On a daily basis young men and young women are sent into some of humanities biggest cesspools. They are infected with parasites, threatened, beat, assaulted (sexually at times), and sometimes killed. Many come home scarred emotionally.

Regardless of how some feel about missionaries as a whole, why isn't "The Church" held accountable for these incidents in relation to where they send some of these "kids"? And really, that is what they are, just kids.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/2015 09:07PM by tensolator.

...hey, quit taking about my house. Have you been over?............

BTW...I don't hit em'...............

Maybe someone who served can comment, but knowing the Cult, I imagine that the missionary has to sign 20 different release forms in triplicate saying they know that there are dangers in going on a mission, that accidents may happen, and that the Cult is not responsible for any "acts of God" which would cover just about anything the Cult wants it to.

No, I do not recall that. I served in a big city, in a rather poverty stricken area. Nothing eventful happened but people did warn us, would even tell us when it was time to get beck to our pad. At the time, and for years after I thought it was cool.

I know now, and thank crap none of my kids have ever whispered about a mission, if one of my children were sent into the same situations I was in, I would go and get them.

Such is the way of feudalism. It's an archaic system. Those that fall prey to it are just serfs to be tossed aside.

Actually, no, they really are not just kids. They are legally full-fledged adults. Really. And they signed releases.

In the last half week over a half dozen people were killed or seriously injured in northern Utah: auto accidents, climbing fall, woman deliberately run over by "boyfriend", in critical condition. I doubt being a missionary is statistically much more dangerous than teen life in general. There are more parasite infections and I suspect more mental health issues, but fewer drug and alcohol issues and general risky behavior issues.

During the first Gulf War, 1991, there were actually fewer deaths among US soldiers stationed in Kuwait and Iraq than among soldiers stationed in the U.S. The soldiers in Kuwait in particular were not allowed access to alcohol.

No one holds the church accountable.

People volunteer. That's the long and short of it. There is no employee/employer relationship with the church. There is, in matter of fact, no signed contract establishing a relationship of any kind beyond the church issuing a pastoral license to missionaries in places where such a thing is required. I never signed anything when I went into the MTC; the only thing I recall signing was the missionary application and mission acceptance letter.

How could the church be liable? People volunteer. They're free to go at any time.

As I understand it you are legally a "volunteer". This somehow absolves the church that you serve, but do not legally represent, from accountability. IMHO!!

Just FYI, I never signed any "release." I was never given one to sign. That was in 1979, and things may have changed -- but no such thing was ever offered or signed.

Since missionaries actually pay to go on a mission, I cannot imagine the church being forced to take any legal culpability when something goes wrong. Now, if the church was paying missionaries to go it would prove they were being led into an unsafe situation by coercion.

The outside world doesn't actually see the emotional coercion going on behind the scenes. The G.A.'s still profess to the media that all missionaries are purely volunteers and are not made to go. I'd like to have tapes of the G.A.s, bishops, stake presidents, parents, girl friends when they skewer boys that don't go on missions. Then put that out there for the world to see.

Because it doesn't have a (good) story... and it won't stick to it.

TMC can't be liable for what the devil (ITSELF) does.

It's liable to lead more people to damnation - and crazy right to hell - than out of it.

It beats (off) to its own thudding drum... and Mormons everywhere cheer and beat their chests and say okay, I'll dance how you want me to dance. Then it jerks everyone around some more.

The problem is people throw money- and praise- at it and expect absolutely nothing in return.

What *Cheryl* said.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/2015 03:23PM by moremany.

Because it parades itself as a "church".

Churches are exempt from nearly every rule that normal law-abiders would not be.

If I had a company that sent my sales force to dangerous areas, I would prolly have my ass sued off on a regular basis.