In case you haven't seen this story on the news or read about it in the newspapers, 3 Mormon Missionaries allegedly vandalized a shrine and committed sacrilegious acts in a Catholic Church. Here are a couple links to news articles: Deseret News Examiner.com
Here is my take on the situation...
Mormon missionaries are usually 19 year old males. They go out on 2 year long missions and the LDS Church decides where to send them. They don't get a choice. Many missionaries (at least 4 of them I know personally) were very upset that they didn't get a foreign language mission to another country, but were sent to places like Orlando, Washington DC, and believe it or not Salt Lake City.
These kids are fresh out of high school, and they don't have a whole lot of experiences under their belt. They are young, and they don't make bright decisions sometimes. Hell, when I was 19 I made more than one big mistake... and so did everyone else reading this blog.
They are probably all now married off in that lovely temple marriage to a true blue Mormon girl who wants tons of babies. They are probably working great jobs, or finishing their education (hopefully the latter,) or both.
The Mormon Church didn't really have anything to do with this incident. It was just a bad decision made by some kids. That is really how I feel. This could have easily come from another religion, it just happened they were Mormon.
These missionaries should have to pay for what they did. They are not exempt because they didn't mean it, or because they are really good people now. They should have to go back to this church and volunteer at that very facility to teach them some respect of other cultures and beliefs.
Just my take on it.
Me.
WindySydney began as an online journal detailing my exit from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Since leaving the Mormon Church, I have come to the conclusion that religion does more harm than good. I have also become an atheist, looking for logic and reason instead of accepting things on faith.
I also blog about things going on in my life. I am learning photography, I have a severe addiction to diet coke, I am a proud vegetarian, and I have two of the cutest cats in the world. Life is officially an adventure without the magical fairy-tale ending. I plan on enjoying it.
-Andee
Since leaving the Mormon Church, I have come to the conclusion that religion does more harm than good. I have also become an atheist, looking for logic and reason instead of accepting things on faith.
I also blog about things going on in my life. I am learning photography, I have a severe addiction to diet coke, I am a proud vegetarian, and I have two of the cutest cats in the world. Life is officially an adventure without the magical fairy-tale ending. I plan on enjoying it.
-Andee
Blog Archive
-
▼
2008
(629)
-
▼
March
(66)
- Computer Trouble
- Another Contradiction
- Found In Mom's Basement
- Funny Wrong Lyrics
- Contradictions
- Kitchen Time
- New Furniture
- Bishop's Comment "Men Are Jerks"
- I Know My Kids A Star
- Ex-Homecoming Queen Accused Of Beating Sister With...
- More Sylvia Browne Stupidity
- Listropolis
- Photoshop Disasters
- Sunday Secrets!
- Family Togetherness
- Working With People
- Starburst and Concrete Floors
- 2 Hours With The Bishop
- Sunday Secrets!
- ATTENTION PLEASE!!!!
- Hello Out There!
- I am Off!
- I Debated Doing This... But I Can't Help Myslef UP...
- I Debated Doing This... But I Can't Help Myslef
- Articles of Faith
- Prostitution
- What Do I Know?
- Baptism For The Dead
- The Rolling Exhibition
- Who Elected This Trash?
- Rant Time
- Time Flies
- LDS Missionaries Damage Catholic Church
- Portrait of Nails
- Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash Turns Woman's Teeth Brown
- Ghosties II
- What Matters The Most?
- Sunday Secrets!
- I'm Listening
- Money
- Awesome
- Batter Blaster
- Stuff We Used To Believe
- Almost Impossible
- Article in Southern Utah Newspaper!
- Looks Like a Windy Day
- My Kind of Greeting Card
- Celestial Glory
- Ghosties
- Rush Limbaugh
- The Countdown Has Begun...
- An Apology
- What If?
- Carl’s Jr. Cap’n Crunch Shake
- The Philosophies of Margarine
- Marine Apparently Throws Puppy Off Cliff
- Cool Stuff Time!
- What The Hell?
- Scary... Very Scary
- Anti
- Hate Crime
- Who Isn't Leaving Who Alone?
- Judgement
- Sunday Secrets!
- Survey Time
- Time Machine!
-
▼
March
(66)
These People Like Me
Labels
- ** (1)
- **** (2)
- ***** (2)
- 1930's (1)
- 1940's (2)
- 1950's (12)
- 1960's (1)
- Abbey Road (13)
- Animals (15)
- Atheism (79)
- Baking (10)
- Book of Mormon (15)
- Brother (5)
- Buddha Belly (8)
- Church (450)
- Cupcakes (11)
- Dad (4)
- Ensign (1)
- Family (11)
- Fark (4)
- FLDS (1)
- Flickr (12)
- Food (61)
- Funny (148)
- God (250)
- Holidays (24)
- Japan (2)
- Missing (1)
- Mom (33)
- Mormon (458)
- My Photos (60)
- News (80)
- Polygamy (2)
- Random (354)
- Religion (343)
- Resignation (20)
- Retro (30)
- Reviews (24)
- Roommate (13)
- Scary (82)
- SigningForSomething (30)
- Spooky Bear (14)
- Stupid (83)
- Sunday Secrets (20)
- Sweet Sweet Heaven (4)
- TBM Comments (25)
- Temple (9)
- Utah (3)
- Video (105)
- Weird (29)
- WindySydney (39)
- Work (16)
March 10, 2008 at 10:23 PM
Hey Sydney,
I just wanted to say thankyou for telling a side of the story that so many people won't. I think it's important to remember that missionaries are indeed 19 years old (or in my case 22 when I left) and as such are likely to make mistakes. It's not a perfect world that is for sure. Young men and women are bound to stuff up. I did numerous times in my youth.
I just wish that the others would see it this way too and realise that these young men and women aren't going to be perfect at all.
Nick (now with a blog!)
March 11, 2008 at 6:03 PM
What they did had very little to do with the Mormon Church in my opinion. Any person of any faith might be guilty of that same crime when in a group of peers.
That being said, I still believe they should have to do volunteer work for their crime and learn a little about accepting others with different beliefs. Not saying they are not accepting *now* but they certainly didn't show acceptance when committing their crime.
I hope they can move on from it and learn a valuable lesson.
March 12, 2008 at 3:48 PM
I was a missionary once too, and being that age we tend to play around. What these three missionaries did went too far. They did not act as representatives of the church.
This is not an act of the church only of the three boys. Yes, I agree they should have to do service and repay the cost of the damage. I know also the church will do something about the three boys.
I am sad and shocked they would do something like this!