Let me start off saying, you do have to admire the
thought process behind sending kids on a Mission. (Seriously, it’s ingenious!) If
I ever start a religion, I’m going to implement it.
And, in the matter of full disclosure, I
haven’t been shy about asking the ward members for help in finding hirable
assistance of one kind or another.
Mormons are kick butt organizers and extensive fellowship masters and
they have come up with some fantastic people that I never would have found on
my own. So as much as I completely disagree with the content presented, I do
think the process is genius.
Take young men, traditionally the linchpin of societal trouble, and immerse them in a structured oligarchy. Most will comply with demands, expectations and fostering the seeds of belief into adulthood. Plus you get all that proselytizing and any religion will confirm, prosperity comes by increasing the size of your congregation.
So the big news is the minimum age for missionaries has
changed. Boys went from 19 to 18 and
girls went from 21 to 19. The result?
Applications to become a missionary went from 700 a week to 4,000 a week, girls
making the majority leap in application status. (Give those sisters something to do besides
seek a future head of household and they are on top of it!)
Upper ages for missionaries? For young men the cut off is 25. I don’t know why. Possibly figuring that if you don’t have your shit together by then, it’s never going to happen. But for girls, there isn’t an upper age limit, at least not one I could find. Again, not sure why but I’m guessing if you haven’t found an eternal partner when you’re pushing 30, you might as well go because you are a write off in the marriage department (at least in the State of Deseret.)
Now, what I can’t imagine is a group of seasoned sister
missionaries, a little more world travelled and self - reliant, accepting some
aspects of a mission. “Um, excuse me, but
that sounds really boring and fairly stupid and frankly I would just as soon
take a nap. So that won’t be happening.”
Years and years and years later, and I’ve progressed
to the point where I don’t feel an uncontrollable desire to run missionaries
over with the car. (I know! Progress!)
And, when my Bishop tracked me down in
the hospital, we had a very nice chat. It concluded with, yes, I absolutely would let my daughter
attend young women activities if she wanted. No, I absolutely would not
encourage her to attend the hours and hours of Sunday services.
No, I absolutely will be attending the guilt ridden dungeon of my childhood. (Do you know how much
therapy I’ve already paid for, to counter those weekly occurrence?) No, I absolutely do
not want church visitors.
I can tolerate free range missionaries but having young, perky kids with illogical faith-based answers to all of life’s questions
will push me over the edge. And considering and rapid increase in willing souls to participate in the mission experience, I might be fighting an uphill battle anyway.
No comments :
Post a Comment