How generous of your masters to give you permission to communicate with members of your own family. Next they may allow you to breathe through BOTH nostrils.
Razortooth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > How generous of your masters to give you permission to communicate with members of your own family.
Yes, this from a cult which keeps saying family is so important. So hypocritical. I hope it quickly gets out of hand and they have to issue another edict that DAILY contact is permitted!
A missionary in the ward I attended did not go home to attend his father's funeral due to the mission, of course, being so vital. I was stunned.
And yeah, sure. A "mission" in a dense urban region totally saturated by thousands of proselytizers from various faith groups is far more important than the sudden loss and overwhelming grief of a teenager losing a parent and the agony of being given no choice but to miss the gathering of family and friends and the funeral service, both of which can offer solace and a step to resolution and some healing in the face of profound loss. Instead, the acute pain is likely intensified and lingers perhaps for the rest of the son's life. For what? Another day of door-knocking, speaking to nobody, accomplishing nothing?
This was before they even had service days such as doling out meals at urban missions and food banks, as they finally started doing in this area years later. At least those hours are more productive than their regular pastimes, preaching a "gospel" in which they themselves may not even believe (a reality that shocked me to my core when I heard how prevalent that was within Mormon missionary ranks. How many said to me they were only on their mission to build up their own faith - an appalling approach to preaching a belief system - and I don't blame the young missionaries for that).
I don't think even a bereaved missionary could increase their phone calls home at that time. In fact, as I understood it, the news of his father's passing came from the MP, not even a personal phone call from a family member at such a time. If it's not scheduled or regimented it's not allowed.
I'm glad to hear the iron grip has been somewhat loosened. It's wrong to try and keep hold of members and their thoughts, actions, feelings and lives by force.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2019 03:11PM by Nightingale.
This is what I am wondering about. Are they going to back off when a family member dies and stop putting so much pressure on the missionary to stay out and serve, instead of coming home to say a proper good-by.
Bamboozled Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > A giant middle finger and FUC* YOU to every missionary who has served up until this point that was coerced into minimal contact with their family.
Yes. I think it was really hard on the young missionaries that I met.
EXON46 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In a few months It will be said that it never happened. > Also Whacking day is right around the corner.
Excuse my ingnorance (was never a missionary) what is Whacking Day?
Whacking Day isn't really a real day (yet anyway) but EXON46 is referring to the hopes that one day the church will let up on their fixation with what people, ummmmm, do in privacy, ummmmmm to relieve stress. And stuff.
I agree. When I was on a mission in Europe in the 80s we didn't have the internet or smartphones. Most missionary apartments didn't even have phones. If we wanted to call home we had to go to the post office where we'd write down the phone number, hand it to the person behind the desk and wait to be told which booth to go to and wait for the call to come through. There was a meter next to the phone, ticking away rapidly, so you'd know how much the call was costing (a lot). It made the call a little uncomfortable. It was easier to just write a letter home. I feel like such an old fart writing this!
I just talked to my other daughter and she is summiting papers tomorrow. She said she doesn't know how she feels about this since she wanted to "sacrifice" in the limited communication. She did say she thinks it is because so many come home early.
Ironically, I emailed my eldest daughter before Christmas complaining that I couldn't talk to her on Father's Day and that I think it is silly that parents can't talk once a week...
15 minutes or less (calls only on Christmas and Mother's Day)
That was BKP's mind gem that was his rationale for phone calls. He really thought it was an unnecessary economic burden for missionaries to call their families.
There's an official church document in Mormonleaks that outlines this church standard.
when did the phone call restriction go into place? I was engaged to my missionary in 1968. We called each other regularly. Sometimes he called me, sometimes I called him. We talked for however long we wanted to. Never gave it a second thought. So the new rules must have gone into effect after 1970.
In the 80's we had a missionary who came home for the funeral of his father. It was a sudden death and really impacted the family. He did not go back out as he felt he had to help bring income in to support his mother.
I think this is a case of succumbing to the inevitable. This is a connected generation. Even elementary school kids have cell phones these days.
It could also have something to do with sending out younger missionaries. The church might be reasoning that with increased family contact, missionaries might be less inclined to bolt their missions.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2019 05:04PM by summer.
It is my personal opinion that this is nothing less than an absolute surrender to the exmo community.
They are admitting that the old system of viewing the mission as a proving ground/template for locking missionaries into a lifetime of devotion has become a failure in the internet age.
I certainly didn't follow the rule, but I can imagine the ire now of TBMs who did. Gotta be a lot of anger out there!
Another revelation based on surveys?
Apparently ghawd needs feedback in order to do his job.