Comments on: The Dos and Don’ts of Mormon Missionary Life http://blog.mrm.org/2007/02/the-dos-and-donts-of-mormon-missionary-life/ It's forbidden, but it's good! Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:59:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Eric the Red http://blog.mrm.org/2007/02/the-dos-and-donts-of-mormon-missionary-life/comment-page-1/#comment-1187 Eric the Red Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:52:26 +0000 http://blog.mrm.org/2007/02/the-dos-and-donts-of-mormon-missionary-life/#comment-1187 It is true as Neal mentioned that the two year Mormon mission would instill discipline and provide experiences to last a life time, but this wasn't the "nail" that Sharon was trying to hit on the head. The point of the article is that such all consuming rules and restrictions, even to the point of parting one's hair, do not evidence trust in the spiritual authority and maturity of these young men.<br/><br/>I have experienced first hand this "empowerment to teach" in my 23 year s of contact with Mormon missionaries. In our sector of the world (Micronesia) missionaries are not allowed to use their first names, at least not with me. They introduce themselves as "Elder" and when I ask for their first name they refuse to give it. In fact, some have become offended when I have found out their first name and addressed them by it. One missionary who had been lying about our ministry, said that he would stop doing so, if I promised to stop calling him by his first name. I have had retired elderly missionary couples refer me to the young missionaries saying that they themselves were not "Scripturians"and couldn't answer questions about their own religion! Once a young missionary cut off an elderly missionary couple in midstatement. To me it was very embarrassing and disrespectful, but this young man probably felt empowered to use his "elder-ly" authority on that occassion. Numerous missionaries have terminated my conversations with them by saying that they came to the mission field to teach, not to be taught.<br/><br/>My personal take is that the LDS church has found success in taking naive, impressionable young people, cramming them with nine months of teaching paradigms and contrived statements, stamping their name tags with a tituler sobriquet, and sending them forth with authoritative pomp. Sadly, these young men and women are not given the spiritual empowerment to discover. In their ministry they seldom present personaly discovered spiritual truth, rather they parrot official church dogma. A recent encounter with two Mormon missionaries illustrates this point. When I shared with them a Bible verse, they immediately commented that there are mistakes in the Bible. When I talked with them later I asked them why all missionaries without fail bring up the issue of mistakes in the Bible whenever I quote it (is this personally discovered truth, or something they are instructed to say?). I then asked them to show me one place where the Bible was mistranslated. They could show me none. I then asked them why they made such statements if they had no basis for doing so. They said there was someone in town that could give me answers. I again told them this was not the point. They were going around telling people that the Bible was correct in as far as it was correctly translated; yet, they could show no place where it was mistranslated. Again, are such actions indicative of a spiritually mature and empowered minister of the Lord? I often wonder if this ties in with the practice of making small boys deacons. The bible clearly teaches that elders and deacons are to be spiritually mature men. But for the Mormon church, using immature, impressionable young men and boys has been a successful practice. Which goes to show, that with many religious people, and even Christians, success is a stronger guiding compass than biblical truth. It is true as Neal mentioned that the two year Mormon mission would instill discipline and provide experiences to last a life time, but this wasn’t the “nail” that Sharon was trying to hit on the head. The point of the article is that such all consuming rules and restrictions, even to the point of parting one’s hair, do not evidence trust in the spiritual authority and maturity of these young men.

I have experienced first hand this “empowerment to teach” in my 23 year s of contact with Mormon missionaries. In our sector of the world (Micronesia) missionaries are not allowed to use their first names, at least not with me. They introduce themselves as “Elder” and when I ask for their first name they refuse to give it. In fact, some have become offended when I have found out their first name and addressed them by it. One missionary who had been lying about our ministry, said that he would stop doing so, if I promised to stop calling him by his first name. I have had retired elderly missionary couples refer me to the young missionaries saying that they themselves were not “Scripturians”and couldn’t answer questions about their own religion! Once a young missionary cut off an elderly missionary couple in midstatement. To me it was very embarrassing and disrespectful, but this young man probably felt empowered to use his “elder-ly” authority on that occassion. Numerous missionaries have terminated my conversations with them by saying that they came to the mission field to teach, not to be taught.

