I think there's sort of a reverse Catch-22 there. Refusing to go on a mission makes you "unworthy" in the eyes of the church.

My husband (Mormon Royalty) deliberately confessed to having sex with his girlfriend just before his mission to Belgium. Didn't want to go...figured that was the quickest way out. He was right. Got ex'd. Left the church and moved to Florida.

;o)

Well Gordon B deemed me as unworthy.

I've often wondered if I had had a different twelvie besides him interview me if the verdict would have been the same.

Who knows, I might have actually gone on that mission and lived out my life as a TBM.

Scary thought.

I went to live with my exmo father to get away from the cult, and also avoid having to deal with any pressure for the slave labor.

I didn't refuse per se....there was no argument. I just said no when Dad asked if I wanted to. End of discussion. The question never got asked again and Mom never spoke a word about it.

RB

Well, traditionally in a serious ecclesiastical matter like this the eternal progression path for the sinner is:

1: Smoke weed for 2 additional years.
2: Suffer through a couple months of Young Single Adults.
3: Get a job with Logan Utah Law enforcement as a cop.

That's been my observation anyway.

I think there have been confessions to fictitious sins to get out of going. In a weird way, being a sinner in Mormondom has higher social standing than being an apostate.

My interview was quite different.

My Stake President was a WW II veteran.

At the time I had just finished my first military tour.

He said it was against church policy to send veterans on missions because they had a hard time adjusting. They were too used to living on their own and resented the hand holding and confines of mission life.

This was the 70s. Anyone know the policy today?

I had a cousin go on a mission after he was in Vietnam.

I do think they were worried about experienced guys telling tales of Saigon, Thailand and Japanese women to the Utah youth.

I had an assistant scoutmaster who gave us quite an education.

We had a veteran in my mission in the early 90's.

He definitely was more mature than average missionary. Also had a lot of "interesting" stories that I heard second hand.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2015 04:45AM by zero.

I don't know if it is policy but I can see why it would be frowned on, my father went to Saskatchewan on his mission and had a companion that was a Marine. A female branch member had been physically assaulted by her husband, the Marine/companion tracked down the husband and gave him quite the thrashing. My father said that this guy always did what he wanted and was never influenced by the MP.

Sinners are bad but they can be brought back into the fold. Enough love bombs, tears, getting wet and/or oily and they are back into the fold.

Apostates are beyond hope, going to outer darkness, and actively promoting the downfall of the true church.

Outer darkness sounds pretty cool to me.

I wanted to go on my mission from 76 to 78. I loved my mission.
The church couldn't PAAAAAAAAAAY me to go now. Nope, Nope , Nope.
If they wanted me to go now,I'd say F*ck you & walk right out.

Just couldn't let go from jacking off to much. Then got pretty obsessed with porn. So now I'much older happily single and say fuck it all and work the rest of life away.

Man the world just flies by smoother.

The seer stone I consulted at the time said it's not worth going missing in order to prop up such a false, arrogant and self worshiping 'church'.

I had no interest in wearing white shirts and ties and hanging out eternally with other dudes/ crazy morons all the time.

I didn't find TMC worthy of my time, talent or tongue.

Serving a mission is a permanent entry on the membership record. It can make all the difference on how a bishop treats the BIC individual that didn't go on a mission. That was my experience.

That explains alot. I was active in the church until the age of forty and I never was asked to be a leader in any way shape or form. I was liked by the Bishopric and got along well,never rocked the boat, but was never asked to be anything more than Secretary to the Young Men's Quorom.

I never went on a mission.

I never want to go on a mission. I felt like there was no way out though and when I turned 18, I met with the Bishop, he was "concerned" about my lack of enthusiasm and referred me to a "prospective Missionary" class that I never attended. We then filled out my application and placed it in the Bishop's drawer. He would send it off about 90 days before my 19th Bday so I could get my call right on my birthday.I was resigned to my fate and simply assumed that I would be on my Mission in ten months.

Several days later a Navy recruiter came to my school and showed a video of submarines,aircraft carriers etc. It looked alot better than a mission so I signed up and left the following October after graduation. I never looked back and never regretted it. My family was fairly supportive and my father defended my decision to many ward members.

I went on a mission and BIC. Never called to anything important other than assistant to the Deacon's Quorum adviser. Of course, I am an asshole, so there is that.

My friend's son began acting out when he turned sixteen - smoking, drinking, etc. Many years later he admitted that he only got involved with those things because he had already decided he wouldn't go on a mission but knew that just saying no wouldn't be accepted. So, he set about to make himself "unworthy".

So sad that a teenager needed to get start risky behaviors because of the pressure.

Today, he is a hard working ex-mo, married to another ex-mo. He has been joined in apostate-hood by his dad and younger brother. His mom isn't ex-mo but is essentially inactive. He is the ex-mo version of the family pioneer.

For me it was a great two year vacation

Let me guess, You went to Europe on your mission?

The other day someone posted about how he had turned down a mission call to Beligum. I just had to shake my head at that! No matter my issues with the church, if I got sent to Europe when I was 19-years old with all expenses paid for two years it would have been the best time of my life!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2015 08:26PM by zero.

By the time I was in HS, I was no longer active. I had been in jail, drank, having sex. Removed myself from the Mormons. when people ask me if I served a mission, I tell them I spent 6 years in the Navy defending your ass.