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Liked-aged rates of death for non-missionaries are six to 20 times higher, depending on the measures used.

For instance, a University of California think tank devoted to adolescent-health issues recently estimated death rates for U.S. males ages 20-24 at about 140 per 100,000. Even if 10 LDS missionaries died every year, the resulting mortality rate would still be less than a tenth of estimated rates for all U.S. males of similar ages.

I am not sure whether the right comparison is being used. One should not look at death rates for young US men in general, but at death rates for young white middle-class men who do not smoke, drink, or do drugs, and live in places like Provo. Sending someone like that to walk the streets in Guatemala, or in a Chicago housing project, is likely to be a substantial increase in risk compared to their normal life at home or college. And they are getting younger ...

Chap wrote:

Liked-aged rates of death for non-missionaries are six to 20 times higher, depending on the measures used.

For instance, a University of California think tank devoted to adolescent-health issues recently estimated death rates for U.S. males ages 20-24 at about 140 per 100,000. Even if 10 LDS missionaries died every year, the resulting mortality rate would still be less than a tenth of estimated rates for all U.S. males of similar ages.

I am not sure whether the right comparison is being used. One should not look at death rates for young US men in general, but at death rates for young white middle-class men who do not smoke, drink, or do drugs, and live in places like Provo. Sending someone like that to walk the streets in Guatemala, or in a Chicago housing project, is likely to be a substantial increase in risk compared to their normal life at home or college. And they are getting younger ...

Agreed. Also, whether or not one missionary is lost or 20, those lost are still lost under the LDS Church's watch.

And still no mention of the Elder who allegedly committed suicide in Mexico...Oh yeah...suicide victim don't warrant mention...

Hermoine wrote:Agreed. Also, whether or not one missionary is lost or 20, those lost are still lost under the LDS Church's watch.

Welcome back, Yoda/Liz. Also: you've misspelled "Hermione," for what it's worth.

Doctor Scratch wrote:

Hermoine wrote:Agreed. Also, whether or not one missionary is lost or 20, those lost are still lost under the LDS Church's watch.

Welcome back, Yoda/Liz. Also: you've misspelled "Hermione," for what it's worth.

I realized that I misspelled it after I registered. It just didn't seem like it was worth the effort to change it.

I have lurked here for a while and finally decided to register to post.

I'm afraid, Dr., that you have me confused with someone else.

Edited to add--Care to make a comment on the topic?

Doctor Scratch wrote:

Hermoine wrote:Agreed. Also, whether or not one missionary is lost or 20, those lost are still lost under the LDS Church's watch.

Welcome back, Yoda/Liz. Also: you've misspelled "Hermione," for what it's worth.

Nothing gets past Dr. Scratch.

He sees all!



Paul O

Well, I was robbed three times, assaulted once (knife wielding type), threatened by teens a few others, and personally threatened by the Shining Path.

My mother let me know if I were killed on my mission I'd go straight to the Celestial Kingdom (Gee, Mopologists, where did she get such a mentally ill and misguided notion?).

Knowing what I know now, if I were to do it over again (which I might), I would've been savvier, and a lot more low profile in my actions. The one that really got to me was the knife attack. I had to use my Peruvian-knitted bag thing to fend him off, disable him, and stand my ground.

My Peruvian companion was shaken up a bit, but for some reason I reasoned it was just another day at the office. Totally didn't care, and I certainly didn't write home about it (I probably should've so my mother could've gloated about it at sacrament meeting).

- Doc

Craig Paxton wrote:And still no mention of the Elder who allegedly committed suicide in Mexico...Oh yeah...suicide victim don't warrant mention...

I used to think that people who contemplated suicide were idiots, and lower than dirt. Then I became one. On my mission, no less. I was working in our mission's office, on the tenth floor of an office building. I was also reading through the documentation on being a mission commissary (which, theoretically, I had become), and getting nowhere. I'd read a phrase, sometimes I'd back up and read it again, sometimes I'd just keep plodding ahead; it didn't matter what I did; I never understood a single thing I read. But it looked like reading the document was the only way to figure out what I needed to do that month so I kept at it. It was pretty depressing, and sometimes I thought that a way to escape the pain was to jump from one of the windows.

I also had thoughts of suicide back in 2000 while working for a job I was sure I was going to get fired from. (I didn't.) At the time the problem was solved by getting me on the right medication; I've been free from thoughts of suicide ever since.

Doctor CamNC4Me wrote:Well, I was robbed three times, assaulted once (knife wielding type), threatened by teens a few others, and personally threatened by the Shining Path.

My mother let me know if I were killed on my mission I'd go straight to the Celestial Kingdom (Gee, Mopologists, where did she get such a mentally ill and misguided notion?).

Knowing what I know now, if I were to do it over again (which I might), I would've been savvier, and a lot more low profile in my actions. The one that really got to me was the knife attack. I had to use my Peruvian-knitted bag thing to fend him off, disable him, and stand my ground.

My Peruvian companion was shaken up a bit, but for some reason I reasoned it was just another day at the office. Totally didn't care, and I certainly didn't write home about it (I probably should've so my mother could've gloated about it at sacrament meeting).

- Doc

Wow! Scarey stuff, Doc! Especially the Shining Path folks. I understand they like to take hostages and hold them for years. Glad you survived.

Do you think Karate should be taught in missionary training?