My personal take is that the LDS church has found success in taking naive, impressionable young people, cramming them with nine months of teaching paradigms and contrived statements, stamping their name tags with a tituler sobriquet, and sending them forth with authoritative pomp. Sadly, these young men and women are not given the spiritual empowerment to discover. In their ministry they seldom present personaly discovered spiritual truth, rather they parrot official church dogma. A recent encounter with two Mormon missionaries illustrates this point. When I shared with them a Bible verse, they immediately commented that there are mistakes in the Bible. When I talked with them later I asked them why all missionaries without fail bring up the issue of mistakes in the Bible whenever I quote it (is this personally discovered truth, or something they are instructed to say?). I then asked them to show me one place where the Bible was mistranslated. They could show me none. I then asked them why they made such statements if they had no basis for doing so. They said there was someone in town that could give me answers. I again told them this was not the point. They were going around telling people that the Bible was correct in as far as it was correctly translated; yet, they could show no place where it was mistranslated. Again, are such actions indicative of a spiritually mature and empowered minister of the Lord? I often wonder if this ties in with the practice of making small boys deacons. The bible clearly teaches that elders and deacons are to be spiritually mature men. But for the Mormon church, using immature, impressionable young men and boys has been a successful practice. Which goes to show, that with many religious people, and even Christians, success is a stronger guiding compass than biblical truth.

]]> By: rick b http://blog.mrm.org/2007/02/the-dos-and-donts-of-mormon-missionary-life/comment-page-1/#comment-1185 rick b Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:54:36 +0000 http://blog.mrm.org/2007/02/the-dos-and-donts-of-mormon-missionary-life/#comment-1185 Maybe it's just me, But I would have a hard time covertin g to mormonism if I knew I had to follow these rules. I did have long hair, down the middle of my back, then had a mohawk ,same length.<br/><br/>Growing up, I was into the hard core punk rocker scene, Now I shaved my head, to hot in the summer for long hair.<br/><br/>I personnaly like the martial arts, Fighting and I play Judo and ju-jitsu, (Submission style fighting)<br/><br/>This may seem hard to believe for a guy who reads the Bible and follows Jesus as Lord and Saviour, But I have plenty of times in the Gym to share Jesus with other Fighters, or People like me who follow the old school punk scene.<br/><br/>Jesus said, come as you are, he did not say, shave your head or cut your hair then come to me. Can the LDS reach these groups of people if they have never been their? Maybe they can, but I bet I would have an easier time, because I have been in their shoes. Rick b Maybe it’s just me, But I would have a hard time covertin g to mormonism if I knew I had to follow these rules. I did have long hair, down the middle of my back, then had a mohawk ,same length.

Growing up, I was into the hard core punk rocker scene, Now I shaved my head, to hot in the summer for long hair.

I personnaly like the martial arts, Fighting and I play Judo and ju-jitsu, (Submission style fighting)

This may seem hard to believe for a guy who reads the Bible and follows Jesus as Lord and Saviour, But I have plenty of times in the Gym to share Jesus with other Fighters, or People like me who follow the old school punk scene.

Jesus said, come as you are, he did not say, shave your head or cut your hair then come to me. Can the LDS reach these groups of people if they have never been their? Maybe they can, but I bet I would have an easier time, because I have been in their shoes. Rick b

]]> By: Neal http://blog.mrm.org/2007/02/the-dos-and-donts-of-mormon-missionary-life/comment-page-1/#comment-1184 Neal Tue, 13 Feb 2007 05:01:28 +0000 http://blog.mrm.org/2007/02/the-dos-and-donts-of-mormon-missionary-life/#comment-1184 Interesting post and good questions. I think you hit the nail on the head at the end of the post when you stated that the rules probably come from long experience. As a Mormon missionary myself (25 years ago), I can tell you that I had never in my life felt so empowered to teach, to testify and to love the people I came into contact with. I can also tell you that as a 19-21 year old young man away from home for the first time in my life, I was also grateful many times for the rules that protected me, guided me, and taught me how to keep myself spiritually pure so that I could teach with conviction and without distraction. I'll admit I didn't understand every rule, but the discipline I learned in obeying them has been to my benefit every day of my life. Thanks for posing some thoughtful questions. Interesting post and good questions. I think you hit the nail on the head at the end of the post when you stated that the rules probably come from long experience. As a Mormon missionary myself (25 years ago), I can tell you that I had never in my life felt so empowered to teach, to testify and to love the people I came into contact with. I can also tell you that as a 19-21 year old young man away from home for the first time in my life, I was also grateful many times for the rules that protected me, guided me, and taught me how to keep myself spiritually pure so that I could teach with conviction and without distraction. I’ll admit I didn’t understand every rule, but the discipline I learned in obeying them has been to my benefit every day of my life. Thanks for posing some thoughtful questions.

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