Was boasted about in my niece's eulogy for her father.

She laughed about him hanging his missionary companion out their Paris flat window by his ankles because his testimony wasn't as strong as it should be.

Until the missionary promised to do better and buckle down, did he pull him back up.

If that actually happened the way it was described, then what really occurred was nothing short of a very stupid, foolish decision on his part. If his hands had slipped, and the young man had fallen head first to the street below, he could have easily been killed.

I found it shocking and disturbing to hear told at my brother's funeral. And to hear the mirth and laughter from the audience like it was a joke (but it wasn't.)

When I described that to my therapist following my return home from there, he was shocked to hear that like I was. He found it both dangerous and foolish a thing to do to anyone, regardless of who, what, or why.

Only in Mormondom was it found acceptable and something to joke about.

Even in college, where my friends and I did a lot of stupid things, we never did anything *that* stupid.

I wonder if that was what MJ was doing? Babies need faith too?

Maybe it was just another FPR invented by Mormons to show their faith is better than another Mormon.

Perhaps the person involved just wanted to hang the companion out of the window by his ankles, but never actually did. Eventually the story evolved to where he actually did hang the companion out of the window by his ankles to prove a testimony point.

He would've had to have been a scrawny missionary for my brother to have been able to do that. Really scrawny.

Bro grew up rough and tumble with two younger brothers on a farm. At his worst, I don't recall him doing anything like that to one of our siblings even though he was the larger of the brood.

Niece mentioned something else that had me wondering what the heck she was referring to about something that occurred while we were growing up. I knew for a fact that that couldn't have occurred the way she said it did. It's possible my brother embellished those occurrences for his children, or might she have embellished it for his funeral?

Either way, I won't have anymore to do with his wife or their children. I was closer to my brother than I will ever be to them. And that is sad. That is how the Mormon "forever" family played out in our family. It's a bunch of lies, and damned lies.

They have spent their lives weaving their platitudes of deception. It's no wonder we have so little in common and don't see eye to eye on things that matter.

Doesn’t the magic underwear protect against that sort of thing?

Only if it's worn on their heads.

I can almost assure you that had the young man slipped and fell to his death, then the church would have lied about it. The official story would have made your brother a "hero" for doing his best in trying to save his suicidal companion when he suddenly lunged out the window. Trust me when I tell you that the "charm" of requiring missionaries to write weekly letters to the MP is for the protection of the church. In the event of an unfortunate death or injury of a missionary, the church can produce letters to suggest the missionary was a wee disobedient to the rules of the mission.

Sounds a little fantastic to me and exaggerated? It's rather quite a lot of weight for anyone to manhandle over a railing. Though I do recall getting carried off and locked in a trunk when I was out in the field (I was kind of small).

That's what I'm wondering too.

Another story she shared I know didn't happen. About some boar we had that would scare the kids away from the bus stop when they got off near our home on schooldays. She joked that my brother would threaten the kids that the hog would get them and then there he was.

However the boar was not loose on the property. He was kept in a hog pen, that was hidden from street view. He could not be seen from the street. That had me rolling my eyes (while staring straight ahead lol.)

Now my niece like her dad are both RM's. She really found the hanging the mishie by the ankles hysterically funny. And faith promoting. Only for the mishie who didn't land on his head.

I had a sadistic great uncle that was like that man. He and my great aunt had a nice home with an in ground swimming pool. I was 4 or 5 years old and hadn't had swimming lessons yet. He found out and dragged me over to the deep end of the pool,and then he stood on the diving board and held me by one ankle, threatening to just drop me in. I was terrified because I couldn't swim. He was laughing and joking with everyone there. My parents were furious. This same uncle died screaming at an employee of his who done some minor mistake. He was screaming and so angry at him, that a blood vessel burst in his neck and he dropped dead on the spot.

That would be terrifying when that happened to you.

What a horrible ending to your great uncle's life. He died like he lived, sadly.