How would you reform the LDS mission program?

[_Dr. Shades]

Oh, yeah: I would also allow both men and women to serve at age 18 if they wished.

[_just me]

I would also make them shorter and allow people to do several. Say a semester/trimester in length and allow people to do one a year all through college if they'd like to. Or they could serve them back to back for a year.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

I think the question itself is a bit flawed since the point of serving a Mormon mission isn't to grow the Kingdom of God on this earth (clearly not happening to any significant degree), but rather to act as a marketing tool to the familytocracy of Utah Brighamites. The mission itself serves two things:

1) It reassures the highly nepotized Mormon corridor, more specifically the SLC Mormon corridor, that they're doing something and thus continue to pay their tithings. I think it's purely psychological for Mormons, but once they serve a mission their attrition rate is lower than those who haven't. So, it's important for corporate Mormonism to indoctrinate Mormons into serving a mission because it's better for the bottom line.

2) Acts as a rite of passage for Mormons, more specifically the highly nepotistic religious, political, and economic families that comprise most of the Mormon corridor. Generally, if you serve a mission you're allowed to progress to the next step of whatever system you find yourself in (within the corridor)... However, if you fail to serve a mission you will generally find yourself cast out, or at least not very competitive with others who meet this requirement.

As you can see altruism plays no part in the fiscal, social, and political model of corridor Mormonism. It's about the bottom line, and tweaking the mission paradigm serves only to destabilize the system. So, it can't happen to any meaningful degree.

- VRDRC

[_sock puppet]

I think the question itself is a bit flawed since the point of serving a Mormon mission isn't to grow the Kingdom of God on this earth (clearly not happening to any significant degree), but rather to act as a marketing tool to the familytocracy of Utah Brighamites. The mission itself serves two things:

1) It reassures the highly nepotized Mormon corridor, more specifically the SLC Mormon corridor, that they're doing something and thus continue to pay their tithings. I think it's purely psychological for Mormons, but once they serve a mission their attrition rate is lower than those who haven't. So, it's important for corporate Mormonism to indoctrinate Mormons into serving a mission because it's better for the bottom line.

2) Acts as a rite of passage for Mormons, more specifically the highly nepotistic religious, political, and economic families that comprise most of the Mormon corridor. Generally, if you serve a mission you're allowed to progress to the next step of whatever system you find yourself in (within the corridor)... However, if you fail to serve a mission you will generally find yourself cast out, or at least not very competitive with others who meet this requirement.

As you can see altruism plays no part in the fiscal, social, and political model of corridor Mormonism. It's about the bottom line, and tweaking the mission paradigm serves only to destabilize the system. So, it can't happen to any meaningful degree.

- VRDRC

I agree Dr Cam. The mission program is just the farm program for the Major League. It is where the Brethren get the blue reports that are so important in the review of who will be tapped to be a bishop or stake president or... .

[_Tator]

In 2014 there will be a lot openings in Kabul, Afghanistan. Send them there to convert the Taliban. Let Mormons mingle with Muslims. Make DCP the Mission President.