The recent case in the UK of 3 women brainwashed and enslaved, now rescued, has brought to my mind the plight of unhappy missionaries.

Many parallels that I cannot avoid thinking about.

Emotionally bound by brainwashing putting these people in invisible handcuffs.

No freedom of movement or free will - busy work with no reward.

Fear of consequences of escape.

Stockholm syndrome traits.

Given that missionaries are often browbeaten into 'serving', surrendering their passports and relinquishing freedom to contact loved ones, together with restrictions on movement and constant surveillance by 'superiors' and peers, one cannot help but see parallels within this structure.

I suppose this only becomes a concern if and when a missionary wishes to 'escape'. Enormous emotional pressure is applied and the invisible handcuffs are therefore tightened.

If a missionary has to threaten legal enforcement at the refusal of passport return, or attendance at a family funeral/event, then the church may need to tread carefully in the UK after recent revelations.

Briggy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2013 04:15AM by brigantia.

It's not a stretch at all. I very often think of my mission as slavery. Involuntary labor, no compensation, no freedom to do or even think what you want ... I mean I'm just sayin, the BEST days were the ones I got to pull weeds instead of bothering people.

Yes the missionaries are enslaved, but it's not just the missionaries. Every active church member is enslaved, giving up 10% of their income (which is 10% of their work). Endless meetings, callings, left with little to no free time, it's sad.

Sirius Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes the missionaries are enslaved, but it's not
> just the missionaries. Every active church member
> is enslaved

100% spot on.
That is why it is so hard to extricate oneself from this mire.

The instrument of enslavement is one's own mind.

It is like having to live their idea of the devils plan. Freewill and freedom of expression denied,the ability to socialize with defectors. Freedom to act as a freethinking individual is an action of apostasy. If you leave you are shunned by family and friends because you are now an enemy of god.

Missionaries are treated with strict oversight because these young people are not fully mature and not ready for the sales position. Also, they are young enough to be fully controlled by the mormon cult.
How would you feel about an employer asking you to work the next 2 years with half a day off every week? Ask you to minimize contact with your family to concentrate on your assignment. Give you a small amount money to live in poverty and control your schedule from 6 am to 10pm. Now if you don't perform you will be told you will never be worthy of another job for the rest of your life for not being loyal to the corporation.

Ready to tell the employer to pound sand? Poor missionaries working for the cult.

Also, don't forget those poor brainwashed missionary slaves actually PAY the cult for the opportinity to be enslaved. THAT is the ultimate slap in the face.

I think the enslavement term applies here for the excellent reasons that have been mentioned as well as another big one----

Missionaries are forbidden to keep aware of current news in which they are serving, the home town they waved good-by to, and the world period.

Isolation is real and alive here.

This is so unhealthy for the mental and physical welfare of the missionary in so many ways such as:

1) Thinking and hearing about something other than missionary work is healthy. They need a chance to give their mind a break from their "work" as normal people do.

2) It keeps them on a childish level and implies that they are not old enough to listen to the news on their own, that "big brother" must be the censor go-between. This sets them up to think that this is a healthy life-long pattern, which is just what the cult has in mind. Can't have them thinking for themselves. They need be kept child-like. I believe it is exactly what the cult aims to accomplish, and a habit is being formed intentionally.

3) Missionaries do not know what is going on in their new neighborhood in which they live. Seeing a headline or two that announces there is a chance of some big traffic delays in their area, that on Wednesday their community is having a farmer's market or an art festival, the local school had an outbreak of whooping cough, etc. etc can all be valuable for a missionary to know. The MP cannot know himself nor inform each missionary of this type of news.

4) The missionaries are not seeing themselves as part of anything other than the so-called true church. The cult is all you need to have. Again, a start to another unhealthy habit.

5) The isolation is a beginning of a mentality that the cult is top-dog---it's US AGAINST THEM



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2013 07:24AM by presleynfactsrock.

I agree. At least for some of them. I think it depends on them missionary.

The thing is, when you have a strict mormon upbringing, you're often not capable of rebelling. You feel like you HAVE to follow all the rules. Your life revolves around pleasing other people, and looking good. You do basically become enslaved on a mission. Especially those who don't want to go, but feel like they have to.

A normal teenage boy would simply not follow the rules if they didn't want to. They wouldn't be scared to leave early if they hated it. This applies to some mormons too, there are some that are capable of rebelling, but I'd say most aren't (the ones that are probably would've chosen not to go in the first place).

But had I ended up on a mission, I would've spent 2 years doing things I hated 24/7. I'm not comfortable with eating food in the houses of near strangers. I'm not comfortable with knocking on people's doors and trying to enter into their privacy. I'm not comfortable with doing talks infront of large crowds regularly. But I would've done those things anyway if I had gone (which I very almost did). I was a slave when I was a mormon. To my parents and to the church.

From a psycho-social definitional view, sure. But I would probably characterize the relationship as more of an abusive marital one in which a dependent spouse is told repeatedly of her (usually) worthlessness without the controlling spouse.

But from a legal definitional perceptive, I don't see it. And I can just see a TSCC attorney cross-examining a missionary who claimed being enslaved.

- "Did anyone physically restrain you?" ("No.")

- "Did you attempt to physically leave?" ("No.)

- "Did you ever tell your mission president that you wanted to leave?" ("No.")

They are at least indentured servants.

Not physically enslaved, but definitely in an emotionally abusive situation. I think the whole mission system is set up to break the spirit of young people and make them too afraid to challenge their leaders.

But mormon missions CAN be on the human trafficking spectrum.
Especially when missionaries are prohibited from leaving by witholding their passport.

It is a really shitty thing to make your kid do. Umm.. I mean the best two years of my life

Yes. I didn't really "feel" that I had the option of going home when I was on the mission. There were too many factors preventing me from going home even though I was miserable. Here are some possible evidences of the enslavement theory.

1) Missionaries are given a bare subsistance allowance for working 12-16 hour days without a weekend.

2) Freedom of Movement restricted. Not enough money to get a plane ticket and fly home. Actually, I was told on my mission that missionaries had to pay their own way home if they decided to leave. I didn't have the money to fly home and I doubted that my parents would support that decision either.

3) Emotional/Psychological Abuse. This is done through constant "searching" interviews by the MP. Also, constant surviellance of activities through mission companions and ward members. Yes.. Ward members reported me to the MP while in my mission.

4) Emotional Blackmail. Threats are used to motivate missionaries. "If you don't serve well, the rest of your life will be horrible." "You aren't baptizing because you aren't being obedient enough."

No doubt there's room for debate, but I say yes, many are enslaved. It's not unlike how human traffickers work, in some respects. Taking the passport for "safe keeping" and lots of mind-f#$*ing about how the person will go home in shame. Yes, you can say these are adult volunteers who should just grow a pair, but there's a lot of mind games, for sure.