If you were raised Mormon, would you have likely gone on a mission?

[Mr. Smith]

As a teenager, the opportunity to take a free trip around the world would be exciting to me, even if I was a boring Mormon.

Two responses to this: 1) Yeah, Mormons are boring, it's true. 2) Technically, it's not free, you're encouraged to pay your own way, and being able to do so is seen as a "growing up" sort of thing. Also you can't choose where you go, it's chosen for you.

Though if you serve in the military, you're released from the obligation to serve a mission.

Both of you have been looking in all the wrong places, the one's I know are really freaking crazy, it'd be scary if any of them got drunk, high, or stoned.

@DC Al Fine: I could've told you that. Though this usually only holds true among the born-and-raised putting themselves into an environment with a decent amount of Mormons. Those without that "privilege" are quite okay with converts around the same age.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Other than the Amish, my impression is that Mormons have a higher retention rate (something like 70%-80% sticks in my brain) than just about any other religion around, BRTD (don't know about Muslims in the US I admit, and that is a relatively new phenomenon anyway).  And probably those that left the LDS tended to have parents who were persons one does not really respect, so one rebels, or gave space to their kids to form their own opinions. One reason it was so hard for me to go gay (not the only reason, but a major one), is that I respected my Dad so much, and he was very uncomfortable with gays, and sincerely worried that that road led to unhappiness (not totally irrational in those irrationally intolerant times).

But Torie, it probably doesn't surprise you to know just how stubborn I am in real life. If I don't like something I'm raised around, I'm not keeping it. And then consider I'm someone who loves rum and certain types of liquor, and hates dressing up.

I know this is purely anecdotal, but I am quite familiar with the Salt Lake City people in Ingress (they are for a variety of reasons closely linked to the Twin Cities group for our faction), and I can tell you, those guys drink just as much as we do. And in this case, I think the anecdote is valid, because it's people like me in Utah. Think of the people who go to the same shows I go to in SLC, how many of those do you think are practicing Mormons? Now how many of those do you think are raised Mormon? Also I'd be willing to bet that at a typical "hipster" church in SLC probably a majority of people are ex-Mormons.

Other than the Amish, my impression is that Mormons have a higher retention rate (something like 70%-80% sticks in my brain) than just about any other religion around, BRTD (don't know about Muslims in the US I admit, and that is a relatively new phenomenon anyway).

Most "Muslims" I know hardly practice more than your average "Catholic" aka Italian/Irish-American who goes to church twice a year and claims Catholicism by blood.

Besides, how sure are we of who is an ex-whatever?  Do people identify as such?  I don't identify as an ex-Episcopalian, I identify as an atheist.  If I were to identify as an ex-anything it would be an ex-agnostic.

HockeyDude, that is not your "average" Catholic. You're confusing that with "Catholics" you know. The majority of Catholics are not Irish or Italian (seriously we have barely any of either here, but we have Catholics) and are more serious than that. They're just olds. And per some surveys as much as a third of people raised Catholic are ex-Catholics, aka they even drop the label and identification as well.

Incidentially, one of my friends who IS Irish would respond exactly like you just did. He is an atheist, he does not identify as "ex-Catholic" or Catholic in any way, or view himself as different from any other atheist. Which is exactly the case of most Catholic-raised atheists here.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

2) Technically, it's not free, you're encouraged to pay your own way, and being able to do so is seen as a "growing up" sort of thing. Also you can't choose where you go, it's chosen for you.

That's pretty unfair then. If you get chosen to go to New York City and someone else gets chosen to go to some Central American country, obviously the ones going to NYC are going to pay a lot more.

Also you mentioned earlier that there is missionary work done in Salt Lake City since it's majority non-Mormon now, I just have to say, that would have to be REALLY disappointing for anyone hoping to go to some exotic location who ends up having to go there. Though I suppose if limited only to non-Utah Mormons it's less of an issue.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

To my knowledge, Mormons tend to perform well economically, and it would probably be a good coming-of-age type experience, so I can't think of a good reason not to go on a mission. Riches, personal growth, and what would probably be a device for staying on the straight-and-narrow.

[RI]

Probably, yeah. All of the Mormons I've met tend to have positive experiences related to their missions.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

I imagine I would have, yes

[traininthedistance]

Raised Mormon, didn't go on one at all. I had considered it, but ultimately it was against my temperament which I got a good personal revelation about.

How common is it for practicing Mormons to not go on one?  I thought that it was, if not de jure mandatory, at least de facto mandatory.

[Хahar 🤔]

2) Technically, it's not free, you're encouraged to pay your own way, and being able to do so is seen as a "growing up" sort of thing. Also you can't choose where you go, it's chosen for you.

That's pretty unfair then. If you get chosen to go to New York City and someone else gets chosen to go to some Central American country, obviously the ones going to NYC are going to pay a lot more.

This was a problem, which is why missionaries now pay a uniform rate meant to represent the average cost of a mission, rather than directly paying their own expenses.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

2) Technically, it's not free, you're encouraged to pay your own way, and being able to do so is seen as a "growing up" sort of thing. Also you can't choose where you go, it's chosen for you.

