the indoctrination incident

On Sunday morning, when I went to pick up my son after an overnight baby sit, I saw that he and his cousins had just finished watching The Testaments. The Testaments. Mormon propaganda-missionary tool that tells a story about Jesus coming to America and killing all the non-believers.

And you know what my young son gleaned from the movie? He couldn’t tell me what it was about, but he did retain that the Bad Guy was killed by a wall falling on him. And what made him bad? "He said there was no God." He was an evil atheist worthy of death because of his beliefs. You don’t show that movie to a child of atheist parents. Can I put that in all caps? Because I sure want to.

YOU DON’T SHOW THAT MOVIE TO A CHILD OF ATHEIST PARENTS.

It wasn’t my understanding sister that showed it to him; it was my sister-in-law. I was mad. So mad I could barely eat. So mad I was practically shaking. I find I can’t be that mad at my sister-in-law, though, because, in all fairness, I’ve never told her anything about my beliefs more than “My path is away from the Mormon church right now.” She had no idea we’re atheists. She has no idea that her showing that movie to my son is the equivalent to me showing her kids the Godmakers.

I’m mad at myself for never setting the boundaries.

I’m mad at Mormonism for influencing her to think the way she must: that exposing my son to Mormon ideas can only be a good thing. It’s pompous; it’s ignorant; it’s conceited. But for her, it’s totally normal. I doubt it occurred to her to at least call us first and ask if it’s okay (the answer would have been no). I seriously doubt she consciously thought that she needed to go behind my back to teach my son the Truth. She wasn’t being devious or manipulative about it. Her world view told her it was fine and right, that it was hardly worth thinking about it. I should assume that it was just outside her thought process at the time to think maybe it wasn’t okay.

But I can’t assume that. Because I remember how I thought about my nephews who are not being raised Mormon. I remember how I thought it would be great to expose them to the church. I remember how I went with my Christian sister-in-law and her son to see Legacy years ago, hoping it would soften her heart and get her son curious about the church. (Talk about karma coming back to bite me--but at least my nephew's parents we with him!) I remember what’s it’s like to hope, deep in my heart, that they’d convert someday. I remember what it’s like to truly believe my way was the best way, the Only True Way.

And I know that it never occurred to me that that was pompous, conceited, and ignorant.

to be continued...