This seems to sum it up in a nutshell. From article:

The move indicates the church is investing more in growing its membership while also aiming to get its younger members -- many of whom drift away from the faith in college -- deeply involved in promoting the faith right after they graduate from high school.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/07/lds-general-conference-mormon-missionaries-new-temples_n_1945848.html

They are trying to stem the out flow of college students who are learning some critical thinking skills and choosing their own lives paths.

Interesting, from what I have observed, this has seemed to energize a whole younger set of young people to serve missions.

We'll see.

All I know is I have a 16 year old nephew that I have 1 year less to convince not to go now.

That ought to be interesting~!

I doubt it costs them much, if anything, to send kids to zombie weirdo freak prison a little early.

Going right from High School where relatively little studying is done, (if you just show up and listen a bit you will graduate)...to studying ALL day at the MTC and RULES out the wazoo. I think a lot of the 18 year olds will call it quits two weeks in.

I wonder how many boys' little hearts sunk when they heard this at GC. They almost don't have a say at that point. Mom and dad push them off to be missionaries as their only choice.
If you think about it, it can be compared to girls in FLDS who are married off right from mom and dad's house to the man's house. They can't take care of themselves and don't know what else to do so they comply.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2012 01:09PM by suckafoo.

suckafoo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>They almost don't have a
> say at that point. Mom and dad push them off to
> be missionaries as their only choice.
> If you think about it, it can be compared to girls
> in FLDS who are married off right from mom and
> dad's house to the man's house. They can't take
> care of themselves and don't know what else to do
> so they comply.

Very, very, incredibly true. :(

I wonder if the teachers in the MTC's will notice a difference in their missionary students when they arrive at these younger ages with very little outside experience. Maybe their enthusiasm will make up for their lack of experience with that kind of studying.

It is very possible that nothing much will change: the same number of those there by huge pressure and not their real choice will probably remain in about the same %.

Aren't they reducing the amount of time they spend in the MTC? While expanding the size of the MTC?

Then there is the training after they are supposed to get when they get to their mission. Any consistency will be lost as some MPs will rail about porn: others will relate how they saw Jesus in their scotch and water at the cantina; that the harder they work, the better looking their MM will be; and all of them will rail against there being any reason you can't work constantly and that your lack of baptisms is due to your own righteousness.

They will, basically, be giving all the lectures that used to be spread out over the course of a mission in 12 weeks...

Holland said it was optional, so they can still wait if they want to. Until they're 25.

Maybe they think it's a more gradual move toward tightening their hold on the young men & women of LD$, Inc.

PapaKen Wrote:
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> Holland said it was optional, so they can still
> wait if they want to. Until they're 25.

Supposedly ALL of Mormonism is "optional," supposedly.

But when your parents, your siblings, your bishop, the ward
members, your seminary teacher, and your girlfriend ALL put
pressure on you to go on a mission then the "optional" part
becomes less "optional."

Mormons have a way of turning "optional" into "mandatory."
How many posters here have said something like, "I really
didn't want to go on a mission but it was expected of me." A
19 year old with a year of reality under his belt is better
able to say "no."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2012 01:32PM by baura.

Yep. A word of wisdom, NOT by commandment or constraint...Really now?

Everything tends to become black and white in their world.

But they are tightening screws on an increasingly smaller pool.

Plus, there is no way they can reverse trends and bring back the huge families of yore.

Everything cult leadership does seems so desperate.

Thinking an 18 year old will not toe the line is not thinking right.

Thinking an 18 year old will crumble into a little snot ball for his mom is not thinking right.

Thinking an 18 year old is not mature enough to go and repeat exactly what he or she has been told for the last 18 years of their life as truth to someone else to get them to believe the same is not thinking right.

Sure, they will have those who leave early, who don't make it, but they'll just have a little better chance keeping people if they go from mom's tit to the churche's tit and then back home to mom's tit then to their spouses tit. The brainwashing will never end.

At 18 I joined the Navy, moved away from home, traveled the world and you know what. I missed home for a bit and got over it. I had to learn a bunch of new rules and regulations and I adapted. I had to wear a uniform with a name tag (hahaha) and I didn't mind. I was constantly around people, all day, every day and I got used to it.

The change in age is to keep them brainwashed and hopefully retain them through life - nothing more.

You'll have more "drop-outs" because you'll have more missionaries who go.

Don't kid yourselves that 18 years old is too young to go and repeat everything they've heard for the last 18 years. What better aget to send them.

Maybe I'm playing devil's advocate, but whatever, just another point of view.

No, I didn't go on a mission, I joined the Navy and sure as hell don't regret it. I'm glad I don't have to look back and feel bad for getting others to believe the lies that are TSCC.

My assumption is yes, going on a mission before graduating high school is a bad idea. Many may turn 18 before hs graduation (I did). Long term, study after study shows that high school graduates make more money than those without a GED or diploma.

There is no way they want a lot of men without high school diplomas.

ava Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My assumption is yes, going on a mission before
> graduating high school is a bad idea. Many may
> turn 18 before hs graduation (I did). Long term,
> study after study shows that high school graduates
> make more money than those without a GED or
> diploma.
>
> There is no way they want a lot of men without
> high school diplomas.

I'll address this second point: I wonder if they will accept the GED that some get that is the equivalent of a HS graduation

As has been stated already, this is going to add an element of control over a young man's decision to go on a mission. They won't be expected to apply for college, so really there will be nothing left for them to do other than go on a mission. I feel bad for the kid that decides last minute that he doesn't want to go. He'll be left with no college prospects and nowhere to go to avoid the shame and peer pressure. At least before you could move out and go to college where no one knew you before you decided to skip out on the mission.

I really wonder how the members feel about this new rule?

I would bet that some think its great but most not so much.

Does anyone have any feedback?