Better Off Dead Before Eight Years Old

A Worrying Mormon Childhood Phenomenon

During a recent conversation, an ex-Mormon associate shared a disturbing insight from her time in the church. She mentioned a phenomenon among some Mormon children that, before reaching age 8, they secretly wish for themselves to die.

To understand this mindset, one must first fully understand the Mormon doctrine of the “age of accountability.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, formerly the Mormon Church) teaches that children under 8 years old cannot sin and are automatically saved by Jesus Christ’s atonement, that is, the biblical sacrifice of his life on the cross. Children who die before the age of eight, the “age of accountability”, are guaranteed the highest level of heaven, the “celestial kingdom.”