I really think the plan was to win the election and then have a temporarily huge number of missionaries immediately available to capitalize on the PR.

So now what? What are they going to do with all the new mishies?

Process their resignations in a few years, hopefully.

<3

to me at least... the Desperation of ChurchCo has surfaced.

New Blood benefits most any org, but not ChurchCo; they're CLEARLY sending mishs Just to indoctrinate them... It's almost reaching the point where New Members are seen as a THREAT because most of the 'teachable' prospects have now heard the negatives about Mormonism, have NO DESIRE to get closer.

Last time I observed mishs... they actually looked down-trodden; this was on a Sunny Day in what was one of the HOTTEST regions for conversions in the Whole Church a mere few yrs ago.

Makes me wonder--I think that positioning more mishies for a Romney win was smart. But they might have also considered that even a Romney loss was better PR than none at all.

Do ya think that maybe the fifteen think that they may not get another PR window this big again, ever? Maybe they are striking hard now cuz they think the PR iron is as hot as it will get in the US, their prime market, and even around the world, just because of all the press arising from Mitt's run?

The problem is that mormonism has been discussed at some length over the last 18 months and........it isn't good.

Do you think that makes me a socialist, or someone who wants to stop institutional entitlement?

If you are, then so am I...

Consolation Prize: Hatch won.

Oh joy, what a blessing!

They may be able to tolerate that guy if they keep him down by the south Provo bitumuls mill, but I doubt they can handle if the wind goes southerly. ;)

Good ting DC is far away, eh?

I don't think it makes a difference, at least not based on who won. But my perspective is that missions make them money, a minimum of 2,500,000 a month (assuming only $50 of mission fees is profit and only 50k missionaries are out). Less missionaries wanted to go out, that means less revenue for the church (converts and tithing is gravy). Lowered age = catching boys before they have a chance to leave the church and "allowing" girls to go 2 years earlier, before they get busy with life. If they can go up to 80k or double their missionary force, they'll make back the money for the mall (and more) in no time. It's not perpetual "education" - it's perpetual profit.

cloaking it in expectation of a possible Romney win was just a way to keep the questions and thinking (and counting) to a minimum. In my opinion, at least.

I recall my first area as a missionary – Orange Texas. It started out with two sets of missionaries and then the other set was transferred out. Our success rate and enjoyment of the work both went up dramatically without being over crowded. Based on my experience, more missionaries means smaller areas per pair and more over-tracking, which causes more frequent contacts, which causes higher resentment for being bothered so often. Higher density of missionaries means less success per missionary and a more unpleasant missionary experience. All this with less mature young people.

Hey! I served in Orange in 1994. Good times.

Does anybody recall what happened in the Wehrmacht at the end of WWII? They began desperately conscripting young teenage boys to save the effort. I think the sudden interest in 18 year-old boys and 19 year-old girls after years and years of balking at such a move shows a distinct kind of desperation.

The Hitler Youth and the Home Guard (which was made up of very young men and very old men) don't have parallels in the morg.

Handing a 12 year old a panzerfaust and telling them stand in front of Russian tanks and artillery pieces while the Russians destroyed Berlin is entirely different than sending someone to the MTC so the morg can make money and make sure they are inexorably indoctrinated.

African tribal wars also seize younger and younger soldiers as they are losing.

I predict the influence of Utah Mountain Girls will be a disaster. Just taking away their cellphones will plunge them into a brand new disorder resembling a panic attack. For now they are calling it Social Network Withdrawal, but soon they'll have a DSM category and medication targeting the unfortunate victims.

The main symptom is the willingness to stick the hand that once held the cellphone into a lion's cage.


Anagrammy

The new gospel: Git yer guns & wheat and hie ye to the mountains to wait fer the second comin'!

...oh, wait - they already did that.

Where next, Missouri?

The leadership of the LDS church is misguided, but they aren't stupid.

They KNOW that with few exceptions, every 18 year-old that goes out now is one 19 year-old who won't be going out in a year.

This is in my view ALL about:

1. A gasping effort to boost recruitment of new members

2. Vectoring 18 year-olds to missionary service before the world can corrupt them

That's when they are losing a lot of the youth - during that gap year at college, away from Mom and Dad's watchful eye. And the girls - going from YW to the crypt keepers of the Relief Society? Jeez, even the TBM teens hate that. Unless they are in a student ward, they start looking for escape too.

The mission field is a good place, in the opinion of their leaders, to keep control over the youth until they are brainwashed enough to control themselves.

Its first purpose is to lock young adults into the system. It's a coming-of-age initiation into the tribe designed to short circuit individuation as well as intellectual and emotional development. Even so, the failure rate is rather high. But the church doesn't have a better alternative.

The number influx is a temporary situation. There will of course be another big surge after this college semester expires, and again in the spring, but it is not a permanent situation. This means that the church can not take long term actions to handle the housing, and care for all these missionaries.

Watch for the church to start placing missionaries in trios instead of pairs, especially with sisters. Watch for them to place more then one set of companions in each missionary apartment. Also watch for them to get into trouble for having three or four people living in apartments that are zoned for two, but trying to sweep the problem under the rug.

That last scenario opens up an interesting prospect, where landlords become weary of renting to the church. Elders already tear apartments apart, just imagine what they will do with four teenage boys living in one very small place, and rough housing. It is going to effect their reputation in no small way, and if we play are cards right, and spread the word about how rough missionaries are on their apartments, it will make it hard for the church to function out in "the mission field."

Actually, out in the mission field (here in Canada) the missionaries are housed in members' homes. It's actually fairly difficult to convince members to house missionaries - they have to be willing to keep them for 6 months at a time, the owners can't have people come stay with them, obviously (no kids, no young single adults).

So this influx of missionaries is going to put another strain on members - nothing new there.

Gong, gong! The mormon ship is sinking and there's nothing the p'hood can do to stop it. More acts of desperation to come!

It's not about getting converts, it's about converting the missionaries and lowering the age will help complete that goal.

The Mormon mission is a gateway to exit for many.

The Mormon marriage is is the gateway to entrapment, through a desire to remain married and not disrupt the family.

Earlier missions is a good thing, they learn younger the flaws of the Church especially the young women. What they do with that knowledge is their choice.