So another missionary put in deplorable conditions... dead.

https://www.ksl.com/article/46555539/texas-latter-day-saint-missionary-dies-from-accidental-asphyxiation-in-mexico

I still cannot understand why any well intentioned parent would send their 18 year old children off to foreign countries for a two year stint to be a door-to-door salesman (or woman) for a cult.

That is child abuse.

Anyone over age 17 is not a child.

Also, a defective water heater can happen anywhere. That's why they sell CO detectors in the US.

I know over 17 is not a child. But that they were brainwashed on the way to 18 is the child abuse I am referring to that led to their poor decision making that resulted in their electing to go on a mission. For some of those poor kids, it isn't really a choice at all. It is mandatory. I know speaking for my nephews. they weren't allowed to choose. It was chosen for them. For them it is forced volunteerism by their parents. And that I consider a form of child abuse.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/20/2019 08:09PM by Amyjo.

Come on—your child is always your child. These victims are purposely ISOLATED from everyone who cares about their safety and health what human being doesn’t need others, at any age , in any place?

Especially when their autonomy is taken away from them, and deceitful fools take over.

Mormon missionaries are definitely in harm’s way
.

Plus the parents don't consider it a cult. That is one of the first and primary issues.

So we need to know if the young Texas elder was forced to go or wanted to go before we can agree to condemn his parents as being responsible, in part, for his death?

To me, it just makes more sense to blame the church authorities. Even if the elder were 'forced' to go on the mission, or just felt duty bound, the connection between the means of death and his parents is way too tenuous to make them culpable. The church, yes, but not the so-called child abusing parents.

Would you expect an apology from the young parents, after first admitting their guilt?

The church, definitely.

Even impartial observers could see that circumstances are putting the young missionaries in danger in some situations. They are trained and constrained not to report or complain about problems. Grin and bear it should be the mission mantra. They are told to expect "adversity" and to them, poor living conditions are part of the deal.

Besides, once this type of situation has arisen, church authorities should hop to it and ensure it never occurs again, anywhere.

Besides physical danger, as I've posted about before some elders in my area went hungry for long periods of time once they intro'd the strange and merciless concept that members couldn't feed hungry missionaries any more (unless there was a non-member present who wanted to take the discussions). That too is unhealthy and potentially dangerous for young adults (or anyone!) What if they were diabetic and couldn't skip meals? What if they became malnourished and suffered ongoing health issues from periods of hunger?

It's appalling.

Inspiration it ain't.

are treated. I NEVER would have thought it is this way. I blame the church.

DITTO

I wasn't told that my Mom had doubled up on my life insurance (both accidental and death) when I served stateside. Her casual reply caught me off guard about four years ago. "I knew that if you were seriously injured or killed that church would do very little if any to help." Those are very chilling words to hear.

Yet, my Mom believes in the prosperity gospel. However, she never received one iota of a financial blessing or benefit. In fact, she became terribly strained after her Mother passed and dealt with California's inheritance tax. She passed a bad check from a defunct account and the mission finance officer had a shitfest. She just didn't have it when I called her and I was too embarrassed to call the bishop or stake president. I had 50 dollars put into my bank account that month (which would be paid back the following month by having 50 dollars garnished from my usual 130.

So for two consecutive months I struggled. Oh, but LDS Corp made out just fine! Why?

They demanded two month's worth of payments. So my Mom paid $700 (two payments) and I survived on 80 dollars for two months and the church kept $620. Pretty fair for the church.

We were told not to write home about our deplorable living arrangements. Above all, we were banned from taking photos inside our apartments. They were considered mini-houses-of-the-lord. Cockroaches that were big enough to carry saddles and jockeys would sleep on our heads. Most apartments and houses were infested with rodents. The sisters had a opossum living in their attic. We used traps to kill rats and that was an unpleasant procedure in the morning.

The mission president's wife blamed us as missionaries for being unsanitary sloths. We were all told of the miracle of bleach, lye and windex. We were sold official missionary "cleaning kits" for $25 a pop. Nice little business for her that kept her kids in designer clothing and little Nintendo game-boys.

The parents are negligent. They are lied to by the cult, so, really, how can they be held accountable for what they don't know?

I think the mission presidents (I refuse to use caps for this "title") would CARE MORE, if some of them were held directly responsible for the mishaps of the missionaries of whom they are in charge. Let a few GA-wannabe, power-hungry MP be held accountable, and suffer church sanctions, demotions, and negative publicity--the wives, too. I had some friends who were MP wives, and they were "not allowed" to see the missionaries' living quarters, not even the lady missionaries' living places.

I hope the cult is allowing more frequent and honest, uncensored communication between the missionary and those who care about him.

Here are some quotes and paraphrases from missionary letters to TBM parents I have known. Yeah--I did lose all respect for those parents for not stepping-in and bringing their children (yes, children, forever, to good parents) safely home.

--"My companion and I wake up with headaches most mornings...." This parent, a single mother, drove to the Southern States, and brought her son home. Carbon monoxide was suspected, and she wasn't going to wait and see if someone would do anything! I love her!)

--"My tooth still hurts, and keeps me awake at night, and I can't eat. [The MP] still won't authorize me to go to a dentist, or to get something for the pain. Only 2 1/2 months to go! I still have a fever and chills. I've lost 40 pounds! sweet!"

--"My companion keeps threatening suicide." (These parents called and reported this to the MP, as the missionary would not, and it took many days to track down the MP to contact him. I don't know if anyone did anything.)

--"There was another shooting near our apartment, but we're OK."

--"We have been having 'housing problems' here in San Ysidro, and the church has decided to send the sister missionaries to another mission. I'll let you know as soon as we are have our new address." (This was a cousin. Later, I found out that one of the sister missionaries had been mugged--raped? it was not clear--and they lived in a notoriously dangerous area.)

--We can't get rid of the parasites. Seeing a doctor will do no good, they tell me."

--If I could go home today, I would, in a heartbeat."

Here's What the missionaries end up writing in their e-mail updates: (These were censored by the mission office. In the case of my nephew, he did not write anything negative, because his non-member grandparents were reading these letters, also.)

--One of our contacts is almost ready for baptism.
--The Best Two Years.
--The Church is Global.
--Russell M. Nelson is a Prophet of God
--Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and the greatest man who ever lived, next to Jesus Christ.
--The Church is True.

I do blame the missionaries for lying, but, no matter if they are a couple of years younger or a couple of years older, they are still vulnerable to brainwashing, peer pressure, and coercion. We can't blame them entirely for their suffering, either.

The Mormon cult is evil. Someday, I hope people will rise up against it and bring it down in flames. At least--try to save the victims!