TerryTryon

It's not perceived as a punishment at all. The mormon mission is seen as a rite de passage into manhood, during which all the cares and desires of the world are set aside and all efforts and thoughts are consecrated to the "service of the Lord." Hence, missionaries are expected to follow the advice of Matthew 10:37-39:


Persnal Note: Mormon women, in my experience, are not submissive as the tenets of the religion might imply. The concerns and opinions of the Mormon wife carry great weight in the household. Also, many Mormon women work outside the home. However, the Mormon emphasis on breeding success puts many women at great risk, and large families mean many Mormons do not have the resources to provide adequately for their children.

My father never did anything of consequence without the consent of my mother, and I don't believe he would have dared! Neither can I imagine any of my sisters tolerating dictatorial behavior from their husbands. Indeed the 50/50 rule is often cited as the ideal basis for marriage. Break away polygamous sects, however, have a completely different attitude towards women.

When I was on my mission, I had what was known as a negative attitude and I spent a great deal of time being scolded and threatened. I chafed constantly against mission policies and programs I felt were dishonest, illegal, or assinine.

Furthermore, the tension of complete sexual abstinence put me in a near constant state of anxiety and depression. Shunning and ridicule were often used to control my behavior. When a missionary returns, he is expected to say that his mission was the "best two years of my life." I refused to say that or anything equivalent and thus faced several years of shunning by the more pious members of my extended family.

I told myself that I would never use any superlative (positive or negative) in regards to the mission in order to minimize its negative effects. Indeed for several years, I spoke very little about my experience in the mission field. I was treated for post traumatic stress disorder following my mission and have had several reoccurances over the years.

However, most Mormon boys (of the minority who serve missions) easily adjust to the deprivation and control of the missionary lifestyle and are quite sincere (I believe) in saying, "It was the best two years of my life."

Autonemesis

Yep, it's like enlisting in the military, only you don't get paid and you don't get benefits. You are expected to sacrifice and pay for most of it yourself in order to go on a mission. I didn't. I enlisted in the US Navy.

[ December 23, 2002: Message edited by: Kind Bud ]</p>