Mission required?

[Guest mysticmorini]

I have heard it said that missions for young men are a commandment, required, mandatory, encouraged, expected, and/ or obligatory. what are your thoughts on the necessity of missions for young men? will a voluntary decision not to go on a mission place a young man in jeopardy of not being exalted? how do you feel about the social pressures put on young men to serve especially on those who don't serve? would you think less of a young man who didn't go on a mission? women, would you marry a man who didn't serve a mission?

[Finrock]

Hello mysticmorini! I hope you are doing well today. :)

I have heard it said that missions for young men are a commandment, required, mandatory, encouraged, expected, and/ or obligatory. what are your thoughts on the necessity of missions for young men? will a voluntary decision not to go on a mission place a young man in jeopardy of not being exalted? how do you feel about the social pressures put on young men to serve especially on those who don't serve? would you think less of a young man who didn't go on a mission? women, would you marry a man who didn't serve a mission?

When a man receives the Melchizedek priesthood, they receive it with an oath and a covenant. Partial to this oath and covenant is that a Melchizedek priesthood holder will serve as a missionary...forever.

For a Melchizedek priesthood holder, serving a mission is a commandment.

Regards,

Finrock

[WmLee]

I recently told a young man who seems to have decided against serving a mission that he was only a “young man of interest” when it comes to my daughter until he returns with a letter from his mission president that states he is release AFTER serving an honorable mission. Then I will take him seriously.

If he can’t commit to doing the Lords work for 24 months how do I know he can commit to taking care of my daughter for eternity. Suddenly it seems he never said he wasn’t going to serve a mission.

I’ve never heard it was a commandment, I don’t expect everyone to serve. I just like to know someone loves the Lord enough to do His work. Tells me, or gives me an idea of how he will treat my daughter and if he will have a Christ centered home. I didn't serve a mission and I think I turned out okay. But, it hasn't always been easy and I wish I would have/could have done things differently.

[WmLee]

Hello mysticmorini! I hope you are doing well today. :)

When a man receives the Melchizedek priesthood, they receive it with an oath and a covenant. Partial to this oath and covenant is that a Melchizedek priesthood holder will serve as a missionary...forever.

For a Melchizedek priesthood holder, serving a mission is a commandment.

Regards,

Finrock

Finrock ~ You might want to look that one up!! I think you're mistaken wrong or interpreting something incorrectly. wm

[Nikkie85]

My husband who was inactive during the time he was suppose to go on a mission was a little discriminated against when it came to girls his age. I honestly can't blame them. I would want my daughter to marry someone who has served a mission. I teach the Mia Maids and we teach them they should date someone who is

H-umble

O-bedient (basically served a mission)

T-emple Worthy

I don't think that one should be punished for not serving a mission but my husband regrets not going. He has come a far way in the church and now serves as the Elders Quorum President. When he was called as the Ward Mission Leader the Bishop told him this was his way of making up for not going on a mission.

I plan on strongly encouraging my boys and maybe my daughters to serve on a mission. As they grow up I want it to be something that they and we save for and prepare for.

[annamaureen]

I wouldn't think less of a young man who didn't go on a mission if, for example, he was a convert, inactive at the time he should've gone, etc. But if he didn't go just because he "didn't feel like it," I'd wonder why.

However, I have a problem with girls who flat out refuse to date anyone who didn't go on a mission. My husband was inactive from his late teens to early twenties; even though he was active and worthy by the time started dating, I had a friend question me for marrying a non-RM. I have a problem with the young women lessons that seem to teach that going on a mission is the be all and end all in a potential husband, and is the main thing you should be looking for.

Going on a mission is no guarantee of "righteousness." I've dated and encountered some really unworthy RMs.

Edited January 29, 2010 by annamaureen

[hordak]

Trying to get the girl, is the worst reason to go on a mission.

It's like paying tithe to get the member rate at BYU, while it may have some "perks"the individual is entirely missing the point.

[Dove]

I believe going on a mission is a highly personal and sobering decision for anyone to make.....I don't believe in immediately jumping to judgement on someone who chooses not to go.

I went on a mission, and it nearly destroyed me; it certainly set me back in my health/diabetes. I left controlling my diabetes solely with diet and exercise, and came home insulin dependent.....not to mention the emotional devastation I felt as a result of "the mission."

