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The original was posted on /r/exmormon by /u/thelostandlonely on 2025-08-02 17:42:50+00:00.

My niece is very autistic. While she is verbal, she has the vocabulary and ability of her 4 year old brother. But she just turned 8. So of course, they HAD to get her baptized.

• Because “all her friends are doing it”. Are they her friends? Or just the kids in her primary class? Yes, she’s been to their baptisms, but she absolutely doesn’t understand what they were for.
• Because if they wait a few years, she’ll have to go through the Missionary Discussions.
• Because it wouldn’t look good.
• Because of family pressure.

It took a lot of coaxing to get her through the door to the font. More to get her into the water. They couldn’t get through the short baptismal prayer without her shouting how much she didn’t want to do this. They had to hold her under longer than usual to make sure they got her flailing hands under. She came up sputtering and yelling.

Y’all, they just tortured an 8 year old for no reason that she can possibly understand. I’m absolutely livid and I have no one to bitch to since I’m the only one out.

I remember how terrified I was about the whole thing. And I had a full understanding of what it meant, but was (and still am) terrified whenever my head goes underwater.