What's 'flirty fishing'? Using sexual attraction to get converts to your cult. Even though this term is mostly used in reference to 'The Children Of God' cult (River Phoenix's family were members when he was a kid, when they were still using their real last name of Bottom. Rose McGowan's parents were mixed up in it too), it's a practice that's been used by many cults.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flirty_Fishing

IMHO, the Mormon cult does practice FF, without telling its missionaries to have sex with investigators.

I've seen a guy convert for a lady, then go on a mission--only to receive a dear John.

Ouch.

I've seen young women go totally over the moon for a mishey. Next thing you know she's baptized, and he's moved on.

Why do you think they send out 19 year old guys? Nineteen year old women are in transition. They are often times in the phase of in-between stages. It can be lonely. Send in a cute guy, and an entire congregation of love bombers. Yeah!

My baptismal interview book was loaded with sweet young things names from my mission. Like shooting fish in a barrel.
Between 18 and 22 these girls never had a chance.


I'm embarrased

When I was in high school a long, long time ago, I worked at a service station (we still pumped your gas, so you know it was a long time ago) Moonie girls from the local commune used to come in for gas and flirt and invite me up. It was tempting, but I didn't partake. To think I could have been a Moonie instead of a Mormon . . . .

When I was a young missionary, I was a pretty good looking guy. Just saying, because that isn't the case anymore.

Some of the elders were working on getting a lady in late 50s to get baptized. It had been going on for months. My first day with my trainer, he thought he would have fun with me so he went around having me commit people to baptism.

Well, I asked this lady and she said yes, and that she wanted me to do it. Pissed my companion off to no end.

I knew her for the rest of my mission, and she was constantly talking about how I looked like James Dean. She kept hinting at other things, and I finally understood that she was arracted to me and was probably doing it all for me, and against her family's wishes.

I know she wanted some kind of a sexual relationship, as I look back now through less naive, adult eyes. Knowing what I know now, if I could go back I would totally give it to her, just to make her happy. Not as a perversion or to get my rocks off. She wasn't hot or anything, but she was a sweet lady and we unknowingly led her along, and she did so much for us.

I guess I don't sound much like an innocent little missionary boy anymore, do I?

Flirty fishing sounds more like: "fishing with pheromones".

How many returned missionaries marry someone they met whilst on their mission?

Try being the parent of daughters who have been the target of missionaries. The second girl seems to have a beacon on her; it's become a running joke in the family -- want to flush out Mormons? just send her out; we call her the "Mormon magnet". It's that bad.

Suffice to say such a tactic does not win the hearts and minds of the rest of the family (and it didn't work anyway in this case, thank goodness).
Although she still has this jack Mormon friend (male) who seems to follow her around all the time -- which is a difficult situation: he appears to be a pretty decent young fellow, nice looking and smart too...but, uh, no conversions in this family.

Hi. I'm a survivor of the Children of God cult, which is now known as The Family International.

Here is a web page on Flirty Fishing made by former members that has more information about that practice.

http://www.xfamily.org/index.php/Flirty_Fishing

In that cult, FFing, as it was called, was done more by women than men, but men did it too.

The founder of the COG, David Berg, wrote a lot about Joseph Smith and Mormonism. He admired many things about them, and copied some of Smith's teachings and methods. I wrote a brief blog article about some of the similarities. see:

"From Sex Fiends to Family Values: the LDS and The Family International"

http://chainthedogma.blogspot.ca/2011/08/from-sex-fiends-to-family-values-lds.html

Thanks for the link. That was a good read--interesting to see the parallels between the two groups and how they operate.

The date 'em, dunk 'em and drop 'em plan.