Has anyone here ever heard an official explanation as to why young men can be missionaries at age 18, whereas women have to be 19?

Back in the olden days (when I served) it was 19 for men and 21 for women. There were (proportionally) far fewer women serving back then.

I understand why they want guys to go ASAP after high school: they don't want them going to college for a year, or having any other experiences that might cause them to doubt the church. Maybe they just want fewer women serving missions, so they are willing to lose more of them. But I'd really be interested in TSCC's official reason for the one year difference.

While we're at it, where is the explanation / revelation regarding the change of D-day to P-day?

I gotz ta know!!

If I recall correctly (and I rarely do these days), D day meant "diversion" day, P day meant "preparation" day. It's okay to not do proselytizing for a few hours one day a week if you're preparing to preach the gospel, but diversions? "No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62.

You mean my approach to ex-girlfriends has basis in actual scripture?

This doesn't make any sense to me.

It is well known that, as a group, females mature several years before males do. (This has not only been studied, and published widely in the academic literature, but will be attested to by any secondary school teacher.)

As groups, females mature (mentally/intellectually/physiologically) substantially before males do.

My guess would be that this fairly well established fact would be off-putting to LDS in positions of authority, because heeding it would lead, at the very least, to discussions of why males are given authority positions at ages younger than are females.

P.S. My Grandma was a teacher. Her real life stories indicated that males often exhibited on-going behavior problems sometimes well into their twenties, while their female age counterparts did not.

The LDS church doesn't ever give females real positions of authority. Even the RS has to function under the authority of the priesthood.

I haven't heard any official reason for the age difference, but I would guess it's because they hope that some YW will get married at 18.

Oh Tevai! There you go using that silly logic stuff again :). There has always been an age difference because they want women to get married. Back in the days when it was 21 for women it was a huge family shame if you had a girl go. It meant that there was something "wrong" with her and she couldn't find a man in her "home territory". So they dangle her out in another in the hope she can find a man there. When they got short of warm bodies, the rules changed.

You are absolutely correct that the male brain grows at a different rate than the female brain. Proven by science but mothers already knew. A lot of guys are not fully baked till around 25.

Exactamente. They want 20 year old male returned missionaries to marry 18 year old fresh outta HS girls.

Should that not happen, the womens will get a second bite at the apple by going on a mission, hopefully meeting a male missionary who doesn't mind dating cougars. [sarcasm intended]

BYW, the other reason for making women wait an year longer before allowing them to go on a mission is to remind *everyone* that women are second tier.

That's exactly the point, send them out half baked. Otherwise, your sales force will have to Joe Rogan it just to meet quotas.

I think the lowering of female age requirements in missionary work is akin to a lowering of IQ requirements in recruiting. Giving the failures to launch one more shot at sub-orbital flight, how noble?

Let me guess who isn't there when they crash and burn. Turns out, thems that crash are the lucky ones!

Meh, call me cynical. Call me a critic of this monumental piece of human waste, TSSC. Yes, I will mock the church all day long. I will not mock God, which the church and I seem to have our differences about. Fair enough. You go your way, filthy whore of Babylon, and I'll go mine.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/22/2022 09:42PM by bradley.

Most of the sister missionaries in my mission were college graduates. Many had real work experience (at least a couple of them were nurses). I wonder how they felt having a 19 or 20 year old district leader having authority over them.