I wasted two years of my life

[_JAK]

Jersey Girl and Pokatator,

I get so tired of people saying they were "foreced" to go on a mission, "forced" to marry in the temple.

Its the expectation that other Latter Day Saints with long experience in the Church will buy it that astounds.

The give away in his post was the "I would have been better off smoking pot for 2 years" comment.

The voice of experience, no doubt.

Oh, yes, and the way he slips into the good old boy condescending to women mode. Men who are condescending to women are showing their weakness. They can't beat up on their peers (in physical strength) so they take it out on women.

Merc's vocabulary is limited to roughly 15 to 20 English words, probably half of them vulgar sexual references used as personal attacks against people who go to church on Sunday. I'm sure Merc does his share of beating in his own mental world, late at night, staring up at the ceiling wondering why life sucks.

----------------

Why such ad hominem?

Mercury raised what he regarded as important issues. The issues were the focus of his first post and some subsequent posts.

It does not appear that Coggins7 has any points of analysis on the issues raised by Mercury.

JAK

[_cacheman]

You have my sympathy, Merc. I, on the other hand, oddly have not regretted it for a minute, and I probably never will. It was an awesome experience. Changed my life and for the better. Doesn't matter that I do not roll with the Mos no more.

I had the same experience Trevor. I feel that my mission was an important step towards maturity, and an experience that led to many life changing events in my life.

cacheman

[_The Nehor]

I served with Missionaries like that. I TOLD THEM THEY SHOULD GO HOME. They never did and I couldn't figure out why. They hated their Mission. Why they stayed I do not know. It was like hell to them according to them. They made my life much more difficult. I suspect they've all gone home and are on boards like.......hey, you're not Canadian, are you Merc? :)

Say, that's an idea. Mormon mission dodgers. Hell no, we won't go! I can just see Merc, backpack and headphones, hitchhiking his way to Saskatchewan with Fortunate Son playing in the background...

No Coggins, I didn't even think of draft dodgers, the biggest whiner I met on my Mission was Canadian. He believed the gospel but he hated it. He hated his family, the church, and all his leaders. He thought everything was out to screw him and that he was going to hell for reasons beyond his control. He was convinced he was physically hideous and would never find love (he wasn't bad looking). He was a pain to take to discussions as he would share all his doubts and sometimes his hatred would spew out. The guy needed therapy. He needed to get OUT of the Mission where he was destroying himself. He was the biggest wimp I have ever known. Nothing was his responsibility. Not his happiness, not his conduct, and not the choices he'd made. I hope he's sorted himself out by now.

[_Coggins7]

You caught the point without realizing it. You can't understand peer pressure, family pressure, you can't understand how a 19 year old can feel pressured or forced to go.

Oh pleeeeeeeeeeease. What a load of...well, you know. This is well beyond nuggets and into the croc, barrel, and trough area.

I've been a Mormon all of my life. I was encouraged, influenced, and felt some peer and adult pressure to go. You overwrought hype regarding this aspect of LDS life is only going to fool those who have no idea what LDS life and culture is like. Excessive pressure probably does occur, but that's true of many other areas of life, depending on one's family dynamics and the manner in which one chooses to perceive the influences around him (some would perceive any consistent influence toward a mission as unbearable pressure to conform. Rebels without causes are a major feature of modern youth culture, after all, and has been since probably the fifties).

Pokatator, you're trying to sell your bargain basement snake oil to people who know better.

Move on, nothing to see here.

[_Coggins7]

Charity,

You amaze me that you consider yourself even a Mormon Christian. Shame on you for using "Charity" as your screen name. You mock the very concept, ignorantly questioning everyones core beliefs and motives because they have come to reject what is NOT wholesome about your philosophies of man mingled with scripture.

There isn't a day that goes by that you don't butt in and toss defication bombs from why atop your Rameumtum. Self righteous poser. Unteachable - as smart and as understanding as you will ever be.

The thunderous, self righteous hatred of those who have seared their conscience and retreated from the responsibilities of discipleship for the truth is a wonder to behold, is it not? Job well done. You led some of your family away from their exaltation and the blessings of the Gospel. Good work old boy. And now you assault Charity for defending her beliefs and questioning the motives and reasoning of a number of posters here who exude the classic animus of the text book exmormon who can't leave the Church alone.