However, I knew personally that Father-in-Heaven had asked me in specific to go. I had a miraculous answer to prayer when I was home on a medical leave. He answered me so clearly that I was to go back and serve. If the answer had been any stronger I would have seen an angel! So back I went, and served the remainder of an extremely difficult and harrowing experience. This happened almost twenty years ago, and I still wonder what the purpose for my going was~ I deeply feel I failed myself and others while there, even though I came home with an "honorable" discharge honestly.

Going on a mission is not to be taken lightly or haphazhardly...... It requires an extremely deep commitment to go. This is not for the faint hearted. I am grateful for the new guidelines of the church that winnows out a lot of prospective members from going. I think it's wise, both for the individual and the church.

I wish the expectations we put on others concerning a mission would be loosened, meaning not to pressure anyone to do something they don't strongly desire to do of their own free will. If we strived to love others simply for being children of God without inflicting upon them all our judgements and expectations, I believe we would all be better off. After all, every member is a missionary and our examples do influence everyone we come in contact with.....

Dove

[Finrock]

Hello WmLee. It is a pleasure to meet you! :)

Finrock ~ You might want to look that one up!! I think you're mistaken wrong or interpreting something incorrectly. wm

Which part(s) of my comments did you think were wrong, mistaken, or misinterpreted?

Regards,

Finrock

[Guest mysticmorini]

I recently told a young man who seems to have decided against serving a mission that he was only a “young man of interest” when it comes to my daughter until he returns with a letter from his mission president that states he is release AFTER serving an honorable mission. Then I will take him seriously.

If he can’t commit to doing the Lords work for 24 months how do I know he can commit to taking care of my daughter for eternity. Suddenly it seems he never said he wasn’t going to serve a mission.

dont you feel a bit hypocritical, not going on a mission and then requiring this of any young man who dates your daughter?

[Guest mysticmorini]

Hello WmLee. It is a pleasure to meet you! :)

Which part(s) of my comments did you think were wrong, mistaken, or misinterpreted?

Regards,

Finrock

I would also like to know where serving a mission is part of the oath and covenant.

[Mahone]

My husband who was inactive during the time he was suppose to go on a mission was a little discriminated against when it came to girls his age. I honestly can't blame them. I would want my daughter to marry someone who has served a mission. I teach the Mia Maids and we teach them they should date someone who is

H-umble

O-bedient (basically served a mission)

T-emple Worthy

I don't think that one should be punished for not serving a mission but my husband regrets not going. He has come a far way in the church and now serves as the Elders Quorum President. When he was called as the Ward Mission Leader the Bishop told him this was his way of making up for not going on a mission.

I plan on strongly encouraging my boys and maybe my daughters to serve on a mission. As they grow up I want it to be something that they and we save for and prepare for.

I don't think the bold bit should be taught or implied personally (unfortunately it is in so many places). There are many reasons for not going on a mission, and a great deal of them don't include purposely being disobedient. Not every young man is suitable for a mission, even if they aren't a textbook case of being unable to go. Sometimes it can do more damage than good to that person, every person is different and each individual knows whether it would be the right thing for them to do or not.

I see it as being similar in many ways to the army. Over here in the UK, they say the army will either make you or break you. I think the same of a mission. If you think it will be the latter, it makes no sense to go. It doesn't mean that person isn't strong, it just means this particular opportunity is not the right one for them.

I really wish I wasn't in the minority with this view among LDS members.

[Guest]

Hello mysticmorini! I hope you are doing well today. :)

When a man receives the Melchizedek priesthood, they receive it with an oath and a covenant. Partial to this oath and covenant is that a Melchizedek priesthood holder will serve as a missionary...forever.

For a Melchizedek priesthood holder, serving a mission is a commandment.

Regards,

Finrock

Finrock ~ You might want to look that one up!! I think you're mistaken wrong or interpreting something incorrectly. wm

I would also like to know where serving a mission is part of the oath and covenant.

GUYS, pay BETTER attention to what Finrock wrote. Especially the part where he states "A Melchizedek priest will serve as a missionary... FOREVER".

Just because you didn't go on a 2-year mission doesn't mean you are not a missionary! Being a missionary is REQUIRED of ALL OF US LDS members - men or women, in whatever age or capacity.

[Guest]

Teaching your young women to marry only return missionaries is as bad as telling your kids to marry only LDS members.

IDIOTIC.

