oh yeah? so is sundance in utah? good, then i was right in the first place.

do you really believe that gordon hinkley had a vision about where you should go on your mission??

Come on. He's the fucking Mormon Yoda. Of course he did.

*meditates*

GO TO SOUTH DAKOTA, YOU MUST!

sundance is in wyoming? i think. i think i remember it being in the vicinity of devil's tower.

Okay, knock it off.

devil's tower is in idaho.

well, when you're driving through there it all looks the same. everything kinda blends together. except for the no speed limit thing in montana. i think it was montana. or was that south dakota? http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/confused.gif

i think that was oregon.

STOP IT! IT IS IN WYOMING!

As general board moderator, I am stripping you of your powers.

i knew i was right! sundance is in wyoming too RIGHT?!?!

You kids. You don't even know how close I am to becoming a Linkin Park song right now.

wyoming is in canada.

you'd have to be admin for that, dorkus.

linkin park sings that song "break stuff" right?

Ryan Patrick, you fucking idiot.

There.

whaaaaaaaaat.

BUT WE NEED TO BE EDUCATED. IF YOU CAN NOT DEAL WITH THAT RESPONSIBILITY THAN WHY DID YOU TAKE ON THE ROLE OF MODERATOR?!?!?!

Thank you very much. I really mean it... thanks. It sometimes feels like people today with sincere, honest beliefs get lost in the shuffle.


[This message has been edited by Raskolnikov (edited 07-02-2002).]

yeah, i feel bad for those 3 people.

I really don't feel like I'm holding anything back by responding the way I am... so maybe it's my character.

But when I started this post, I knew there'd be a discussion about it, that's partially why I did. I know that there are other intelligent people on this board, and I figured that if I went in very calm and level headed, then I could answer some questions.

I know it's cornball to cut and paste, but here is an answer to that one...

"Missionaries teach the gospel to those who are interested. They also perform community service. Some missionaries have special assignments to assist with health, welfare, or other needs." [from www.mormon.org]

I think the key phrase there is "those who are interested". If we do meet somebody on the street and they want to talk to us, then we'll strike up a conversation and go. If they don't want to, then we're not about to poke 'em in the arm and follow them down the street.

A lot of the people that I'll be teaching somehow requested more info on our religion - maybe they saw the above mentioned web-page, talked to their neighbor, or somethin' like that. So in that regard, it's follow-up work to teach people that have previously expressed an interest.

Not sure if that's what you wanted to hear or not, but... yea.

Here's a few questions: 1) Is this "mission" compulsory for all Mormons? 2) If it is, do you think this is a fair thing to force young Mormons to do? (I mean, you know how there are lukewarm Catholics, so-to-speak? Or are there not any Mormons like that?)

Oh, I just love the snobbery.

Yeah, you're such a fuckin' idiot for selflessly devoting your time toward things like health care and community service, regardless of your motivation. HOW IGNERNT OF U!!@#$

I, for one, wish you luck.

I was just doing some reading, and found something that pointed directly to this issue, thought I'd share.

"Missionaries are instructed to have the deepest respect for the laws and customs of the countries where they serve and to respect the right of each person to determine how they will worship." [From www.mormon.org]

As you can see, it is by no mean the intention and I believe that it's not the end result. We're extremely concencious of other people's cultures/traditions and try to accept their beliefs and not trample their lifestyle.

One of the main points of our religion is that we believe in personal revelation. This way, each member may have a very personal and intimate testimony of the truthfulness of our Church. It may be contrary to your thoughts about religion on the whole, but we are actually encouraged to question the truthfulness of the Gospel, pray about it, and come to a personal knowledge of it's truthfulness.

Also definately should be on the Mormon Mission SPFC FAQ. http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/biggrin.gif

Seriously, though... I bet there are others askin' this same question right now. It is completely voluntary - we aren't paid for it, or even compensated for that matter. If somebody who wishes to serve but can't financially do it, then there are ways to get it covered, but generally it's self-funded.

Of course it's encouraged, but it's literally impossible to force somebody to give up 2 years of their life and do something like this.

Moreso, if they did force kids to go out there and do this, then how effective would it be? Half the people out there would be trying, and the other half would be out there pickin' their noses. http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/biggrin.gif

As for the luke-warm issue, as with any faith, there are members who aren't fully into it. But generally with Mormonism, the members who are there are devout. It's definately not an easy lifestyle to live, and sometimes it's not a very fun one.

Thanks. I'm totally stoked to go, South Dakota isn't the most foriegn place in the world, but I'm still very nervous. I'll need all the luck I can get.

admittedly, there are lots of misconceptions about the mormon faith. i was curious once about how it works, since there aren't really any mormons around here. so i had read about it before. most people only know what they've heard in passing.

i just completely disagree with the mormon religion, and religion in general. also, i'm very moody.

you're so clean and polished, you sound like a salesman, not the pushy kind, but the matter of fact kind. really, i never hear people so polite and meek.

It's not very healthy to be that angry. You need a hug. don't worry, Jesus loves you.

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Originally posted by Irrelevant:
EAT A BAG OF FUCK, HOMOLOVER.

http://216.40.201.38/contrib/ruinkai/screama.gif