Imaginary Friends

[deacon blues]

As a boy I had a couple of imaginary friends, and I created a few imaginary worlds that I visited when I was stressed or bored. I have been reading "Born on a Blue Day" about Daniel Tammet, a man with Asbergers and it described how, as a child, he created an imaginary friend with quite a detailed background. I also found the following quote on Wikipedia:

Kutner (n.d.) reported that 65% of 7-year-old children report they have had an imaginary companion at some point in their lives. He further reported:

Imaginary companions are an integral part of many children's lives. They provide comfort in times of stress, companionship when they're lonely, someone to boss around when they feel powerless, and someone to blame for the broken lamp in the living room. Most important, an imaginary companion is a tool young children use to help them make sense of the adult world.[12]

Taylor, Carlson & Gerow (c2001: p. 190) hold that:

despite some results suggesting that children with imaginary companions might be superior in intelligence, it is not true that all intelligent children create them.[13] (n.d.) reported that 65% of 7-year-old children report they have had an imaginary companion at some point in their lives. He further reported:

Imaginary companions are an integral part of many children's lives. They provide comfort in times of stress, companionship when they're lonely, someone to boss around when they feel powerless, and someone to blame for the broken lamp in the living room. Most important, an imaginary companion is a tool young children use to help them make sense of the adult world.[12]

Taylor, Carlson & Gerow (c2001: p. 190) hold that:

despite some results suggesting that children with imaginary companions might be superior in intelligence, it is not true that all intelligent children create them.[13]



I wondered if Moroni, Nephi, and the world of the Book of Mormon might have originated from this type of childhood fantasy/coping mechanism. I'm not that experienced in childhood psychology, but I do remember Joseph was about 7 years old when he the serious illness, and the operation on his leg. I thought I'd throw this out and see what others thought.

[Palerider]

I have nothing to base this on but I wouldn't be surprised if Joseph had imaginary enemies that he could go around vanquishing. Something on the order of Captain Kidd, pirates and Indian ghosts.

Delusions of grandeur?

[moksha]

On message board posts found elsewhere on the internet, it seems that some LDS posters have imaginary persecutors. Not sure all of the roles these imaginary persecutors play, but perhaps these persecutors help perpetuate paranoid feelings.

[hmb]

Don’t forget those imaginary angels that threaten your life if you don’t marry young girls and other married women.

[Hagoth]

Some might argue that the reasons for imaginary friends might also be the reasons for gods.

[Not Buying It]

I’d argue that to some Mormons (and others, to be fair), the Holy Ghost is an imaginary friend, because whether or not you believe in it, clearly sometimes people think it tells them to do things no holy being would. I heard a stake Sunday school president once say the Spirit told him to hit his son after he was disrespectful, for example. There are plenty of examples of this kind of thing. Whether it really exists or not, for some members the Spirit becomes an imaginary friend who tells them things they are really just making up in their own minds.

[John G.]

I think Joseph Smith was a straight-up con man.

But think the concept of god is an out growth of the childhood imaginary friend. Jesus is the imaginary friend who delivers “justice” on people you hate and otherwise has the all ideal attributes that you wish you had. Prayer and the holy ghost is how you talk to your imaginary friend.

[moksha]

So when we receive the gift of the holy comforter we should say, "Thank you, Bed Bath and Beyond?"

[2bizE]

Recently I read somewhere a statement that Jesus is Santa Claus for adults. It has been picking at my mind since I read that...