LDS Missionary and Missionaries

LDS Missionary conspiracies are written about in the scholarly book The Mormon Conspiracy.

LDS Missionary and LDS Missionaries

"When I sent off for this marvelous book, the paranoid thought even entered my head, that perhaps this was an elaborate plot to check out if I was a true Mormon. I am still reading the book and last night I didn't turn the light off until 1:30 am. I was totally engrossed!"

John D. Lee, the adopted son of Brigham Young, who was executed in 1877 for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, served as a missionary in 1841, traveling through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Joseph Smith was well aware of the value of the missionary in the expansion of membership rolls and sent Brigham Young to England in the late 1830’s and early 1840’s to recruit new missionaries, for it was well known that this was fertile ground for new members. Since so many of these people were living from hand to mouth they quickly accepted the Mormon religion because it meant the possibility for immigration to the United States and a chance to get away from their miserable life in England.

Guiding Principles of the Missionary System

The century and a half or more of experience in missionary service for the Mormon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has evolved into several principles which guide the missionary system. These include at least five discernible aspects: appearance, tracting, visitation, referrals and developing trust.

• The white shirt, black nameplate, black tie and black business suit, and neat in appearance are trademarks of young Latter-Day Saints missionaries.
• Tracting, whereby missionaries leave tracts (religious pamphlets) trying to set up appointments.
• Inviting non-members and the missionaries to meet in homes so the missionaries can present their “canned” memorized speeches.
• Developing memorized lessons to use in teaching the Latter-Day Saints gospel to non-members. Some of these lessons are described by Scott as “...forty five minutes and are illustrated by slick flip-charts....which start with emphasis on the family unit, to prepare for future discussion of temple work and genealogy. The first lesson deals with the story of Joseph Smith’s search for truth. Other lessons (presented in the order deemed appropriate by the missionaries) cover eternal progression, continuing revelation, individual responsibility, truth versus error, the baptismal challenge, obedience, our relationship to Christ, and membership in the kingdom. These “canned lessons” require much memorization on the part of the missionary....” 1.
• Developing trust and fellowship between the prospective new member, church members and the missionaries. This is accomplished by giving them copies of the Book of Mormon, inviting them to church potlucks and services, and calling good prospects “brother” and “sister” etc .

  A Review of Present Day and Historical Conspiracies by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to Mormonize America and the World.

  
  
  1. Latayne Colvett Scott, The Mormon Mirage (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), 225 (Copyright © 1979 by The Zondervan Corporation. Used with the permission of Zondervan Publishing House.)
  
  
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