Comments on: I Have More Questions, 1902

By: Justin

Justin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:19:53 +0000

#19, ’tis likely so (child of promise, etc.). Plus, he avoided a cold baptism in late November.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:39:34 +0000

I’m not the only one who jumps when Justin shows up — look at the conversation he can start with an old post!

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:33:12 +0000

“Church-wide” should not be understood as meaning that it happens everywhere. Here in New York, where most of the children go inactive before reaching eight years*, baptisms usually are held the weekend after a child turns eight, and each ward or branch holds separate baptismal services.

*Ok, what really happens is that their parents leave the city, and take their children with them. So, they’re not “active” in our ward anymore.

By: The Other Clark

The Other Clark — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:26:11 +0000

@ Justin #17. Considering his prowess at checkers, it’s obvious he was mentally mature enough for the ordinance

By: Researcher

Researcher — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:12:49 +0000

Interesting that this discussion is coming up again. I spent some time last night checking to make sure that my genealogical records are accurate and noticed a couple of late seven year old baptisms. In one case, the ancestor was baptized and confirmed in “Jan” and the person who recorded that in the genealogy program changed it to “Jun,” which was after the eighth birthday. I guess whoever did that figured the baptism couldn’t have happened before the child turned eight and that it must have been a typo. (Which it wasn’t.)

By: Justin

Justin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:49:34 +0000

Some children are more advanced, both mentally and bodily, even at seven than others are at eight years old, consequently in our opinion a few days either before or after the eighth birthday makes but little, if any, difference.

This brings to mind Heber J. Grant’s baptism, although he was baptized more than five months prior to his eighth birthday.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:53:31 +0000

The monthly baptism bit surprised me, too, because it goes against what I’ve seen in some places much later than that. There used to be periodic round-ups in central/southern Utah, for instance, into the 30s at least, to corral kids who were 9 or 10 but hadn’t been baptized, to take them down to some irrigation ditch and do a mass of baptisms. The monthly service may not have been permanently established, or only became a custom in certain areas, until some later point when it became a church-wide thing.

By: The Other Clark

The Other Clark — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:43:06 +0000

Great stuff here. I din’t know that the fixed custom of monthly baptisms existed so early. I thought the reference to the JST was interesting, too, as I thought the JST wasn’t available to the Church until the 1970′s or so.

I guess that’s why I’m the least of the commenters here.

By: Steve C.

Steve C. — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:34:46 +0000

The good Dr. Pepper can cure what ails me. While a bit off subject, what would be said/is said about medicinal marijuana? Would the same advice apply?

I found the statement on baptizing the almost-eights interesting. It reminded me of when we were baptizing my son and planning a date when my in-laws could come out. My mother-in-law suggested we baptize him a couple of weeks before his birthday so that it would fit their schedule better. We told that couldn’t be done. Her reply, in all seriousness, was well, you are in a branch so I thought they could baptize early in branches. News to us.

By: Dovie

Dovie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:22:50 +0000

My third child was anxious to be baptized as soon as she turned eight. Stake baptism day fell on her birthday. I thought she had been born in the late evening. For several years I thought she was technically baptized several hours before she actually turned eight. A month or so ago I found her birth certificate that listed time if birth pretty much exactly the time her baptism was scheduled. Way for her to plan that out in advance! Her nature is to attend to every last detail.