Missionary in Costa Rica dies in his sleep.

[Guest]

That may well be true, but it is not surprising to anyone else.

Yet, it may well be true that Mormon youth busily engaged in missionary activities and following mission rules are less likely to engage in risky behavior that could jeopardize their health or life than their peers who declined to go on missions. I wouldn't be surprised if someone somewhere has done a statistical analysis on this.

does "I wouldn't be surprised if"=faith?

Not really. I would still be somewhat interested, though, if someone has done such an analysis, but not strongly enough to bother searching the internet myself to find out. If no one has ever done such an analysis, that would not greatly surprise me either, though slightly more surprising than finding that someone has.

[_Gunnar]

That may well be true, but it is not surprising to anyone else.

Never said it was.

Yet, it may well be true that Mormon youth busily engaged in missionary activities and following mission rules are less likely to engage in risky behavior that could jeopardize their health or life than their peers who declined to go on missions. I wouldn't be surprised if someone somewhere has done a statistical analysis on this.

This depends on who you class as 'peers'.
If you compare missionary mortality with a group of non Mormons of that age group you will get a favourable outcome. Early age adults who aren't involved with alcohol or drugs will probably have a lower mortality rate. That's seems to make sense.

However, missionaries are fired up on their missions and seem to take more safety risks, thinking they are receiving special protection, if you were to compare death rates of missionaries with death rates of active Mormonism aged 18-20 but who aren't serving missions I think you'd find a different picture.

Not serving a mission is probably statistically safer for active Mormons of that age group.

Perhaps so, but I doubt that, all things considered, that there is a really significant safety bonus even for active Mormon youth who stay home vs. most of those who go on missions. Those who go to the more impoverished third world countries on missions probably are at greater risk than those who stay at home, however.

[Guest]

A 20-year-old serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Costa Rica San Jose East Mission passed away in his sleep Tuesday night of unknown causes, the church said Friday.

"We are saddened to report the death of Elder Ricardo Alberto Cuevas Magdaleno, a missionary serving in the Costa Rica San Jose East Mission," said LDS Church spokesman Eric Hawkins. "We offer our prayers and condolences to his family and friends as they mourn the passing of this faithful young missionary."

Elder Cuevas was from the Xalapa Mexico Stake.

There are two LDS missions and one LDS temple in Costa Rica.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7656 ... e.co.uk%2F

This is a very sad story. Do Mormon missionaries have full physicals before being sent to these kind of areas overseas? It sounds like he might have had severe sleep apnea, or maybe something like a heart abnormality problem, which should have been picked up in a physical. Have they discovered what happened?

[_The Erotic Apologist]

This is a very sad story. Do Mormon missionaries have full physicals before being sent to these kind of areas overseas? It sounds like he might have had severe sleep apnea, or maybe something like a T3 heart problem, which can attack the young at any time. Have they discovered what happened?

He's now in now in Hell, right?

[_Themis]

Perhaps so, but I doubt that, all things considered, that there is a really significant safety bonus even for active Mormon youth who stay home vs. most of those who go on missions. Those who go to the more impoverished third world countries on missions probably are at greater risk than those who stay at home, however.

It would be interesting to look at any data, but I suspect missionaries as a whole are in a safer environment then recently returned missionaries. Sure they can spend some time in risky areas, but most spend there day doing less risky activities. At home I drove a lot more and on high speed roads. I went climbing, sky diving and other activities missionaries were not allowed to do. I didn't ride my bike as often and especially not on major roadways, so that could make some difference.

It's unfortunate for this missionary, but I suspect if it's something like his heart, it may have occurred wherever he was.

[_The Erotic Apologist]

Perhaps so, but I doubt that, all things considered, that there is a really significant safety bonus even for active Mormon youth who stay home vs. most of those who go on missions. Those who go to the more impoverished third world countries on missions probably are at greater risk than those who stay at home, however.

It would be interesting to look at any data, but I suspect missionaries as a whole are in a safer environment then recently returned missionaries. Sure they can spend some time in risky areas, but most spend there day doing less risky activities. At home I drove a lot more and on high speed roads. I went climbing, sky diving and other activities missionaries were not allowed to do. I didn't ride my bike as often and especially not on major roadways, so that could make some difference.

It's unfortunate for this missionary, but I suspect if it's something like his heart, it may have occurred wherever he was.

This was a plot device in God's Army.

[_Servant]

Apparently this young Mormon missionary had chronic asthma. Probably the cause of his death. Why send a young man with this serious condition to a remote area in Costa Rica? That was a huge mistake and it ended badly. This young man should have been in the USA or in a more modern country equipped to handle this condition? Instead, the poor kid is dead and his parents without a son:

http://news.co.cr/expat-on-mormon-missi ... ica/40246/

I don't see any "discernment" here at all! The parents need to look into this - their poor son lost to them because of a really dumb decision which apparently was not based on good medical information or minimal concern for his health. Whoever made the decision to put this young man in Costa Rica bears a terrible responsibility, and needs to provide answers.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

This is a very sad story. Do Mormon missionaries have full physicals before being sent to these kind of areas overseas?

Yes, and it's precisely to determine whether or not a missionary can be sent to a location that might be detrimental to his health, to include intra-mission assignments. It's likely that Costa Rica, which is generally very first-world-ish, isn't considered a health risk.

- Doc

[_The Erotic Apologist]

Apparently this young Mormon missionary had chronic asthma. Probably the cause of his death. Why send a young man with this serious condition to a remote area in Costa Rica? That was a huge mistake and it ended badly. This young man should have been in the USA or in a more modern country equipped to handle this condition? Instead, the poor kid is dead and his parents without a son:

http://news.co.cr/expat-on-mormon-missi ... ica/40246/

I don't see any "discernment" here at all! The parents need to look into this - their poor son lost to them because of a really dumb decision which apparently was not based on good medical information or minimal concern for his health. Whoever made the decision to put this young man in Costa Rica bears a terrible responsibility, and needs to provide answers.

Which is worse? That fact that he died while serving a Mormon mission? Or that fact that his soul is in hell?

Am I correct in assuming you believe he's in hell?

[_Runtu]

Which is worse? That fact that he died while serving a Mormon mission? Or that fact that his soul is in hell?

Am I correct in assuming you believe he's in hell?

Doesn't someone who belongs to a cult automatically go to hell?