biking missionaries nearly meet God.

[Zen]

[kenyonchris]

In all fairness, I had to go into the LDS church on a 911 hang-up. We have to respond, but almost always a simple hangup is just a misdial. The call came from the lobby phone and we had no other calls or reasons to be concern. When I went it, I was greeted by the quietest, nicest, conservative group of people...it was refreshing after the Church-in-the-box next door with their rock band and coffee shop and big screens. They were very polite and helpful and grateful that I had arrived to check on them (there was no emergency, their phone is equipped with the emergency button that is the bane of our existence). I was not subjected to the spiel I anticipated based on my experience with the missionaries, just wished a blessed, safe day.

I just wish they would bike in something other than black.

[OakLeaf]

My dad, who studied theology and still has a deep interest in it, used to invite the missionaries in and debate Scripture with them until their heads exploded.

[Crankin]

Oakleaf, that cracked me up. I have a vision of the angel Maroni with an exploding head (people in the SW know what I mean).
I am sorry if this offends anyone. I just dislike any religion that proselytizes and treats the women like cr@p. Plus, it took me 7 years just to get an interview in the Mesa Schools because my last name wasn't Dobson, Hobson, or Robson.

OK, no more. I am so glad that I mostly don''t have to deal with any missionaries anymore.

[oxysback]

Oakleaf, that cracked me up. I have a vision of the angel Maroni with an exploding head (people in the SW know what I mean).
I am sorry if this offends anyone. I just dislike any religion that proselytizes and treats the women like cr@p. Plus, it took me 7 years just to get an interview in the Mesa Schools because my last name wasn't Dobson, Hobson, or Robson.

OK, no more. I am so glad that I mostly don''t have to deal with any missionaries anymore.

I've followed this thread with amusement and interest because I'm LDS. I do have to take exception to a few points in your post, Crankin. I respect your right to dislike any religion you want....it's no skin off my nose. You don't like missionaries...ok, whatever...your choice.

However, I can personally tell you that, in general, women are not treated like crap in the LDS church. Certainly there are bad apples in any religious organization, but as a whole, women are treated like daughters of God, which we are.

Secondly, I don't know anyone with the last names of Dobson, Hobson, or Robson. (Maybe it's a local thing? I don't know.)

[Eden]

In all fairness, I had to go into the LDS church on a 911 hang-up. We have to respond, but almost always a simple hangup is just a misdial.

That's a bummer - our 911 operators can call you back, so they don't have to show up at your door. We have a phone with those big auto dial buttons at the top. Once I dropped the phone receiver and in catching grasped at least one. I was really hoping I'd managed to hit the hang up button quick enough.... but they called me back and asked if everything was OK and I had to fess up. At least I'm not the person who had the tomato dial 911 while they were away on vacation.

[Crankin]

Oxsback, I am sorry I offended you, but what you are saying about women certainly does not match with my experience in Mesa. I could tell you a lot of things, but I won't.
Again, I am sorry.

[deeaimond]

Some of these young people don't just have to do missionary work in the US, we get many many of them out here in Singapore too! usually in the US summer hols. I feel sorry for them, dressed in their white shirts and pants in this super humid heat trying to catch hold of the asian people in public places
(here its against the law to bring religion door to door, in fact if u annoy someone enough in a public place and they call the police you can get in trouble). Sometimes people don't even really understand what they say coz of the lack of english or strong accents...

To be honest I also give them a wide berth, simply because they are generally very polite about their evangelizing and I don't want to be rude. I just wanna save them from one less rejection a day...

oh, recently a couple here was sentenced to jail for inciting racial hatred.

their crime? -they desseminated booklets about Christianity to some household mailboxes. These contained phrases that condemned other religions. Some people of other beliefs complained and the booklets were traced to this couple. They were successful professionals too!

[Cataboo]

One more aspect of American culture that we export to the rest of the world. As an american, I apologize for it. (Nothing against mormons, just against missionaries in general, and yes, I know that there's missionaries from other countries and that many missionaries do a lot of good while they're trying to get converts)

[deeaimond]

One more aspect of American culture that we export to the rest of the world. As an american, I apologize for it. (Nothing against mormons, just against missionaries in general, and yes, I know that there's missionaries from other countries and that many missionaries do a lot of good while they're trying to get converts)

Oh silly, no need to apologise, christianity was brought here way before americans started... european missionaries, spanish, english.. all came here before the americans.

i just feel sorry for the poor mormon boys. must be such a culture shock for them. coming out of middle America (an assumption) I just hope they gain insight into different cultures while they're here to broaden up their perspectives.