Its tempting to question motives when motives are so transparently questionable.

[_Moniker]

And now you assault Charity for defending her beliefs and questioning the motives and reasoning of a number of posters here who exude the classic animus of the text book exmormon who can't leave the Church alone.

Its tempting to question motives when motives are so transparently questionable.

What are your motives, Coggins? Mercury related his experience. So? What's the big deal? I can, quite frankly, see why some ex-Mos feel so spiteful. Did they not grow up in the same Church you did? Did they not at one point probably love and praise the Church as you did? What is the big freaking deal when they leave and they relate their experiences? You can't discount them! You do not know! It is NOT YOUR experience! Understand? IT IS NOT YOU! The Church is made up of MEMBERS! These members are individuals and each will have a unique experience. I know that's shocking to consider (right?) but that's the way it is. So suck it up. If you don't like to see people spew their anger don't look. But surely, Coggies, you never spew? Right? You NEVER demean women?

[_Coggins7]

I know many, many members that were frightened and coerced into serving a mission and even marrying in the temple.

The bishop that sent me on a mission served only to avoid the draft.
My son's best friend does not want to go on a mission. He is terrified to cross his parents in the matter. It is his legacy.

You are naïve.

There is a word for people who make claims such as this, and it does not reflect well on your character. You are telling tall tales my friend. I know it, and you know it. You know "many, many members" who were "frightened and coerced" in serving a mission eh?

You now join Bill Clinton and Ed Dekker as an individual who's lack of intellectual integrity has passed from the fragile to the pathological. I've never, ever seen this kind of dynamic at work in the Church, at least among the young men I grew up with. Some went, some did not. All were encouraged to do so strongly. "Frightened and coerced"?

Your credibility just vanished into the vacuum of space, WHOOOOOOOOOSH!

[_Pokatator]

You caught the point without realizing it. You can't understand peer pressure, family pressure, you can't understand how a 19 year old can feel pressured or forced to go.

Oh pleeeeeeeeeeease. What a load of...well, you know. This is well beyond nuggets and into the croc, barrel, and trough area.

I've been a Mormon all of my life. I was encouraged, influenced, and felt some peer and adult pressure to go. You overwrought hype regarding this aspect of LDS life is only going to fool those who have no idea what LDS life and culture is like. Excessive pressure probably does occur, but that's true of many other areas of life, depending on one's family dynamics and the manner in which one chooses to perceive the influences around him (some would perceive any consistent influence toward a mission as unbearable pressure to conform. Rebels without causes are a major feature of modern youth culture, after all, and has been since probably the fifties).

Pokatator, you're trying to sell your bargain basement snake oil to people who know better.

Move on, nothing to see here.

I guess I struck a nerve.

Hope you feel better after your little rant.

[_Jersey Girl]

I know many, many members that were frightened and coerced into serving a mission and even marrying in the temple.

The bishop that sent me on a mission served only to avoid the draft.
My son's best friend does not want to go on a mission. He is terrified to cross his parents in the matter. It is his legacy.

You are naïve.

There is a word for people who make claims such as this, and it does not reflect well on your character. You are telling tall tales my friend. I know it, and you know it. You know "many, many members" who were "frightened and coerced" in serving a mission eh?

You now join Bill Clinton and Ed Dekker as an individual who's lack of intellectual integrity has passed from the fragile to the pathological. I've never, ever seen this kind of dynamic at work in the Church, at least among the young men I grew up with. Some went, some did not. All were encouraged to do so strongly. "Frightened and coerced"?

Your credibility just vanished into the vacuum of space, WHOOOOOOOOOSH!

And there it is. A response to a reasonable post that is nothing but full blown ad hom/character assassination.

[_Moniker]

I need a chill pill. But since I am now spewing.

WTF is up with all the anecdotes about those that leave missions are losers and go on to be miserable losers? WTF? The Church, does it create one big nagging, gossipy circle to Twitter at people that suck and aren't so friggin special as everyone else? I mean, if the comments on this board and MAD are any indication I could NOT imagine the social pressure created. It's disgusting, really. The railing on people that don't meet up to standards. The gossipy nature of it is sickening to me. SICKENING!

Hey Nehor, do you have a story about some great missionary that left because his conscious told him to and he went on to do maaahvelous things in life?