Wife of MP blogs about the missionaries.....

[_Sethbag]

The Church is a collection of adults who can decide for themselves.

But who are often counseled, lectured, cajoled, guilted, etc. not to.

[Guest]

The Church is a collection of adults who can decide for themselves.

But who are often counseled, lectured, cajoled, guilted, etc. not to.

My point above has been made, once again. Counseling, lecturing, cajoing, guilting, hectoring is part of religious faith. If you don't want to be hectored by your rabbi, then get out. I choose to spend one hour a week in my high priest's group getting hectored.

[_Runtu]

But who are often counseled, lectured, cajoled, guilted, etc. not to.

Yep. I think there's something important here about how we were taught to think for ourselves, but certain thoughts were simply unthinkable. Going home early from my mission was such a thought for me.

[_Runtu]

My point above has been made, once again. Counseling, lecturing, cajoing, guilting, hectoring is part of religious faith. If you don't want to be hectored by your rabbi, then get out.

And you've just shown once again that you have trouble understanding how real humans operate. I'm not sure why.

[_gramps]

Bot is just being his typical assholish, trolish self. I doubt anyone is going to get anywhere with him, given past similar behavior.

Right, Yahoo?

[_Runtu]

Bot is just being his typical assholish, trolish self. I doubt anyone is going to get anywhere with him, given past similar behavior.

Right, Yahoo?

If nothing else, he's helped me think through a few things I hadn't considered before. He's quite right that missionaries are treated as children, but it's not us evil exmos who have put them in that position. Take away the power structure and the guilt and shame, and they might indeed be able to make reasonable and informed decisions. Tough to do that as a missionary, though.

[_Tim the Enchanter]

Of course, a mission president is going to want to work on you before you leave. That should be expected. If you worked for the Peace Corps and wanted to quit in the middle of your contract, it would be reasonable to assume that people would want to talk you into staying. And it isn't beyond imagination that some mission presidents and stake presidents will exert some attempt at influence.

There is a vast cultural difference between the mission program in the church and other organizations like the Peace Corps. For those who were raised in the church (the vast majority of missionaries) from their earliest memories they have been told over and over how critical it is that they serve a mission. Marriage prospects in the community depend heavily on it. Leadership opportunities depend heavily on it. And, by the way, the church claims to be the Kingdom of God on earth and the only purveyor of saving ordinances. It's not like the Peace Corps where it can be for you or not and it's no big deal either way. Walking out on missionary service has a much higher social cost than walking out on the Peace Corps or other organizations.

If someone signed up for the Peace Corps and half way through decided it wasn't for them and came home, the consequence would be...what? Would the be looked at with suspicion because they came home early? Would their marriage and dating prospects be limited because they came home early? Would their parents be ashamed of their decision to come home early? Almost certainly not. But in the church, it's almost certainly so.

Only an idiot child would go abroad with no provision for contingiencies.

Then the vast majority of missionaries (domestic and abroad) are idiots. Can you honestly say that you have ever heard of a prospective missionary being counseled to have in reserve an amount of money to ensure he can travel home if he/she decides that he/she does not want to complete their missionary service? Most missionaries don't have the means to pay for a full mission in the first place (let alone for the contingent costs of leaving early) so their parents, families, or wards, kick in to support them.

[_Yahoo Bot]

My point above has been made, once again. Counseling, lecturing, cajoing, guilting, hectoring is part of religious faith. If you don't want to be hectored by your rabbi, then get out.

And you've just shown once again that you have trouble understanding how real humans operate. I'm not sure why.

Many real humans feel comfort in Jesus Christ and all that entails, including being subordinate to wishes of the elders of the Church, as St. Clement urged the members not to forget.

[_Yahoo Bot]

Then the vast majority of missionaries (domestic and abroad) are idiots.

I don't agree, and that is where I differ with you and the rest of the Mormon-haters on this board.

Why don't you spend your life in the pursuit of good will, good karma, good relationships, rather than hate?

[_Sethbag]

But who are often counseled, lectured, cajoled, guilted, etc. not to.

My point above has been made, once again. Counseling, lecturing, cajoing, guilting, hectoring is part of religious faith. If you don't want to be hectored by your rabbi, then get out. I choose to spend one hour a week in my high priest's group getting hectored.

You know, I find I agree with Yahoo Bot more often than many others on this board, and I think he deserves to be supported when he says stuff that makes sense.

In this case I agree: the church is filled with adults who can, or at least should decided for themselves. If they're willing to be badgered, hectored, cajoled, guilted, etc. by their chosen shaman or witch doctors, that's their decision to make.

As for me, I've done precisely what Yahoo Bot has said we all have the right to do, and decided for myself not to participate in the Mormon church anymore. To be honest, I don't disagree with Bob on this point.