posted
Last night the missionaries knocked loudly on our door at about 8:30 p.m., after our one-year-old was asleep and we were both nodding off in preparation to go to work at 6:00 this morning. They've done this several times in an attempt to get us to listen to their discussions, and we've explained that it's not a great time for us, but I guess our house is on the way home because they just keep coming at the same time every week or two.
We finally decided to let them in. I'd heard that the discussions have been changed, and I was curious about how different they were since I'd given them. I thought they may have made some improvements. Changes? Yes. Improvements? Maybe not.
I wonder if they still even call them discussions. Very little discussing took place. For most of the 30-40 minutes that it lasted, our presence seemed totally superfluous. They could have saved us all a lot of time by just sending us a tape of them talking.
At the end of their presentation, they challenged us to read The Book of Mormon, which we politely declined. Of course they had to make an attempt to resolve our concerns, but it didn't seem like they'd been prepared for a very wide variety of scenarios in the MTC. I kept explaining to them that I probably wasn't going to read it because I'd already read it many times and come to the conclusion that I don't believe it. They kept responding to me as though I'd said that I was just too busy. After a few rounds of this I successfully managed to steer them off the topic, and they left us a few minutes later.
It left me a little puzzled, and I was wondering if anyone here might be able to enlighten me. What is the nature of these new lessons? I didn't see any books, so I don't know how closely they were following it. But the whole experience was very awkward and alienating--a choreographed spectacle of synchronized emotional display from strangers, while we sat twiddling our thumbs. It reminded me more of a live episode of the Glenn Beck show than a doctrinal discussion. Is that really how it's supposed to go down these days? And if so, why? What's the theory behind this strategy?
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
The missionary handbook/discussions has indeed changed.
In place of the discussions and a separate missionary handbook, there is a book called Preach My Gospel, which contains the basic doctrine and how it can be taught. There is much less structure - missionaries are encouraged to adapt to their audience more. Also, in place of roleplaying scenarios, there is a lot more focus on personal attributes and principles.
The idea is that instead of a more rigid program that is taught in order, missionaries can instead be adaptable as required. And instead of a list of do's and don't's, it is more the higher law to learn and try to live the principles.
As for the last paragraph, I am sorry you didn't have a good experience. I think you know that it isn't supposed to be "a choreographed spectacle of synchronized emotional display" meant to resemble "a live episode of the Glenn Beck show". It sounds like their message isn't for you. That's fine.
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quote:I think you know that it isn't supposed to be "a choreographed spectacle of synchronized emotional display" meant to resemble "a live episode of the Glenn Beck show".
That's not necessarily the case. That actually sounds a lot like some of the experiences I've had with evangelical conversion attempts. Maybe these LDS were trying to emulate that.
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posted
I suppose it's where you think the "supposed" is coming from. Church headquarters? Absolutely not. These individual missionaries? Oh, jeez, anything's possible, I guess.
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It's not that their message isn't for me. I don't have anything against the message--other than the fact that I don't happen to believe it, but I can hardly blame the missionaries for that. I was just a little disappointed by how uninvolving the presentation was.
Maybe I was a little hard on them. Maybe I'm just remembering the discussions that I used to give with rose-colored glasses. But I had expected them, as you said, to adapt the message to us. And yet from the opening prayer until the Book of Mormon Challenge, they hardly seemed to notice that we were there.
It was a very strange experience.
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posted
My guess about the "choreography" question:
When I learned the discussions they were split up into principles. Standard teaching protocol was to alternate teaching principles with space between each for asking questions. This resulted in a series of disjointed mini-discussions.
Since the introduction of Preach my Gospel there has been an emphasis on better team-teaching technique, helping each other teach principles, ratifying what your companion has just said. I've found this sometimes gives discussions a more choreographed feeling.
To the larger issue:
The Preach my Gospel framework is intended to promote more free form discussion, rather than rote memorization and regurgitation of teaching points. The problem I've seen in practice is that there is sometimes insufficient structure for inexperienced teachers, and as a result they tend to ramble on, and on, and on. On the whole I think the shift is for the better (as average teachers are doing a better job of presenting) but I think the bad discussions have become worse.
Posts: 2926 | Registered: Sep 2005
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posted
Speed: I think you will find that no set of instructions regardless of how perfect they are crafted will simply enthrall people regardless of how they are presented.
In the church people often state that even though the missionaries are not especially good the message often finds it's way into the hearts of people. While that in undeniably true, the idea that missionaries do nothing to augment or restrict the mission is absurd to me.
When I reflect on my own time as a missionary I can think of incidents where I had beautiful experiences with people, as well as ones where I just blew it.
One of the difficulties of being a missionary is verbal diarrhea. You spend so much time being told to get lost in a word or less that when somebody is willing to talk to you, you often overdo it when it comes to showing your enthusiasm for the gospel. Often you feel like that if you don't talk, the investigators never will, and you will have awkward silence.
What SenojRetep said here,
quote:The Preach my Gospel framework is intended to promote more free form discussion, rather than rote memorization and regurgitation of teaching points. The problem I've seen in practice is that there is sometimes insufficient structure for inexperienced teachers, and as a result they tend to ramble on, and on, and on. On the whole I think the shift is for the better (as average teachers are doing a better job of presenting) but I think the bad discussions have become worse.
pretty much nails the issue overall.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Two days in a row my co-worker and I have met the same pair of nice missionaries on the bus. Last night I got to invite them over for a talk and dinner (since that's the time Rei and I are home together these days, and we're hungry then). He has never had a chance to talk to missionaries and is quite excited. I'm happy because I've always had a few questions never get quite settled for me, so I can ask them again.
They were nice boys. Friendly, cheerful, what you would hope for. My co-worker made sure to tell them that "she likes Jesus too!" and later asked me why both their names were "Elder".
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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It reminded me more of a live episode of the Glenn Beck show than a doctrinal discussion
I wonder how annoyed Mormon missionaries get these days if you ask them what they think of Glenn Beck.
Also, just to be clear, since you talk about giving these discussions, were you once a Mormon and now no longer are?
Posts: 781 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Omega M.: Also, just to be clear, since you talk about giving these discussions, were you once a Mormon and now no longer are?
posted
It was in Toronto at H. House on a Tuesday night. We passed each other on the indoor stairs. I don't remember how long your hair was.
I'm very sure it was you, though. Unless you have a twin. You were gone before I could remember either your real name or your handle, though.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
My brain doesn't think that fast. Next time, I shall tackle you or something. We were both moving pretty fast.
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