Two of my kids went to FSY this past week. Overall, it was a mixed bag with some fun games and good food, but too much church stuff (according to them).

Before they went, they asked me: what if we don’t want to do some of the stuff? I told them to use the phrase: I have my agency. And if someone insists, to say: that sounds like Satan’s plan.

Today I picked them up. With his humour, my boy told me: they taught us about agency. They said: sometimes your parents don’t give you agency, but they still love you. Then they didn’t give us agency for the rest of the week.

It highlights in my mind how un-self-aware Mormons are, and how deep down we know that this stuff is boring and annoying and very few people would choose to do it. If it weren’t, we could just invite people without applying huge pressure. But everything in the church is accompanied by social pressure.