Darth J wrote:KevinSim wrote:The mission experience does an enormous amount of preparing young men to be good fathers.
Name one specific thing unique to LDS missions that prepares someone to be a good father.
ETA: And specify what you mean by "good" fathers.
There have been a number of statistical studies discussing Mormon sociology. The most influential to me when I serving as a bishop was Brent Top's article in Latter-Day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and Its Members (Religious Studies Center Specialized Monograph Series;, V. 12) [Hardcover]
James T. Duke (Editor).
Although I've never seen studies linking Mormon missionary service to being a good father, there are plenty of studies to show that serving a mission means it much more likely that one will be married in the temple, and a temple marriage makes it extraordinarily less likely that a marriage will end in divorce. Thus, it follows, that a male who serves as a missionary is, from a social sciences perspective, less likely to be a divorced father.
And, of course, studies are legion about the effect of divorce upon children. I should remark that the negative impacts upon children of divorce have been assailed by some social scientists, but the overwhelming academic literature shows real problems with divorce. I point in particular to this North Carolina study: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/fcs/pdfs/fcs482.pdf.
As a bishop, and I served a very long time by current standards, the one advice I gave to couples (typically sisters) contemplating divorce was that the most significant problem with divorce is that some other parent was going to raise their children, and love rarely is optimal in a step relationship.
As to the positive effects upon the male experience that a mission offers, there have been some non-statistical observations offered by non-members.
See
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-1 ... suite.html
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/co ... 977933.htm
But, back to divorce. It has been my non-statistical observation that divorce often leads to a reduced activity level, especially among males. My own personal opinion is that these men see themselves as second-class citizens unworthy of being trusted with leadership positions, and in the Mormon Church leadership positions are where its at for many Mormon males. These divorced men then "pile on" with their problems by retaliating against the Church and against priesthood leaders which might otherwise be in a good position to help them be better fathers or have better relationships with their children and ex-wives. My personal experience among my divorced male LDS friends is that those who keep their covenants are much more likely to have healthy relationships with their kids and exes -- from little things to priesthood advancement and scouting to marriages of children.
And, if this little board is any window upon the world of anti-Mormonism, there appears to be here a staggeringly high percentage of divorced fathers who might also be returned missionaries. Had they not abandoned their families, it would have -- in my estimation -- been a much less likely probability that they'd be here posting.