This story about the parents who apparently kidnapped their 19-year-old University of Utah student because she converted to Mormonism is really sad, really sick, and is worth talking about.
I imagine that if the rumors about this story are true, the parents think have some misconstrued belief that they are expressing love for their child by preventing them from joining the LDS church, but in reality, by not letting their child be an adult, they are doing the exact opposite of what love would be.
Source: Was woman kidnapped by her parents over Mormon conversion? – Salt Lake Tribune.
I served an LDS mission to Austria. While there, we converted a 20-year-old couple engaged to be married. They were two of the most on-the-ball happy people that I had ever met. They made the choice to join the LDS Church with a full and confident understanding of what they were doing. Still, the girl’s mother was apoplectic that some cult had stolen her daughter.
In the current case of Danielle Alonso and her father Daniel, past abuse indicates that we should not be surprised that he would abduct her in broad daylight in the presence of several witnesses.
Its easy for parents to become panicked at their children’s actions. I have to resist that urge from time to time with one of my kids.
It’s better usually, however, if we love them for who they are and come to understand what they like and why they like it.