Yes, yes, there is a talk by one of the 12 about marrying in the temple, but guess what, if my husband only married somebody who are temple-worthy, I wouldn't be his wife today. And I will tell you that without a shadow of a doubt, this Catholic-turned-LDS woman right here is the best thing that ever happened to him. And, of course, he's the best thing that ever happened to me too. And look where we are now.

Marriage is not something you can pigeon-hole into simple statements like return missionaries, lds members. It is something personal to every single person and must be given to God in prayer.

Of course, worthy return missionaries and LDS members are preferable, but that's not to be taken as a hard-and-fast rule.

Edited January 30, 2010 by anatess

[Guest mysticmorini]

Teaching your young women to marry only return missionaries is as bad as telling your kids to marry only LDS members.

IDIOTIC.

Yes, yes, there is a talk by one of the 12 about marrying in the temple, but guess what, if my husband only married somebody who are temple-worthy, I wouldn't be his wife today. And I will tell you that without a shadow of a doubt, this Catholic-turned-LDS woman right here is the best thing that ever happened to him. And, of course, he's the best thing that ever happened to me too. And look where we are now.

Marriage is not something you can pigeon-hole into simple statements like return missionaries, lds members. It is something personal to every single person and must be given to God in prayer.

Of course, worthy return missionaries and LDS members are preferable, but that's not to be taken as a hard-and-fast rule.

I respect your perspective, however i would venture to say that membership is slightly more important than being an RM or not. statistics don't lie and when members marry non-members they are very unlikely to convert.

[Guest]

I respect your perspective, however i would venture to say that membership is slightly more important than being an RM or not. statistics don't lie and when members marry non-members they are very unlikely to convert.

Why would you require them to?

Do you know how many members I know who are divorced from their member spouses?

I would think that God would rather you have a solid marriage to a non-member spouse than a divorced status with a member spouse.

[Guest mysticmorini]

Why would you require them to?

Do you know how many members I know who are divorced from their member spouses?

I would think that God would rather you have a solid marriage to a non-member spouse than a divorced status with a member spouse.

i wouldn't require anything from anyone. it really doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of thing if your divorced or married to a non-member either way you don't have an eternal marriage. i suppose if your choice is being single or marring a non-member you might as well marry the non-member, but mixed religion marriages have a much higher divorce rate than inter-religion marriages especially among mormons and other religions.

[Guest]

i wouldn't require anything from anyone. it really doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of thing if your divorced or married to a non-member either way you don't have an eternal marriage. i suppose if your choice is being single or marring a non-member you might as well marry the non-member, but mixed religion marriages have a much higher divorce rate than inter-religion marriages especially among mormons and other religions.

Give me a statistic. I don't think this is true. But if you have some statistics, I might just get educated.

[Islander]

dont you feel a bit hypocritical, not going on a mission and then requiring this of any young man who dates your daughter?

That is kind of a silly question. Have you heard about regret, remorse, repentance? Yes, you could have done wrong and then recognize it and thus point others onto the right way.:)

[Guest mysticmorini]

Give me a statistic. I don't think this is true. But if you have some statistics, I might just get educated.

"A 1993 study published in Demography showed that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) were the least likely of all faith groups to divorce: After five years of marriage, only 13% of LDS couples had divorced. But when a Mormon marries a non-Mormon, the divorce rate was found to have increased more than three-fold to 40%. Similar data for Jews were 27% and 42%." Divorce rates among inter-faith marriages

[Guest mysticmorini]

That is kind of a silly question. Have you heard about regret, remorse, repentance? Yes, you could have done wrong and then recognize it and thus point others onto the right way.:)

thats kinda my point, why should you keep someone from getting married just because they don't have a letter from their mission president saying they served an honorable mission? could this man not also be repentant?

[Saguaro]

I recently told a young man who seems to have decided against serving a mission that he was only a “young man of interest” when it comes to my daughter until he returns with a letter from his mission president that states he is release AFTER serving an honorable mission. Then I will take him seriously.

If he can’t commit to doing the Lords work for 24 months how do I know he can commit to taking care of my daughter for eternity. Suddenly it seems he never said he wasn’t going to serve a mission.

I’ve never heard it was a commandment, I don’t expect everyone to serve. I just like to know someone loves the Lord enough to do His work. Tells me, or gives me an idea of how he will treat my daughter and if he will have a Christ centered home. I didn't serve a mission and I think I turned out okay. But, it hasn't always been easy and I wish I would have/could have done things differently.

