by gumby 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
hmm, never saw them on a bike.
In my experience they tipical have white vans, and driving with the lights on in daytime. To show that they are the light of the world.
Well not here in my country, I saw them only walking, but this is in anotehr country thas has a significant mormon polulation. Very easy to spot them in there cars.
Danny
Well, I was an active JW, and then converted to Mormonism. As a JW I was quite used to knocking on doors in field service. So when I became Mormon, I also did local missionary work, including knocking on doors with young full-time Mormon missionaries. Typically, the one I worked with were from Utah. They all wore white shirts and ties, but also full suits. They were always clean-cut and friendly. I never used to see them with shirts and ties only, but now it seems to be all that I see. I suppose the climate has a lot to do with it, because if it's in a colder area, I'm pretty sure they would be wearing full suits, as well as coats.
I went door-to-door with the Mormon missionaries in a small town (3,000), as well as a medium (20,000+) and large city (600,000+). In the small town the Missionaries had no car, and no bicycle. They walked everywhere. If they worked in the countryside, they would do so with others who had cars. In the medium sized city they still walked a lot, but also had bicycles. They often accompanied others like myself who did have a car. One way or the other, they got the job done. For the big city, it was not unusual to have a car available, but there were also a lot of buses utilized. Again, they would work with others who did have cars.
As I recall, nobody made a big deal about this.They had a lot more on their minds than issues of transportation. Constant prayer meetings and church meetings, studying the Book of Mormon, learning their presentations, following up leads and conducting the missionary discussions with householders, being accountable to their Mission President and Church Leaders, writing letters back home, and on and on and on. During this two year period they also spend a lot of time focusing on fasting and prayer, trying to develop a closer relationship with God. This is not a game of pretence for them, and you have to try fasting and prayer for an extended period of time to find out just how challenging that can be. That would weed out the pretenders pretty quickly.
Each missionary basically does their own financing of the two year mission. Or I should say that in most instances it is the parents who must do the financing. Now, if the parents cannot afford these costs every month, then the Ward where they reside kicks in and finances this missionary either in whole or in part (if the parents have some money, but not enough).
Nowadays, it has become a very expensive proposition to own (or rent) and operate a vehicle. I can understand why bicycles would make sense, moreso now than in previous years. Also, have you noticed in large urban centres how couriers prefer bicycles to cars. They can run around block after block, weaving in and out of traffic. Cars get stuck in traffic, gridlocked, parking is impossible and expensive. It is so much easier and practical with a bicycle.
Now, of course, I no longer believe in Mormonism, and left back in the 1980's. You may question the motives of the Mormon missionaries, but I just don't think the matter of riding around on bicycles is in any way done for appearances sake, creating the impression of self-sacrifice and all that. It's more about practicality and economic reality. It's probably because you see them everywhere all the time, looking just the same as every other one; just that you pause and wonder their motive(s). But really, this is just a kind of stereotyping, IMO.
It's just not a big deal, particularly for them.
Rod P.
Bikes are cheaper on the mission in the long run.
Meeting in huts in the jungle is cheaper for the WTBTS than supplying it's publishers with comfortable worshipping conditions.
Rank and file are like slaves for the elite just as Rome had. It's intresting how these wealthy groups use funds on non-living things rather than it's church members,,,,and when they do help, it's supplimentary help along with the missionaries own dough and family funds.
Farkel.....thanks for the input! I can't believe this group only "allows" 2 phone calls a year! I'd tell those bastards to kiss my nutsack.
Gumby
I'd tell those bastards to kiss my nutsack.Gumby
assuming you knew what one looked like Gumbrassless...
Farkel and Rod P -
Thanks for the insights here. I have spoken to several Mormon missionaries and they seem very sincere. I understand that the day consists of 12-14 hours every day for that two years. By those terms the Jw witness work is soft and comfy. The ones in our area spent alot of time [hiding out I think] at the local library in our town. They always walked.
Control groups love to control - that is the point I think.
Is Lance Armstrong a Mormon? Just wondering - he might have got all that conditioning in the Lord's service.
Jeff
One thing I noticed with the mormon missionaries, is that I never saw them working a territory like we did. I put in hard labor going door to door, hitting each on, doing not at home calls later, etc.
The missionaries seemed much less technical in their approach. Ride a few blocks, stop, hit a house, ride some more, hit another house. I would be suprised if they hit more than 5 a day.
Maybe because no one is watching over them so closely. Who knows.
Well in the 12 years out of the KH....I cannot tell you the amount of times I've been in contact with mormons. Trains stations in Tokyo. At my house. Outside of work. How many times has someone knocked on my door or left material from the Witless ones (who weren't "sheparding") EXACTLY ZERO. So while I think mormons are just another cult they are at least more effective than the JW's.....at least from my limited experience.
The Mormons spend a great deal of money on media advertising, particularly television. The ads are usually about keeping families together, or else talking about the Book of Mormon as a companion to the Bible. (Thru the Bonneyville Corporation, the Mormon Church owns and controls several dozen television stations in America, so they are big on advertising.)
From their advertising campaigns they receive a lot of calls or letters from interested parties. These leads find their way to the Missionary President in the appropriate geographic jusrisdiction. These leads are then handed to that missionaries as field assignments. From here it turns into Missionary Discussions, then invitations to attend the Church, and finally becoming members thru babtism.
Perhaps this was why you did not see them knocking on every door.
However, I can tell you from experience, that if there were no such leads to work with, the assignment becomes one of cold-calling on a house-by-house basis. One time I was out knocking on doors with a young Mormon Missionary. We would basically knock on each door, and go around that block until making it back to the starting point. On this particular day, I looked across the street, and what did I see? Two young JW's out in their field service, knocking on doors. It sent shivers down my spine, because it was not that many years earlier when I was knocking on doors as a JW. What a weird feeling knocking on doors as a Mormon, while across the street are JW's knocking on doors, whose hat I used to wear. Talk about deja vu and confusion all at the same time. (Can you say the word "traitor"? LOL) Turned me off missionary work for a while.
Rod P.
To be fair, they do ride those bikes pretty well.... especially when I'm driving right behind them but they never slow down for me!
- Preston (of the loves dem mormon boys class)
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