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SARAH - I am a Christian (no denomination)and I live in Utah. I allow my children to interact with children of all races religions ect. My problem is my children alot of times are told by LDS children that they aren't allowed to play with them because they are Christian and not LDS. I'm not saying all LDS members are teaching their children this because my children do have alot of LDS friends. My concern is, is this standard in your faith for parents to teach their children to be so intolerant of others? We as a family have a deep love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I just feel teaching your children intolerance is un-chrislike. I welcome my children to interact with children of all faiths. I feel my children are strong enough in their own faith that I am not AFRAID children of other faiths can change my children's minds.

JOEL - You are asking me to explain human behavior which I am not very good at.
We live in California and our kids have managed to pick good friends both within and outside the Church. I assure you it is not the standard in our church to teach our children to be intolerant of others. The Church teaches our children to choose friends that have similar standards and morals, so they can support each other in keeping themselvses on the straight and narrow path, but that does not mean that they should discriminate on the basis of religion.
Here is an excerpt of what our children are taught, found in a pamphlet from our leaders directed to the youth of the church:

"Choose your friends carefully. They will greatly influence how you think and act, and even help determine the person you will become. Choose friends who share your values so you can strengthen and encourage each other in living high standards. A true friend will encourage you to be your best self.
To have good friends, be a good friend yourself. Show interest in others and let them know you care about them. Treat everyone with kindness and respect. Go out of your way to be a friend to those who are shy or do not feel included.
Invite your friends of other faiths to your Church meetings and activities, where they can learn about the gospel. Help them feel welcome and wanted. Many people have joined the Church through the example and fellowship of their friends. Don’t be offended if your friends decline your invitation to learn more about the gospel. Just continue to be their friend." (For the Strength of Youth, p. 12)

Nowhere in this booklet does it say that our children should not associate with kids of other faiths. A lot of what you describe has to do with some parents who are just too lazy to get to know their kids' friends well enough to know that they will be a good influence or not.
They figure that if their friends are Mormon then they are safe and don't have to worry about it. But of course not all Mormon kids are perfect; so that theory doesn't always work too well.
The problem is not what our church teaches; it's how a few members decide to raise their kids. As you said there are other church members who don't act this way and let their children play with your kids. Different strokes for different folks.



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