That's pretty unfair then. If you get chosen to go to New York City and someone else gets chosen to go to some Central American country, obviously the ones going to NYC are going to pay a lot more.

This was a problem, which is why missionaries now pay a uniform rate meant to represent the average cost of a mission, rather than directly paying their own expenses.

OK that works better. Though still people should be able to at least list preferences of where to go, for example anyone going to an Anglophone country has an advantage in not having to worry about language issues.

[Mr. Smith]

Raised Mormon, didn't go on one at all. I had considered it, but ultimately it was against my temperament which I got a good personal revelation about.

How common is it for practicing Mormons to not go on one?  I thought that it was, if not de jure mandatory, at least de facto mandatory.

For guys, it's exceedingly rare. For women, I'd reckon maybe slightly over half don't (used to be more but there's a lot more encouragement for sisters to go since the age was dropped down to 19 [18 for guys])

Partially social pressures, but mostly because of the great conviction and need to share is.

However, where I was raised, the culture was one in which there was emphasis on having the right mindset to prepare, not simply go for it "just 'cuz".

With that in mindset, I had prepared, and I had prayed, and in the meantime waiting for an answer I told those "it's between me and God" (which is still true, and it shut them up)...finally at the farewell of someone else was when I got the answer to not go.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

The Mormon mission ritual is the only positive aspect of the faith. It forces many Mormon men to become somewhat cultured/cosmopolitan/bilingual.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

It depends on what it is. Once in my evangelical days I took part in a thing where we would go up to random people and tell them about Jesus. It didn't take me long to figure out it wasn't a good idea. The type of mission where one builds relationships and helps people in need is a far better thing.

[Badger]

Almost surely.

[Zioneer]

2) Technically, it's not free, you're encouraged to pay your own way, and being able to do so is seen as a "growing up" sort of thing. Also you can't choose where you go, it's chosen for you.

That's pretty unfair then. If you get chosen to go to New York City and someone else gets chosen to go to some Central American country, obviously the ones going to NYC are going to pay a lot more.

This was a problem, which is why missionaries now pay a uniform rate meant to represent the average cost of a mission, rather than directly paying their own expenses.

OK that works better. Though still people should be able to at least list preferences of where to go, for example anyone going to an Anglophone country has an advantage in not having to worry about language issues.

To be honest, a lot of missionaries think the same way when they get their mission call, but frequently they learn to love the language and culture of the people on their mission. For example, my Mom knew German and French (along with native English of course) before her mission. She wanted to go to Germany or France. She ended up in Argentina. She learned Spanish, learned Argentine culture, learned how to live in a.. less democratic nation (she was a missionary literally right after the Falklands war), how to cook some Argentine foods, and so forth.

She retains a strong interest in Argentina, a knowledge of both Spanish and German (since there are many German-speaking Argentines), and a knowledge on how to adapt to a wildly different lifestyle.

It's not always "the best two years" of everyone's life (look at me, I only lasted 9 months), but it's generally both useful and a fantastic experience. And I agree with DeadFlagBlues in that it forces Mormons to get out of their comfort zone and become cultured. (though I wish it would force them to think about political systems and become more liberal)

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Bump.

There's no way I could possibly stay Mormon after seeing this video. It doesn't matter what sort of person I'd be or whatever. I'm too logical.

[Dr. MB]

I'd be a completely different person if I was raised Mormon, so probably, yeah.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'd be a completely different person if I was raised Mormon, so probably, yeah.

You could still watch that video above though.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

But for me, obviously no. Since if I were raised Mormon, I obviously would have converted out of it.

You probably would've been a diffrent person so you can't say for sure. It's kind of silly to assume you'd be just the same under any given circumstances, during any given time and so on.

[Crumpets]

Definitely. I'm always looking for any reason to travel.

[Some of My Best Friends Are Gay]

Yes, you'd see me doing a lot of unholy activities in Mexico and South America in this situation.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

But for me, obviously no. Since if I were raised Mormon, I obviously would have converted out of it.

You probably would've been a diffrent person so you can't say for sure. It's kind of silly to assume you'd be just the same under any given circumstances, during any given time and so on.

But there's no way I could see this video and remain Mormon:

[Cokeland Saxton]

No. I would have left the Mormons.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Probably.

Evangelical Christians have such activities that I believe young people should go on.  Aside from sharing the faith such mission trips give people a sense of being part of a greater whole, and that there are aspects of life that are way more important than any individual's personal ambitions and dreams.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Sounds like a horizon-expanding experience.

[Crumpets]

But for me, obviously no. Since if I were raised Mormon, I obviously would have converted out of it.

You probably would've been a diffrent person so you can't say for sure. It's kind of silly to assume you'd be just the same under any given circumstances, during any given time and so on.

But there's no way I could see this video and remain Mormon:

As a hispter Christian, you should know well that people don't have to use their holy books as sources for literal accounts of history, or that the whole history of the church needs to be kosher for one to be a faithful follower today.