The Church of the Firstborn takes another life.

A tragic story gives me an idea

A 17-year-old boy in the state of Washington died recently because of the religious beliefs of his parents, members of the Church of the Firstborn.

For those of you that don't know, the Church of the Firstborn is a rather obscure religious sect splintered from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons). It happens to have a church here in my home town. Apparently, Oklahoma has a high number of these churches (respectively, it is not very popular...even in the bible belt).

I looked up his obituary and, not surprisingly, his extended family is from Oklahoma.

I actually considered attending a service or two, but was never asked (I don't think they proselytize much) and was previously unavailable. I may have to make a point of attending at least once in the near future, though. I'll be sure to share my experiences here.

In fact, I may have to follow the lead from everyone's favorite Friendly Atheist and start visiting a number of churches in my area.