Serious question!
I'm wondering if these guys were just being stupid, or if it's only their leadership, or if it's a "Mormon Missionary thing".
I was doing my volunteer work tonight as our Police Chaplain, driving in my patrol vehicle through our parks and neighborhoods. At one of our nice parks - soccer fields, baseball fields, picnic areas - I saw a couple of Mormon missionaries talking to a couple of young black men who were sitting on a picnic table. The table was near the edge of the parking lot, so I just pulled up and jokingly asked the guys on the table, "are these guys bothering you?" (referring, of course, to the Mormons -- OK, I was being a little ornery, and was just kidding)
One of the young men said, "Well, not really, but they're messing up my mind". I shut off my car and got out, and sat on the table with them, and said, "so, where are we?"
One of the Mormons started to explain to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet, just like the "Prophets of Old", and ---- I politely stopped them and said "I'm quite aware of who Joseph Smith was". They looked surprised, and I said "I don't believe he was a prophet, I believe he was a scam artist". They were quite taken back, and started that "so you don't believe that God spoke through prophets" routine, and I said, "no, I absolutely DO believe that God spoke through REAL prophets, but Joseph Smith wasn't one of them."
Long story short, the Mormons were trying to shift the conversation to the Book of Mormon, but I suggested that Christianity hangs on whether or not Jesus was who He said He was, and Mormonism hangs on whether or not Smith was who he said HE was". The young men on the table said, "yeah, that makes sense" and asked me how I knew Smith was a scam.
I asked the Missionaries if they knew anything about the Kinderhook plates, or the Kirtland Bank scandal, or the REAL story behind Smith's death in Carthage jail. The men on the table were curious about that, and the Mormons tried to change the discussion back to the BoM.
The guys on the table asked me where they could find out about what I was talking about, and I said, "just Google kinderhook or kirtland bank...."
I asked the Mormon (who had been doing most of the talking) if he had ever checked into any of those things, "you know, just Google to see what is being said". He told me he wasn't allowed to Google. He said it was a faith destroyer and they (he and his fellow missionary) weren't allowed to use the computer for that.
By this time, the guys on the table had lots of questions, and I guess the missionaries thought it was time to move on, so I sat and talked to the guys on the table for a while, and the Missionaries left their contact info and moved on to other opportunities.
I've been wondering ever since --- is there an official prohibition on Missionaries using computers? OR maybe not doing "research" or Googling things while they're Missionaries? These Mormons seemed quite sincere when they said they weren't allowed to Google.
I'm wondering if these guys were just being stupid, or if it's only their leadership, or if it's a "Mormon Missionary thing".
I was doing my volunteer work tonight as our Police Chaplain, driving in my patrol vehicle through our parks and neighborhoods. At one of our nice parks - soccer fields, baseball fields, picnic areas - I saw a couple of Mormon missionaries talking to a couple of young black men who were sitting on a picnic table. The table was near the edge of the parking lot, so I just pulled up and jokingly asked the guys on the table, "are these guys bothering you?" (referring, of course, to the Mormons -- OK, I was being a little ornery, and was just kidding)
One of the young men said, "Well, not really, but they're messing up my mind". I shut off my car and got out, and sat on the table with them, and said, "so, where are we?"
One of the Mormons started to explain to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet, just like the "Prophets of Old", and ---- I politely stopped them and said "I'm quite aware of who Joseph Smith was". They looked surprised, and I said "I don't believe he was a prophet, I believe he was a scam artist". They were quite taken back, and started that "so you don't believe that God spoke through prophets" routine, and I said, "no, I absolutely DO believe that God spoke through REAL prophets, but Joseph Smith wasn't one of them."
Long story short, the Mormons were trying to shift the conversation to the Book of Mormon, but I suggested that Christianity hangs on whether or not Jesus was who He said He was, and Mormonism hangs on whether or not Smith was who he said HE was". The young men on the table said, "yeah, that makes sense" and asked me how I knew Smith was a scam.
I asked the Missionaries if they knew anything about the Kinderhook plates, or the Kirtland Bank scandal, or the REAL story behind Smith's death in Carthage jail. The men on the table were curious about that, and the Mormons tried to change the discussion back to the BoM.
The guys on the table asked me where they could find out about what I was talking about, and I said, "just Google kinderhook or kirtland bank...."
I asked the Mormon (who had been doing most of the talking) if he had ever checked into any of those things, "you know, just Google to see what is being said". He told me he wasn't allowed to Google. He said it was a faith destroyer and they (he and his fellow missionary) weren't allowed to use the computer for that.
By this time, the guys on the table had lots of questions, and I guess the missionaries thought it was time to move on, so I sat and talked to the guys on the table for a while, and the Missionaries left their contact info and moved on to other opportunities.
I've been wondering ever since --- is there an official prohibition on Missionaries using computers? OR maybe not doing "research" or Googling things while they're Missionaries? These Mormons seemed quite sincere when they said they weren't allowed to Google.
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