesis 17:11 the verse referenced in the above quote, and it has nothing to do with baptism. Since I don’t have access to the Doctrine and Covenants I won’t bother looking them up.
Who is to say that 8 is the automatic age for baptism? I have known quite a few 8 year olds who have some varying degrees of right and wrong. Some may not even know or care to know what baptism is. Hence the Mormon baptismal study guide for the younguns.
Anyways I’m not trying to use this as a means to bash one’s religions. However this part is the part that just floored me. 8 years old? That 365 day period when someone suddenly becomes accountable for their actions? We’re grasping at straws here.
I could just as easily go into my Wednesday night class and announce to the class that tonight we’re all going to get baptized because everyone in the class has reached the age of accountability. Probably many of the kids, who didn’t know any better, would probably be all for it. A chance to get wet and somehow do something pleasing to their parents. Yeah. That’s the ticket. But it’s not necessarily how God would want it.
Is anyone asking how much do these kids know about their own soul? Baptism should be a personal decision. It should be taught, but not necessarily taught of a specific age when exactly to do it. Its different for everybody.

So I’m not sure how I should take this teaching thing. After having taught non-stop for several months I let my co-teacher take over this time. He said some good things about me in front of the class. Said something to the effect that there’s a special place in heaven for Bible school teachers. I’d like to think that way. Nice. Thanks.
I really enjoy teaching. I think it has to do with my personality. If I could only get better at it. My introverted personality just isn’t made for it. Then again ISFJ’s make good teachers. Ironic.
More than anything else, as far as teaching goes, I think it would be great…even extraordinary…to be asked by one of my students to sit down and study the Bible one-on-one with them in hopes of converting them. One year ago I might have balked at the idea of this, because I felt like I wouldn’t know the first thing about doing this. But now I look forward to it. It’s really sorta easy. And even easier with a young person who doesn’t really have built up prejudices about church and stuff like that. Of course you have to be sure that they are really doing it for the right reasons and not just to look good to their parents or peers. Salvation is so much a personal thing between you and God, and shouldn’t have to do with one’s relationship with others.
Maybe I’ll get my chance to do that again in the future. If I keep doing what I’m doing, I’m sure I could have the extraordinary opportunity to do this.

I’ve been going through more and more church bulletins for a project I’m doing. I ran across this statement in a bulletin:

“What you are about to read is for me. You are welcome to read it, but do not be surprised if it doesn’t mean anything to you. ”
Joey Davis
November 14, 1993

It is interesting that someone would write a bulletin article simply for himself. Much like how I write things for this webpage. I write for myself and not simply for my readers. That statement was made on his 7th bulletin article. Maybe it was meant for the rest of his hundreds of bulletin articles. Maybe Joey was blogging before it was known as blogging. Simply a public journal in the pages of a church bulletin. Telling stories about his life, his family, growing up…etc.
Of course at one point or another it was meant to build up, to encourage others, to impart some type of Biblical meaning.. If by telling stories of one’s life it tends to encourage others, then so be it. He had a good job if he gets paid to blog.

A handful of the kids in my Bible class seem to be asking alot of questions about cussing. Like why is it wrong….or is this type of cussing wrong to say. Things like that. I have a feeling I’ll have to address it sooner or later. I’m thinking a special topic class is in order for this type of thing. We’ll have to forgo our current topic of Matthew to handle this.
If anything this is the time in their lives where they are exposed more and more to bad language. I can remember in elementary school rarely hearing a cuss word. Sure we had potty mouth conversations, but never really hard hitting cuss words that would get bleeps out on the Disney Channel. Then moving on to 7th grade, bad language seemed to be all over the place. Out in the open, so it seems. Being around that type of thing, some people tend to immerse themselves in that type of environment and slowly become accustomed to cussing. It begins to become almost second nature to some people (the Osbornes).
Personally I’m not enormously offended by cussing, possibly because I am exposed to it so often in today’s media. Although I’d rather not be around it. Cuss words are a form of vernacular for people who can’t think of a better way of expressing themselves. That’s all.