Would the following be an example of fostering free will and independence or is this just social control?

There is a group of people (they know who they are) who force little kids, three and four sometimes, to stand in front of large seated groups of people and parrot exactly these words, ';I know this church is true.';





Once a month, the adults in this group -- several of them that have been called upon to do suffer through this -- stand up and then parrot the words ';I know this church is true.';





What is this?Would the following be an example of fostering free will and independence or is this just social control?
Not my church. My church leader told the parents not to let their kids go up and share their testimony, and that if their kids wanted to share their testimony they should do it at home.





I'm glad my church does it this way. Forcing people to say things they don't know they believe is horrible. I would have died of fright, I'm so shy!





EDIT: I was born into my church, active my whole life.


I'd just like to add, the only Children I see go up go up on their own and they are just glowing. You know they wanted to do it, they were not forced in any way. I once saw a little sitting on the seat in front of me ask her mom if she could please go share her testimony and her mom told her she couldn't go up that Sunday, the little girl was kinda sad about that.





';Young children should be encouraged to bear testimony in sacrament meeting only when they feel the Holy Ghost prompts them to do so, and when they can do so on their own. By not directing their expressions, we are conveying the important principle that testimonies are not a recitation of words but an opportunity to express sincere feelings related to the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.';


http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnext鈥?/a>Would the following be an example of fostering free will and independence or is this just social control?
Alyssa gave an enlightend, accurate response. I have read many of her questions and answers, and found them all to be honest and sincere. Also, It is a joy to bear ones testimony in sacrament meeting. This last sunday, my wife and I were bursting out of our seats waiting for our turn.
That's brainwashing, indoctrination, and wrong. Free will means making a choice, not a coerced choice. Children don't know that there are literally MILLIONS of churches, all of which think they are right. Therefore, the choice is not free will.





That cult is sick.
Sounds like social control at the least and more like brainwashing.





I think my denomination is wonderful but I would never say that because it is not true, no church is absolutely right all the time.
social control obviously


if it looks like a duck....
They're God's sheep (or lemmings). I'm sure they have their reasons for doing what they do. They do like to recruit them young, don't they?
That's called mind control