Posted by:
familymob
(
)
Date: February 06, 2013 03:04AM
First, let me tell you that I was never a Mormon. I grew up in a fundamentalist protestant home, however, at the age of consent, I left and took my chance to investigate and choose my own religion (ADF Druid, for those curious). I did try on many for size, just because I knew that what I was raised with was not right for me. 1/4 of my family, however, comes from the original pioneers. They were die-hard Mormons and, way back when, polygamists as well. Every child in my grandfather's generation left and was excommunicated.
Now, all branches of my family have always been extremely interested in our past (not simply the Mormon one), because we have a lot of well-known war heroes and royalty. At my generation's level, it's become extremely important to keep track of our lineage, because, well, we learned that, due to political reasons and a lack of understanding of genetic diversity, some medical conditions have become utterly glued to our bloodlines.
That said, I tend to be the one in the family who cares the most about learning about who we are, and who we were. My major in school was history, and how people lived their lives and viewed the world in different time periods. Naturally, this also has me taking an interest in the Mormon past, as well. Like it or not, Mormonism is a part of my family tree, quite heavily. Amusingly, it tends to surprise many Mormons that I sometimes know more about their history and religion than they do, simply because I know about my family.
The past is something I know a great deal about. I've even made a business out of it, without going into teaching (which a lot of people with my major end up doing). I know about the past, but I frequently have questions about the present. It's often said that I spend so much time in the past, that the present is a foreign concept to me.
That said, I have a curiosity.
I have heard, time and time again, that the missionaries live on shoestring budgets. I've heard that they live on very poor nutrition. As someone with great compassion, THIS does bother me a lot. When they come to my door, the only thing I think about is, "These poor men; they're probably starving for a homecooked meal."
Since I run my business from home, of course, I get all of the daytime and evening callers, and that does include missionaries. While I disagree with their religion entirely, I cannot let a person suffer, no matter their religion. It is a part of my own religion and the upbringing lent by my non-fundamentalist family that we treat all guests like family--we invite them in, we feed them nutritious food, and offer conversation they'd find stimulating.
So, it would be my desire to invite them in for a proper dinner, on the stipulation that this is merely dinner and non-religious conversation. I would make it clear to them that I am not in search of a new religion. They're welcome to ask about mine, and I am fine enough at dinner conversation to ask about theirs, but, I would imagine that, after pounding the pavement to talk God every day, they might enjoy a night that involves neither of those things. I simply want to feed them some proper food, and give them a "night off," so to speak.
Those of you who were missionaries, or who are now, would this be something you'd accept? Converting me is not open to discussion, but my generosity is open to all who need it.
And as a side question: would it be unethical for me to make myself known to the local ward for home visits, for the purpose of feeding the missionaries, though I do not wish to be converted? I assume I'd have to leave out the part about me having no desire to convert, which seems like a lie of omission, albeit, for good and generous reasons.
Genuinely, I feel so awful for them, every time I hear how they live. I grew up in a heavily Mormon area, and I've seen it firsthand. As well, before we bought our house, we had missionaries sharing an apartment in our building. Every time I saw them coming out, TONS of them would pour out of a single apartment. And I know how big those apartments were. They could NOT have been comfortable.
Thoughts?