Ask a Mormon, Part 3

[Catharsis]

Yes, jafink, I didn't really get kicked out of the Mormon church for having six wives and a husband. Three wives is my limit.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well, there wasn't actually a limit as such back in the day, although the average even among men with plural wives was around 2.5 I think.

 

[jafink]

LOL okay I was very confused.

 

[Elrohir]

Well, there wasn't actually a limit as such back in the day, although the average even among men with plural wives was around 2.5 I think.

How did that work? "OK, you get Sarah Tuesdays through Friday afternoons, and she's my wife the rest of the week"?

 

[Catharsis]

Sorry, jafink, I just couldn't resist.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

How did that work? "OK, you get Sarah Tuesdays through Friday afternoons, and she's my wife the rest of the week"?

Nah, the men just died and left widows. So a woman stood a good chance of having more than one husband in her life, also.

It was the average, what did you think i meant?

 

[jafink]

I read an article saying that although in western society we think polygamy is worse for the women, it is actually worse for the men. A few desireable (rich, famous, attractive) will hog all the women, leaving it virutally impossible for the other men to find a wife.

 

[Elrohir]

Nah, the men just died and left widows. So a woman stood a good chance of having more than one husband in her life, also.

It was the average, what did you think i meant?

What - they all went off and died fighting the Gentiles?

Jafink, it depends on how you look at it.

 

[brainpan]

he was probably Spanish speaking then, like me. What was his name?

Yeah, but as a second language. His name is Ryan.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I mean, if he was in East LA most of the time he probably was in Spanish wards. What years was he there?

re polygamy: in fact, if there are equal numbers of men and women in a society then demand will be greater than supply (as any man will want more than one wife, but there will on average be only one woman per man) which makes it a seller's market. And among animals that mate through polygyny, in general the females are the ones who choose the mate. The average male fantasy is thus economically and biologically inaccurate.

 

[Ansar]

How do missions work?

Do you get paid for it or is it just because it's in your best interest?

 

[Taras Bulba]

How do missions work?

Do you get paid for it or is it just because it's in your best interest?

i may not be the best one to explain this, but it isn't paid (no positions in the LDS church are paid)

in fact, young men and women who want to go must pay for it themselves (or by the help of others) and take about 2 years to serve on a mission

its mostly in your best interest, but i wouldn't say those are the right words for it, seeing as they seem to make you think you don't want to go, but it will work out for the better in the end.

Although i have not yet gone on one, i plan to, and look forward to it... not only meeting new people and cultures (even if i get called to utah-little inside joke) the experiences you have on your mission are unforgetable

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Yeah, the only financial benefit I got was that I learned a valuable language, and that doesn't apply to everyone.

 

[downtown]

Financially, as it turned out, going on a mission was a bad idea.

Spirtually, Personally, and professionally, it was worth it.

I have to admit though, my mission experience was very much atypical.

 

[warpus]

How does a mission work?

Is the purpose to go to a town that doesn't have many people of your faith - and leave with a couple of them converted? Do you spend every day going through door to door handing out pamphlets and spreading the good news?

 

[downtown]

How does a mission work?

Is the purpose to go to a town that doesn't have many people of your faith - and leave with a couple of them converted? Do you spend every day going through door to door handing out pamphlets and spreading the good news?

It really depends on where you go. I went to the Sacramento area, which actually has quite a bit of Mormons (way more than Columbus, where I grew up). I did very, very little door knocking, or tracting.

A lot of what I did was working with members who were already there, or people who used to be Mormon, but for one reason or another, left the church. When we taught lessons to Non-Mormons, they were typically friends of other members, and when we taught, they were involved in the process. This method is harder, but more effective.

Another buddy of mine just got back from Russia, which has very very few Mormons...so most of what he did was door knocking.

 

[warpus]

What kind of lessons do you teach?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Basic principles and doctrines of the Church; they are actually printed out in the missionary guidebook, although of course what we end up teaching exactly varies greatly depending on the person.

 

[warpus]

Where do you do this though? Is it a 1 on 1 type thing or do you teach large groups?

Do people sign up, or do you have to go around recruiting students?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Well, there are usually two missionaries, and we teach people in their homes for the most part.

There are a number of methods for finding people who want to listen - we are most known for tracting (ie going around knocking on people's doors) but by far the most effective methods are from people who have LDS friends who bring it up.