https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64790111


Every year, thousands of young Mormons go on missions to try to recruit others into the religion. The BBC was given access to their UK boot camp, where they learn how to teach Mormon beliefs and use social media to reach potential converts.

When 19-year-old Rebekah Cooper started her mission, she had to give up her first name, stop making phone calls to her friends and surrender any time to be on her own, other than to use the toilet or shower.

Known only as Sister Cooper during her religious mission, she also began a strictly-planned daily schedule - of prayer, study, exercise, volunteering in the community and seeking out potential converts - starting at 06:30 every morning and ending with a nightly curfew.

Along with general Mormon rules based on religious scriptures like a ban on premarital sex and drinking tea and coffee, missionaries aren't allowed to stay out late or watch TV or movies. Typical Gen Z pastimes like gaming and TikTok are also forbidden.

Rebekah is one of tens of thousands of young Mormons around the world who volunteer to take part in missions every year, with the goal of recruiting others to join the religious group.

Most are aged under 25 and live away from home for up to two years - and the biggest training centre in Europe for these young missionaries is located in Chorley, Lancashire. TV cameras were allowed into the training centre for a BBC documentary The Mormons Are Coming.

Officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), the Church believes in Jesus but is separate from other Christian groups. It has more than 16 million members and has the largest full-time missionary force in the world.

Awareness of these young missionaries has grown in recent years thanks to the Broadway and West End musical - The Book of Mormon. Some missionaries even try to find converts by speaking to theatre-goers outside of venues putting on the production.

Thanks for posting this link. I found it very interesting and hope more here will read it.

I found it telling when, at the end of the piece and after her mission, the Sister missionary who was interviewed remarks, ""It's hard not having someone around me constantly. I'd go out to the shops by myself and it would feel really wrong. That was a weird change to get used to again."

That's normal life, young lady...your two years sleeping with three Sisters in an apartment meant for two was abnormal and abusive (caused by your choice of church).

Actually, there were lots of things that you were supposed to do independently and while on your mission.

-Haircuts/trims you sat by yourself in the chair (my companion usually went next door to shop or go across the street to shoot hoops)

-Bathroom and Bathing

-You did your morning study and your companion was usually in another room doing his studies or still asleep

-Fast tracting in a poorly received neighborhood (You would split and each take a side. If you got your foot inside the door, you would holler and the other would come across the street.

-P day visiting with the district or zone would allow you to "split" and be alone or be with others

Anyways many missionaries have to travel alone on transfer day and when going home.

None of that applied on my mission except bathroom/bathing, and traveling home. Often in-mission transfers involved some traveling alone, but even that was sometimes a group move.

We were allowed to use the bathroom alone. Sometimes on P-days we made tapes to send home and would sit outside or on a stairwell, but mostly we were in the same room with a companion or other members of the districts. Transfers felt wonderful to be on your own for a day. I would get off the train and walk around in the small towns it passed through for just five minutes while they loaded the mail and perishable food. The best feelings of freedom ....

Here is The Guardian's take on the program:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/feb/28/the-mormons-are-coming-review-lovely-kind-and-deeply-unsettling

Thank you, Tom.

Not only was that a perceptive review, it was written by someone with an admirable grasp of the English language. You can almost hear the unnecessary U's and the S's where Z's should go.

Obviously this is sheer manipulation by the church, an effort to clean up the mess made by the BBC in 2013,* when the network unveiled a program called Meet the Mormons that revealed the religion in all its cultish glory. The church was so shocked by that reasonably accurate piece that a year later it produced its own Meet the Mormons,** which it advertised the hell out of in order to bury the BBC program far down on search pages.

It is as clear as the ever-lengthening nose on EOD's face that this new BBC show is meant to finish the job. Anyone looking for "BBC Mormons" will find this fluff piece instead of the 2013 program. That the Guardian's correspondent saw through the farce is encouraging--smiling even more beamingly doesn't seem to vitiate the impression made by the already noticeable smile of indoctrination--but I wish the network had insisted on a more critical approach.

I guess we know what that $100 billion is for.



*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jORAciyGk4

**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmJaruLErcI

I watched it on BBC iPlayer (UK licence payer). Some of it was in the style of breathless reporting as though this is new news.

I've lived in NW England for a number of years: the Chorley Temple/MTC is not far from me and is familiar local landmark (open in 1998 if I remember correctly). I'm not LDS but I've been to the chapel and grounds for 'Open House' and work related events, and have used the family history library as executor for a family will.

In 2000, I disembarked a flight from Atlanta arriving into Manchester and the majority of passengers were male missionaries heading for Chorley. I found myself helping a few with luggage collection, locating an ATM and general directions for likely coach pick up. Nice, polite, many spent the flight studying BoM or asleep!

Some observations re the programe:

Dave Checketts was the celebrant at the outdoor wedding - I assume he had the status of bishop and was allowed to officiate under English law? If not perhaps this was the post registry office event. It was stated the temple marriage was to take place the following day.

The father of the bride is a fairly recently appointed chief executive of a local football (soccer club) - Burnley. Interesting takeover by majority shareholder. Dave C is now also on the exective board of the club. https://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/content/new-board-of-directors-confirmed



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2023 12:44PM by taratoo.

I know the Burnley club. Dave C. has that Mormon look, doesn't he?

Checketts is the older brother of one of my good friends from my elementary school years. He was a good kid and admired by his fellow students. Not exceptionally TBM as I remember; I still see his brother every once in a while, his brother was our senior class president, and I believe Dave was high school student body president, but I may be mistaken it was a long time ago.

Wikipedia says Dave was a stake president and a mission president. He may well be on the path to GA status or above.

I'm a bit surprised he was a MP, my impression is that he played along as the good Mormon because it was good for business, not exactly a spiritual giant owning sports teams and facilities. But not that any of the First Presidency are spiritual giants now.

I'm not sure church leaders were ever truly spiritual. But yes, in today's LDS world coin is the coin of the realm.

I'm not sure it's true in England but on my mission we were granted minister's licenses and could conduct weddings and funerals. I'm not sure it said anything about expiring.

The missionaries have to take a class in talking to people using "Normal and Natural Interactions." lol

UK muslims are not going to like this.

Mormons have been on the way in the UK for about 175 years. It has been a rocky road with more downs than ups and this will not change the religious makeup of the country very little. Mormonism is still an oddity to most there.

Ah, British Broadcasting Corporation. I was a bit confused at first.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2023 04:16PM by Richard the Bad.