Missionaries & the Internet

[_harmony]

Once again Dr. Shades you tell it like it is and once again certain people will still not understand the point what you are trying to make. They will huff and puff and blow out hot air out their asses in order to justify the churches actions. Some people that aren't even Mormon will try and throw out scriptures in order to back up Mormon beliefs about the suffering the missionaries must endure.

I understand quite well what Shades is saying, and I tend to agree with him to a certain extent. However, there is another way of looking at it, and that is that missionary service is expected to be difficult, expected to be harsh, expected to be physically demanding. If it was less harsh, less growth would take place. Were the church to step in and make life easy for the missionaries, and by extension for the members, there would no doubt be a raft of criticism thrown at them, saying how they deprived those missionaries of learning what hardship is really about, and thereby shortchanged them of the missionary character building experiences their fathers had. Any character failure from then on would be blamed on the church, for failing to provide the optimum missionary experience (which is always the one that the previous generation had) because they erred by housing the missionaries in decent housing.

The church doesn't get to win in this argument, ever. Catch 22 for them.

The billion dollar church that spends more on a mall then they do on their missionaries leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Don't ever join the Catholics. Monks and nuns live on a pittance while the pope lives in the lap of centuries of luxury. Don't ever think that the Mormons were the first or even the worst at this. They're just the ones we happen to know the best.

[_OUT OF MY MISERY]

Once again Dr. Shades you tell it like it is and once again certain people will still not understand the point what you are trying to make. They will huff and puff and blow out hot air out their asses in order to justify the churches actions. Some people that aren't even Mormon will try and throw out scriptures in order to back up Mormon beliefs about the suffering the missionaries must endure.

I understand quite well what Shades is saying, and I tend to agree with him to a certain extent. However, there is another way of looking at it, and that is that missionary service is expected to be difficult, expected to be harsh, expected to be physically demanding. If it was less harsh, less growth would take place. Were the church to step in and make life easy for the missionaries, and by extension for the members, there would no doubt be a raft of criticism thrown at them, saying how they deprived those missionaries of learning what hardship is really about, and thereby shortchanged them of the missionary character building experiences their fathers had. Any character failure from then on would be blamed on the church, for failing to provide the optimum missionary experience (which is always the one that the previous generation had) because they erred by housing the missionaries in decent housing.

The church doesn't get to win in this argument, ever. Catch 22 for them.

The billion dollar church that spends more on a mall then they do on their missionaries leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Don't ever join the Catholics. Monks and nuns live on a pittance while the pope lives in the lap of centuries of luxury. Don't ever think that the Mormons were the first or even the worst at this. They're just the ones we happen to know the best.

Harmony
I don't plan on joining any religion ever. I am too set in my ways to change now.
Don't monks and nuns choose to live in poverty?
I don't think missionaries chose to live in poverty when they go on a mission. Do they?
Monks and nuns are not out selling their church. I'm not sure why monks and nuns do what they do?
Misssionaries are salesmen or sales people and should be treated like so.
Monks and nuns do not live in slums and they eat well and receive medical care.

How does cutting their food budget down to 110.00 a month build character?
Living in substandard housing builds character? Really
Interesting way to build character I'll say that much.

[_harmony]

Harmony
I don't plan on joining any religion ever. I am too set in my ways to change now.
Don't monks and nuns choose to live in poverty?
I don't think missionaries chose to live in poverty when they go on a mission. Do they?

They choose to live in whatever conditions are provided for them. They know these things, going in.

Monks and nuns are not out selling their church. I'm not sure why monks and nuns do what they do?
Misssionaries are salesmen or sales people and should be treated like so.
Monks and nuns do not live in slums and they eat well and receive medical care.

Some do. Some don't. Depends on their order's mission and what order they join. Neither do all missionaries live in slums. Actually, it's pretty rare for missionaries to live in slums. Missionaries live exactly like the people they're teaching live. If their area is what we in the States would consider a slum, then that's where the missionaries live too. But for the most part, missionaries maybe don't live in what they're used to, in an upper middle class home, but it'll do in the short run, which is all a mission is.

How does cutting their food budget down to 110.00 a month build character?

You seem to think that the missionaries are starving. If they're getting $110 a month for food, and they're spending it on steaks and Kentucky Fried Chicken, then it's likely not going to last the whole month. But if they're frugal, shop wisely, cook plainly (without the sour cream and cream cheese we seem to rely so heavily on in the States), they can eat just fine on $110 a month.

Living in substandard housing builds character? Really
Interesting way to build character I'll say that much.

Living as the people they're teaching live builds character, yes, if the missionary serves with a humble spirit. It won't, if the missionary is proud and unbendable to God's will.

[_Jason Bourne]

Of course you don't see it as a vast evil group of men un-caringly exploiting the missionaries. You are still on the inside looking out. Some of us are on the outside looking in and we see things differently.

Well duh. Everyone has bias including you.

We see a billion dollar church scrimping on the care of the missionaries.

Big deal. I have noted that in some cases this may be correct and in others it is not. And given the fact the most missionaries, in spite of what some have said here, don't feel slighted seems to speak favorably on the experience.

Nothing you can say can justify how the church spends its money.

You mean nothing I can say can convince your narrow mind on this point.

Of course no RM is going to come home and complain about his/her awful mission. That would be suicide.

It would? Why? So let me see. Most missionaries look on their experience positively but we can not rely on them because they are lying but you really know how they feel?

You are not allowed to complain now are you.

Sure you are. Where do you get these stupid ideas?

I admire those that serve a mission, selling a religion has got to be a tough job.

Hold on.......Sorry, I just fell out of my chair, I was shocked you made a half way positive comment.

[_Jason Bourne]

Harmony
I don't plan on joining any religion ever. I am too set in my ways to change now.
Don't monks and nuns choose to live in poverty?
I don't think missionaries chose to live in poverty when they go on a mission. Do they?
Monks and nuns are not out selling their church. I'm not sure why monks and nuns do what they do?
Misssionaries are salesmen or sales people and should be treated like so.
Monks and nuns do not live in slums and they eat well and receive medical care.

Mormon missionaries do choose to live for two years a life of certain deprivations and luxury that they enjoyed as well as foregoing other activities they normally would do at the time. They do it fully aware of what they are getting into.


Shades,I am not totally unsympathetic to many of your points. I just don't carry it as far as you do. Like I said, we will simply have to disagre on some of this.