Missionaries at German University campuses
Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:36 am
Hi everyone!
I teach at a couple of German universities in the law, business, psychology, and general humanities areas.
The new semester has started and, as is always the case, my students like to know where I come from. So, I tell them. This leads invariably to questions concerning Salt Lake City and Utah, in particular. Guess what is the first idea that comes to their minds when I mention that I am from Marlboro country, i.e. Utah (and other states to be sure)?
That's right! Mormons. And then, the question which arises immediately is: "Aren't the Mormons the ones with lots of wives?"
So, we usually have a fun, short discussion about the Mormons. I tell them about the fact that I come from the fifth wife of my great, great grandfather (is that the reason no one from my family ever made it to the top echelons of the church?); that one of my ancestors brought home three young women from England after his three-year stint there, that immediately upon arriving in Salt Lake City he brought them to Brigham to marry all of them and then went home to greet the other wives; that the parents of these young girls were a tad bit surprised when they arrived in Salt Lake City later and the young girls had been married to my ancestor. He had told the parents that he was sure he could find them a good husband (insert a winking smiley here!).
We talk about a few other peculiarities concerning the Mormon church: for example, no coffee, no tea (but coca-cola is OK), no alcohol (in Bavaria, weiss bier is considered a staple food and is often partaken of before 12:oo p.m.), 10% to the church, no sex before marriage (even with yourself!), etc. The idea of "black sheep" comes through the Germanic language into English (I believe?), so they quickly understand my position in relation to much of my family.
We also talk a bit about the missionaries and their work here in Germany (which must be tough!). I tell them to "look out" for them, that they hang out around the campus, specifically, bus stops and so on. I tell them to stop and have a fun discussion with them, to invite them for a coffee or a beer in the bier stuebe, to ask them why they are called Mormons, etc. Everyone has a good first week releasing-the-stress laugh and then we get down to the work at hand.
Well, the second week just finished and last night, two of my students brought to class a handout from the local missionaries when they bumped into each other at the bus stop (surprise!).
I don't have a scanner, but I can quickly give you a picture of how the missionaries are going about their service here in Germany. Put two business cards together and that is about the size of this "flyer." On the front are two little youngsters sitting in a park and one is holding a flower. It is cute. Below the picture, are two lines of text:
The first reads: Haben auch Sie Fragen? (Do you, too, have questions?)
The second reads: Finden Sie die Antworten! ( Find the answers for yourself!)
And then under that one finds the Church logo, in German, of course.
O.K. All good so far. But, on the back are the specific questions they can answer, I assume. I imagine some will get a good laugh, some of you may be (or ought to be) embarrassed that a church with enough money and assets comparable to top Fortune 500 companies, came up with this marketing scheme, but here goes nothing. Enjoy!
Question One: Wer hat die Blumen gemacht? (Who made the flowers?)
Question Two: Warum ist das Gras gruen? (Why is the grass green?)
Question Three: Gibt es einen Gott, der alles erschaffen hat? (Is there a God who created everything?)
Question Four: Warum sollte ich anderen helfen? (Why should I help others?)
Question Five: Was bedeutet mir meine Familie? (What meaning does my family have for me?)
Question Six: Kann ich mit meiner Familie fuer immer zusammen sein? (Can I be with my family forever?)
Question Seven: Was ist der Sinn des Lebens? (What is the meaning of life?)
Question Eight: Gibt es ein Leben nach Democrat Tod? (Is there life after death?)
At the bottom, it reads: Es gibt tausende Fragen. Die Kirche Jesu Christi der Heiligen der Letzen Tage kann Ihnen helfen, Antworten fuer Ihr Leben zu finden. (There are thousands of questions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can help you to find the answers for your life.)
And then below that, two websites: www.Mormon.de and www.mormonen.at. (So much for trying to rid themselves of the pesky moniker, the Mormons, huh?)
And then the local church address.
Well, good job guys. Nice marketing plan you have going there, I must say! My university here is famous for its physics programs, engineering programs, transport economics programs, etc. The Max Plank Institute is here on campus, as well.
How do you feel this would go over with a physics student? specifically, the first two questions? I can imagine that the physics students could give the missionaries a few lessons on why the grass is green. I believe a lot of other students would have a real laugh with that question (Answer: because it is not Columbian Gold, Mexican brown, Thai Chocolate Brown, etc.? LOL)
I think they have their work cut out for themselves.
What think ye?
(P.S. I, as the OPer, have no problem wherever this thread goes from here. No restraints, no qualms about keeping on topic, etc.)
