These words straight from a current missionary. My first reaction was one of anger that she is hearing messages like this constantly. Do this, do that because God expects and wants it. You don't want to disappoint Jesus do you?

Pressure, pressure and more pressure to perform. Pressure, pressure and more pressure to work harder and, of course, pray harder.

Pressure, pressure and more pressure to increase her faith.

Hey, you hypocrites who sit on your behinds and run the church. Why don't you get out there instead and let these kids, 18, 19, 20 year-olds, do what they should be doing at this age?

You are guilty of child abuse. These kids brains have not even completely formed - this won't happen until they are 25. Get off their backs and out of their heads!

This missionary is right now dealing with someone older who has recently been in jail and she is expected to show him the magical answer which will turn his life around (the gospel). Seriously?

She recently felt like she had to repent and see her MP because she was feeling tired, real tired.

Hell, she is tired....and has everyright to say she is tired and not feel guilty or ashamed.

Instead, she asks for a blessing to help her out.

I HATE the youth missionary system.

The church leaders are keenly aware that the youth are key to the future growth of the church. They have special programs to draw in the youth and to keep them in. Without the the involvement of the youth of any given generation, the church would quickly shrink and become even more irrelevant in the world than it already is. Each generation the church makes serious mistakes in how they deal with the youth in their little social experiment. If you can find better outlets to help expand the lives of today's young, they'll be better off for it.

azsteve Wrote:
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> The church leaders are keenly aware that the youth
> are key to the future growth of the church.

Growth? Heck, they're essential for maintaining the numbers they have. Some past apostle (I've forgotten which) confessed the church would die with the loss of just one generation.

Get them while they are young.

Get them to invest heavily.
Then they will not want to turn their backs on their investment and will stay the course. This is a very human trait that the Gerontocracy know how to exploit---"Throwing good money after bad."

Your post illustrates what I saw in missionary work. Repenting for being tired. OMG. Most missionaries are out to play the game the best and be considered the most valiant of Heavenly Father's warriors ever. It is a competition. I saw the one-upmanship constantly on my mission. I guess these decades later it's still "what is."

A mission is the quickest way to waste your talents. Nice post, presley.

Appreciate your compliment.

I get so worked up over the youth mish thing. This granddaughter is such a hard worker, takes "her" church so seriously and life so seriously, and always been a child that follows the letter of the law. I have had a VERY difficult time reading her correspondence, hearing the crap that is continually drilled into her.

The one saving grace is that she has had companions that she enjoys, is serving in the US of A where medical attention is close by if needed, and is "allowed" to call home more than twice each year!!!! Thank Gawd for a few rays of sunshine.

My mom, who was (at best) a marginal singer, loved to sing in the ward choir. She often used the "talents" that I was given, plus my temple covenants, to try to guilt me into joining the ward choir.

I sang in my high school choir, but I never sang with any choir after that. I would hardly describe my voice as a God-given talent. Maybe if I was a better singer, my mom's guilt trip might have worked, but I never did sing with the ward choir.

The funny thing is they aren't more "talented" than all the other kids overall...unless you consider being credulous and manipulated to be talents.

Do they ever wonder how all those "talented" people who are not Mormon somehow manage to do good in the world without the church taking credit?

About this talent thing....I was incensed that in my granddaughter's words she was told that it was her "responsibility" to do good in the world with the many talents she was given. I just have a mighty hard time picturing a GAWD putting it this way....you know, do what I say, or else!

So why is she doing missionary work instead of doing some good in the world?

Bingo, bradley!

My Mom wanted to be that missionary mom. She wanted that honorary badge at all costs. She even took out additional life insurance on me during that time, with a clause of free shipping of my corpse!

She knew the church wouldn't pay for funeral expenses. I am still shocked because she held onto this lovely secret for 15 years.

My Dad had his head on straight and felt the need to rescue me the following morning after dropping me off the previous day in Provo. From Ely, he drove due east on Hwy 50 for almost an hour to make his way and pick up his son.

My Mom finally caught on that they were heading in the wrong direction for California. They had one helluva fight. Then spent an awkward day driving in silence on one of the loneliest roads in Nevada. And the fight was all about her grief and embarrassment about having to face the sisters in the ward of failing to send any of her children on a church mission.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2021 01:02PM by messygoop.

I really wish that he would have made it back to reclaim me. Instead, I found the trail of bad experiences at the MTC.

Funny thing is, according to mormon doctrine, we aren't actually "given" any talents. The way it goes, we developed our talents in the pre-existence, during those many long years we spent in the celestial courts on high, basking in god's very presence and preparing to take our turn on earth.

So whatever talents we possess are ours through our own pre-mortal effort. If Elohim had any part, it was to take away or hide our knowledge of those talents, or even our ability to exercise them, when we passed through The Veil™ into mortality. Thanks for nothing, Elohim!

I never heard this aspect of the whole fairy tale. Pretty interesting.

What I heard about the preexistence was that our placement in our earthly family depended on our performance in heaven. What a gawd! I mean if this was true and god was kind and loving, intelligent and caring, you would think now wouldn't you, that you would be placed in a wonderful home that could help and assist you in mending your whatever needed to be mended.

Makes sense to me!

And, this deal, this landing in a certain home made me angry and I wanted proof that this was REALLY the case. I mean, my home left way to much to be desired. Could I have been that bad?

It makes no sense that I developed being lazy as my talent while basking in ghawd's presence!

But develop it I did!!

I've always hated it when certain people feel that they need to poke and prod and "motivate" the rest of us. I feel that I've achieved a great number of useful things simply by putting one foot in front of the other each day. No prodding required!

Thank you so much for sharing this thought as I have very much felt this way also but did not know or even dare voice asking if anyone else felt this way too. I, and I don't mean to boast, but I have been very much a self motivator and do take pride in my accomplishments because I have used hard work to make these happen. So when others, especially Mormon others, become a force in this scene by either taken credit or prodding and pushing as you voiced their actions are intrusive and very untrustworthy.

presleynfactsrock Wrote:
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> These kids brains
> have not even completely formed -
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Guilt is particularly effective when the capacity for reason has not yet developed fully.

You value these as individual human beings to be developed.
TSCC values these as cannon fodder to be manipulated.

And that is the difference.

There's no need to bother unless you so choose.

As I recall from my days as a ChurchCo patron, my talent was to be quiet and leave the persons on either side of me alone.

I’ve gotten pretty good at it over the years, so, yeah, it’s true I guess...