Wife of MP blogs about the missionaries.....

[_Rollo Tomasi]

Part of the problem with many of you folks on this board is that you seem to assume that adults of any stripe just can't think for themselves or make decisions on their own, and that the Church is a big paternal organization that should be a good parent and protect adults from hurting themselves.

It's not an "assumption," Bob. Sadly, it's often very true among adult TBM's, and even more so with the current crop of young full-time missionaries. Their hyper-obedience to silly rules reflects a lack of adult maturity and judgment. Most are blind sheep just doing as they are told, no matter what.

[_Tim the Enchanter]

I think I do. What have I expressed that is hateful?

Subtle mockery is more effective a communication genre than the type Shulem uses. Why waste your time?

Bot, I don't know who I am subtly mocking. You and I disagree on some things. We probably would agree on many other things. If anything I've said has expressed hate as opposed to disagreement, I apologize. It was not intended. I don't hate you, missionaries, members, or anyone who believes in anything that I don't. I realize I am prone to sarcasm from time to time, but hopefully that is the worst I can be accused of. I try to keep the focus on the topics rather than the people involved.

[_Runtu]

Bot, I don't know who I am subtly mocking.

He's not talking about you. He's letting you know that he's subtly mocking you and me and everyone else here.

You and I disagree on some things. We probably would agree on many other things. If anything I've said has expressed hate as opposed to disagreement, I apologize. It was not intended. I don't hate you, missionaries, members, or anyone who believes in anything that I don't. I realize I am prone to sarcasm from time to time, but hopefully that is the worst I can be accused of. I try to keep the focus on the topics rather than the people involved.

The first rule in dealing with subtle mockers is not to take them seriously.

[_Runtu]

Too bad. At one time life held such promise for you. But, it is just my opinion which you can ignore.

I'm over my quota per this month, so my therapist says.

Nice to see you, as always, Bob. Be well.

[_Tim the Enchanter]

Bot, I don't know who I am subtly mocking.

He's not talking about you. He's letting you know that he's subtly mocking you and me and everyone else here.

You and I disagree on some things. We probably would agree on many other things. If anything I've said has expressed hate as opposed to disagreement, I apologize. It was not intended. I don't hate you, missionaries, members, or anyone who believes in anything that I don't. I realize I am prone to sarcasm from time to time, but hopefully that is the worst I can be accused of. I try to keep the focus on the topics rather than the people involved.

The first rule in dealing with subtle mockers is not to take them seriously.

If his game is to troll and subtly mock, that's fine. To me, he's only hurting his cause if that's what he's doing. I don't think hat type of thing will help win over the hearts and minds of the sincere lurkers that I know pay attention to sites like this and are truly in a spiritual crisis at the moment.

[_Untethered]

If his game is to troll and subtly mock, that's fine. To me, he's only hurting his cause if that's what he's doing. I don't think hat type of thing will help win over the hearts and minds of the sincere lurkers that I know pay attention to sites like this and are truly in a spiritual crisis at the moment.

Even though I've lurked here for, literally, years, I don't know 100% who is for real and who just antagonizes. (Some are blatantly obvious.) My own belief is that religion, any religion, should have at it's core learning compassion; practicing empathy.

I had hoped that Yahoo Bot might try to place himself in the shoes of another. I asked him some questions that I'm hoping he'll answer, but wondering if it's a wasted effort. ?

[_Mayan Elephant]

it takes some of these threads to remind me what an ass bob can be. 10 lbs of BS in a 5 lb bag is pretty much what you are getting with him. 'i would punch a doctor if he talked about me. my kids are like rambo in compton. only the weak act weak. treat them like men, like i do, with my kids, who personally disarmed the kgb in the ukraine. don't swear. blah and blah and whatever. only an idiot would not carry around their passport and cash to get out of kinshasa whenever they wanted. more nonsense.'

the dude is a joke, at best.

[_Yahoo Bot]

it takes some of these threads to remind me what an ass bob can be. 10 lbs of b***s*** in a 5 lb bag is pretty much what you are getting with him. 'i would punch a doctor if he talked about me. my kids are like rambo in compton. only the weak act weak. treat them like men, like i do, with my kids, who personally disarmed the kgb in the ukraine. don't swear. blah and blah and whatever. only an idiot would not carry around their passport and cash to get out of kinshasa whenever they wanted. more nonsense.'

the dude is a joke, at best.

I do urge civilized discourse with some of the believers that wade into this board. It seems you and others call all of them bullshitters or trolls, without exception. I don't claim to have a Rambo-esque family. I expect my adult kids to be treated like adults and would not recommend that they think of their mission president as their father.

I have never once heard of a missionary who was unable to come home because he or she lacked the bread or the passport.

[_Mayan Elephant]

One other thing. I work in the medical profession, and the number of people under the age of 25 who are one psychotropic pharmaceuticals is higher than it's ever been. There are more types of drugs available, there are more physicians who are willing to prescribe them, and for some reason there are more young people who are unable to cope. This is all young people, not just LDS young people. We know from experience that once an adolescent, in fact any human, starts to take these drugs that effect the brain's neurotransmitters (mechanism of action unknown,) that they are more likely to have to continue a course of being medicated in order to feel any sense of well being. I personally feel it's an epidemic. So, for you to flippantly state the the Church is just a collection of adults who can decide for themselves, just seems ignorant to me. It's so much more complicated than that.

i have seen other comments like this at the hospital where i work too. whether it is true or not, i have no idea. its hard for me as someone with less medical training than lassie to really have an opinion on it. but i don't think the frequency of use of these prescriptions in the population is the real issue.

if someone has extremely poor circulation in their fingers and toes, they probably would not be suitable to work on the deck of a crabber or on a drilling rig off of scotland's shores. if someone suffered from vertigo, they may not be suitable as a painter on the Sydney Harbor bridge. if someone suffered seizures periodically, even with medication they may not be suitable to drive a greyhound bus. there are certain limits that one must accept when there is a medical condition. if someone suffers from depression, it may not be suitable for them to be in 2-person companionship 24/7, selling a widget of any kind, especially where they are going to be constantly rejected. it is a bad combination. there is no amount of counselling from LDS social services that can fix that. and i think what strikes me the most in this blog of mrs. murdock, is that she cannot see any connection to the mental illnesses and what the church and mission are doing. as far as she is concerned, all is well in her, the mission, the church and her god, it is only these kids that cannot manage their own illnesses, damn them.

someone earlier said my emotional appeal didn't match the real facts or behavior of the blogger. while they may not be the same thing, i think my reaction to that damn mission president's wife is, if anything, too light. as this thread goes on i can see more and more angles and views that her blog gave to the mission and to herself. and it ain't pretty.

[_MrStakhanovite]

This is relevant