18 year old missionary boys. Bring em on!

[_Shulem]

Younger missionaries are going to make a difference. First and foremost, in the eyes of the General authorities, they are trying to reign in the youth and bring them under church control by starting them out early in the heavy church indoctrination and cult rituals of the temple and fulltime service for the cult. The leaders are looking at retention and means to save the youth and keep the numbers up.

But with this comes risks – addressing the boys not the girls: There is a difference between boys that are 18 fresh out of high school and boys who are 19 with a year of experience under their belts. The 18 year old boys will pose a certain liability for the church because 18 year old boys tend to do stupid things and act on rash impulses more so than older boys with more experience. The church is putting a lot on the line trusting 18 year old boys right out of high school when all they really want to do is masturbate and have fun.

Time will tell. At least we will get to see some extra cute missionaries riding their bikes. I'll be the first to whistle at the cute 18 year old missionaries. Imagine getting one of them in bed! Wow, that would be the bomb. To say nothing of the new 19 year old missionary girls, fresh bait for the straight boys just dying to make women out of them.

Paul O

[_sock puppet]

Younger missionaries are going to make a difference. First and foremost, in the eyes of the General authorities, they are trying to reign in the youth and bring them under church control by starting them out early in the heavy church indoctrination and cult rituals of the temple and fulltime service for the cult. The leaders are looking at retention and means to save the youth and keep the numbers up.

But with this comes risks – addressing the boys not the girls: There is a difference between boys that are 18 fresh out of high school and boys who are 19 with a year of experience under their belts. The 18 year old boys will pose a certain liability for the church because 18 year old boys tend to do stupid things and act on rash impulses more so than older boys with more experience. The church is putting a lot on the line trusting 18 year old boys right out of high school when all they really want to do is masturbate and have fun.

Time will tell. At least we will get to see some extra cute missionaries riding their bikes. I'll be the first to whistle at the cute 18 year old missionaries. Imagine getting one of them in bed! Wow, that would be the bomb. To say nothing of the new 19 year old missionary girls, fresh bait for the straight boys just dying to make women out of them.

Paul O

Do you think that one year younger for boys that without another year in defining and clarifying their sexual orientation and identities, there might be more homosexual experimentation between these younger missionaries than has been the case with 19 and 20 year olds?

[_Shulem]

Do you think that one year younger for boys that without another year in defining and clarifying their sexual orientation and identities, there might be more homosexual experimentation between these younger missionaries than has been the case with 19 and 20 year olds?

I think that is a reasonable assumption. The 18 year old is going to be more likely to slide into depression and confusion over his sexual identity. He is likely to act out on impulse more so than the 19 year old who has had some time in the real world to position himself in society and sort things out somewhat.

The 18 year olds are on the giant church stage for everyone to see. They are going to put on a hell of a show and I can't wait to see the action. The church is taking a terrible risk. And what do they hope to gain? They will get some increased numbers and the appearance of better retention but in the end these boys will drop out just like the older ones do. The church is a Goddamn joke -- the scientific world has proven that. All the church has is their misplaced faith and hopes in things that they cannnot see and things that have never been.

Also, do you really think that 18 year olds won't masturbate on their missions? 18 year olds have it worse than 19 year olds. Remember? :-)

Paul O

[_Tchild]

18 year old boys right out of high school when all they really want to do is masturbate and have fun.

Far as I can tell, masturbating and having fun is something that forty-something men like also.

[_Shulem]

Far as I can tell, masturbating and having fun is something that forty-something men like also.

So true, but being 18 and doing it rocks. Don't you remember?

PS. All my posts have to be approved by a moderator before they posts so there tends to be a delay -- sometimes a whole day. But when Liz is around my posts go up pretty quick. Shades takes his sweet time.

Paul O

[_The Dude]

There will probably be a tightening of mission rules because of the age change, like more restrictions on P-day activities, strict enforcement of all rules, and codified penalties coming straight from the top of the corporation. Corporal punishment even, as long as they don't start liking it.

[_sock puppet]

There will probably be a tightening of mission rules because of the age change, like more restrictions on P-day activities, strict enforcement of all rules, and codified penalties coming straight from the top of the corporation. Corporal punishment even, as long as they don't start liking it.

Wow. Yeah. That will certainly help retention--I doubt.

[_Fence Sitter]

While it may be easier to convince 18 year olds to go on missions than a 19 year old, I believe they are going to find they are going to have more problems with Elders who have had a year less to mature. What is it they weren't doing before to prepare them that they can do now? I know for myself that year meant the difference in making it through the first few difficult months on a foreign mission.

I think while they may raise their raw numbers they are also going to increase the numbers of missionaries that come home early.

[_Harold Lee]

I don't see much more of that type of experimentation happening. As it is that rarely happens, most homosexual boys or girls probably don't feel worthy to go on missions or are that dead-set on living a TBM lifestyle.

What this is really doing is taking away the decision factor we made as adults, and making it more like a child's "choice" to get baptized at eight- you'll be doing mission preparation in high school in seminary and YM/YW, parents making kids go to mission preparation classes, all never having made any big decisions for yourself up to that point in life. Who's going to say no to it all? The whole process of deciding to go on a mission is going to fundamentally change when it's the youth in family wards deciding to serve missions instead of adults in YSA wards.

It's still the kid's "choice", but come on. We all know what's going on. The choice high school students make is go or disappoint everyone. When your expected deadline now is making your decision in YM/YW, unless you're a problem child (and you want the ward to treat you like it when you have to spend 20+ hours a week around them) you know what you have to do.

[_sock puppet]

I wonder if the 18 year old boy that chooses not to go on a mission (then), but instead go to college will choose a non-Church school rather than a BYU. Afterall, to be at BYU now before age 20 will have an astigma to it.

18 and 19 year old BYU co-eds will now not be as tempted by 18 year old BYU boys, who will by confession of their age be marked as not serving a mission when they 'should be'.