by Johnny Townsend Many Mormons in Utah see Mitt Romney as a traitor, a lefty radical, because he won’t support Trump’s most egregious acts of oppression. Mormons need to start separating their religious convictions from the Republican party line. “Valeria” was one my favorite missionaries when I served in the…
Category: Mission
Latter-day Saint Leaders Can’t Understand Why Teenagers Have Trouble Converting People to Their Church
Although the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spent decades instructing their official teenage representatives to rush to challenge everyone they meet to be baptized, they are apparently baffled as to why their official teenage representatives have for decades rushed to challenge everyone they meet to…
Mormon Mission Impossible: William Shunn’s “The Accidental Terrorist”
Funny thing about Mormon missions: even though they’re voluntary, you can’t leave. Even though Mormon missionaries are adult volunteers, they can’t just say, “Sorry, this isn’t working, I’m going home now.” Have you ever wondered what happens if you try to leave? It’s rather surprising. In The Accidental Terrorist, William…
The true meaning of service: Scott Miller and Mark Hubble’s “The Book of a Mormon”
Like many young Mormon adults, Scott Miller set off on a mission largely because he had always planned to — but wasn’t really prepared for what he was getting himself into. This mission memoir takes place in the late 70’s — earlier than most others I’ve read. Amusing 70’s-specific tidbits…
Review of City of Brick and Shadow
The novel by Tim Wirkus, City of Brick and Shadow, is a riveting tale of two missionaries in a sweeping Brazilian slum looking for a missing congregant they had recently baptized. All the characters are well-realized, from the unhappy local Mormons to the woman at the lanchonete to the mysterious…
Missionary Chat: Origins of the Bible
I’ll admit up front, this chat was basically just an attempt to show that Mormon missionaries are ignorant. Â I wanted to know what they knew about the origins of the Bible. Â Here we go: Bailey: hi how are you? Bart (me): I’m good. How are you? Bailey: good Bailey: what…
Missionary Chat: Native Americans cursed?
I had another question I wanted to run by “Mormons on the street”: Are Native Americans cursed? Emily:Â Hello! Sam (me):Â Hello! Emily:Â What brings you to mormon.org chat today? Sam:Â I have a question about Mormon teachings. Emily:Â Okay… we will do our best to help you Sam:Â A friend of mine is LDS and…
Young women, Missions, and Church Culture
According to a Trib article Ashley Farr, a former Miss North Salt Lake Teen Miss USA, now a missionary in South Korea, has every expectation of being a parent and a businesswoman. She has some specific goals including an internship at Goldman Sachs, and being the chief executive of a…
Missionary Chat: Omniscience vs. endowments
Today’s missionary chat is based on a question my wife raised that I always found interesting: If God is omniscient, then why do Mormons have endowments done? Â Wouldn’t God know who to let into the Celestial Kingdom without evidence of having an endowment done? Â Here’s the chat: Angie: hi! Bob…
Missionary Chat: Polygamist God
In my ongoing pursuit to learn what “on the ground” Mormons believe, here’s another Missionary Chat. Â This one on God the Father and his wife/wives. Ken: Hello. Marcel: welcome back (creepy that they know it’s me again) Bob (me): Hi. I have a question for the two of you. Marcel:…