Within Mormon culture, there is a hidden threat to the promise that families will be together forever. In the celestial kingdom only those who are fully active members of the LDS church will be invited to enjoy all the blessings of exaltation and the presence of the entire godhead.
So if a child leaves the church, either through inactivity or outright rebellion, parents are left with the belief that their “forever family” is broken—and that this is their fault. We may remind these parents repeatedly that even the prophet Lehi lost children, but many continue to feel guilt.
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