SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Ten Mormon missionaries have died so far in 2013, far above typical levels. And while church officials insist the spike doesn’t represent a trend, it has raised anew the question: Is missionary work safe?
If Mormonism is a Christian faith, why is my son, who is a Christian, being asked to convert to Christianity in order to date a certain girl? He is already Christian!
Last October, President Thomas S. Monson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that instead of waiting until they were 19, young men could serve missions at 18, so long as they had finished high school. For young women, the change was even more significant: 19 instead of 21. This opened the floodgates as the number of missionaries currently serving has surged from 52,000 to 70,000 over the past eight months, and is anticipated to reach almost 100,000 by the end of this year.
By the time you read this, I will be on a Mormon mission! I won’t be able to write for the website during that time due to the strict lifestyle missionaries are required to have, including no Internet!