**Edited twice for spelling errors.
I teach at a couple of German universities in the law, business, psychology, and general humanities areas.
The new semester has started and, as is always the case, my students like to know where I come from. So, I tell them. This leads invariably to questions concerning Salt Lake City and Utah, in particular. Guess what is the first idea that comes to their minds when I mention that I am from Marlboro country, i.e. Utah (and other states to be sure)?
That's right! Mormons. And then, the question which arises immediately is: "Aren't the Mormons the ones with lots of wives?"
So, we usually have a fun, short discussion about the Mormons. I tell them about the fact that I come from the fifth wife of my great, great grandfather (is that the reason no one from my family ever made it to the top echelons of the church?); that one of my ancestors brought home three young women from England after his three-year stint there, that immediately upon arriving in Salt Lake City he brought them to Brigham to marry all of them and then went home to greet the other wives; that the parents of these young girls were a tad bit surprised when they arrived in Salt Lake City later and the young girls had been married to my ancestor. He had told the parents that he was sure he could find them a good husband (insert a winking smiley here!).
We talk about a few other peculiarities concerning the Mormon church: for example, no coffee, no tea (but coca-cola is OK), no alcohol (in Bavaria, weiss bier is considered a staple food and is often partaken of before 12:oo p.m.), 10% to the church, no sex before marriage (even with yourself!), etc. The idea of "black sheep" comes through the Germanic language into English (I believe?), so they quickly understand my position in relation to much of my family.
We also talk a bit about the missionaries and their work here in Germany (which must be tough!). I tell them to "look out" for them, that they hang out around the campus, specifically, bus stops and so on. I tell them to stop and have a fun discussion with them, to invite them for a coffee or a beer in the bier stuebe, to ask them why they are called Mormons, etc. Everyone has a good first week releasing-the-stress laugh and then we get down to the work at hand.
Well, the second week just finished and last night, two of my students brought to class a handout from the local missionaries when they bumped into each other at the bus stop (surprise!).
I don't have a scanner, but I can quickly give you a picture of how the missionaries are going about their service here in Germany. Put two business cards together and that is about the size of this "flyer." On the front are two little youngsters sitting in a park and one is holding a flower. It is cute. Below the picture, are two lines of text:
The first reads: Haben auch Sie Fragen? (Do you, too, have questions?)
The second reads: Finden Sie die Antworten! ( Find the answers for yourself!)
And then under that one finds the Church logo, in German, of course.
O.K. All good so far. But, on the back are the specific questions they can answer, I assume. I imagine some will get a good laugh, some of you may be (or ought to be) embarrassed that a church with enough money and assets comparable to top Fortune 500 companies, came up with this marketing scheme, but here goes nothing. Enjoy!
Question One: Wer hat die Blumen gemacht? (Who made the flowers?)
Question Two: Warum ist das Gras gruen? (Why is the grass green?)
Question Three: Gibt es einen Gott, der alles erschaffen hat? (Is there a God who created everything?)
Question Four: Warum sollte ich anderen helfen? (Why should I help others?)
Question Five: Was bedeutet mir meine Familie? (What meaning does my family have for me?)
Question Six: Kann ich mit meiner Familie fuer immer zusammen sein? (Can I be with my family forever?)
Question Seven: Was ist der Sinn des Lebens? (What is the meaning of life?)
Question Eight: Gibt es ein Leben nach Democrat Tod? (Is there life after death?)
At the bottom, it reads: Es gibt tausende Fragen. Die Kirche Jesu Christi der Heiligen der Letzen Tage kann Ihnen helfen, Antworten fuer Ihr Leben zu finden. (There are thousands of questions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can help you to find the answers for your life.)
And then below that, two websites: www.Mormon.de and www.mormonen.at. (So much for trying to rid themselves of the pesky moniker, the Mormons, huh?)
And then the local church address.
Well, good job guys. Nice marketing plan you have going there, I must say! My university here is famous for its physics programs, engineering programs, transport economics programs, etc. The Max Plank Institute is here on campus, as well.
How do you feel this would go over with a physics student? specifically, the first two questions? I can imagine that the physics students could give the missionaries a few lessons on why the grass is green. I believe a lot of other students would have a real laugh with that question (Answer: because it is not Columbian Gold, Mexican brown, Thai Chocolate Brown, etc.? LOL)
I think they have their work cut out for themselves.
What think ye?
(P.S. I, as the OPer, have no problem wherever this thread goes from here. No restraints, no qualms about keeping on topic, etc.)
**Edited twice for spelling errors.