So you didn't serve a mission yourself, you don't think it's a commandment, you don't expect everyone to serve, yet you put enormous pressure on a young man by telling him he has to serve a mission or he can forget about dating your daughter??? Sorry, but I just don't understand you line of reasoning.

I think it's pretty clear that it's a commandment:

"The question is frequently asked: Should every young man fill a mission? And the answer has been given by the Lord. It is ‘Yes.’ Every young man should fill a mission" (Spencer W Kimball, “When the World Will Be Converted,” Ensign, Oct. 1974, p. 8).

“The Lord wants every young man to serve a full-time mission" (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1986, pp. 44–45)

“If I could speak separately to each of you young men, … I would say with all the power of speech I could generate, ‘Just who do you think you are? What right do you have to match your wisdom with that of God, who through His prophets has issued a firm decree, a solemn mandate, that the restored gospel must be declared to all the world by the voice of His disciples? This means you!’ ” (Elder William R. Bradford of the Seventy in Conference Report, Oct. 1981, p. 72; or Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 50).

Those are just what I found in the Aaronic Priesthood Manual 3, lesson "Every Young Man Should Serve a Mission", I'm sure there are many more similar quotes out there.

However, I don't agree that we should put such enormous pressure on young men to serve and we shouldn't put a stigma or social restrictions on anyone who decides not to serve. Serving a mission is not a guarantee that a young man will go on to provide a "Christ centered home". I know many faithful men who did not serve missions, and I know probably more who did serve missions who ended up falling away from the church.

[Guest mysticmorini]

So you didn't serve a mission yourself, you don't think it's a commandment, you don't expect everyone to serve, yet you put enormous pressure on a young man by telling him he has to serve a mission or he can forget about dating your daughter??? Sorry, but I just don't understand you line of reasoning.

I think it's pretty clear that it's a commandment:

"The question is frequently asked: Should every young man fill a mission? And the answer has been given by the Lord. It is ‘Yes.’ Every young man should fill a mission" (Spencer W Kimball, “When the World Will Be Converted,” Ensign, Oct. 1974, p. 8).

“The Lord wants every young man to serve a full-time mission" (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1986, pp. 44–45)

“If I could speak separately to each of you young men, … I would say with all the power of speech I could generate, ‘Just who do you think you are? What right do you have to match your wisdom with that of God, who through His prophets has issued a firm decree, a solemn mandate, that the restored gospel must be declared to all the world by the voice of His disciples? This means you!’ ” (Elder William R. Bradford of the Seventy in Conference Report, Oct. 1981, p. 72; or Ensign, Nov. 1981, p. 50).

Those are just what I found in the Aaronic Priesthood Manual 3, lesson "Every Young Man Should Serve a Mission", I'm sure there are many more similar quotes out there.

However, I don't agree that we should put such enormous pressure on young men to serve and we shouldn't put a stigma or social restrictions on anyone who decides not to serve. Serving a mission is not a guarantee that a young man will go on to provide a "Christ centered home". I know many faithful men who did not serve missions, and I know probably more who did serve missions who ended up falling away from the church.

I agree with you except your quotes all come from before the bar was raised, I believe all young men who were exempt from serving by the bar raising are not held to that commandment.

[Wingnut]

I would think that God would rather you have a solid marriage to a non-member spouse than a divorced status with a member spouse.

I would think that God would rather have you sealed than not, but I don't presume to understand the mind of God.

...but mixed religion marriages have a much higher divorce rate than inter-religion marriages especially among mormons and other religions.

I think you mean intra-religion marriages?

[Guest]

I would think that God would rather have you sealed than not, but I don't presume to understand the mind of God.

Ah, and there's the rub. Because, a lot of temple marriages who end up in divorce is civilly divorced, not temple divorced. Now, there's the thing that says - what God has put together let no man put assunder, or something to that effect.

But, can you still be worthy of your temple sealing if you've divorced your spouse - civilly or not?

I honestly don't know the "true" answer. My take on the matter is that when you abandoned your spouse, the sealing cannot last... but then, I'm no expert on these things.

I think you mean intra-religion marriages?

Interfaith means marrying accross religious traditions.

Intrafaith means marrying within the same religious tradition but different denomination.

For Mormons, there's no intrafaith, I don't think.