John Dehlin is thinking about bringing Mormon Stories back

[SteelBlue]

When I first got to the Netherlands, the entire mission was required to use a door approach in which we said we were in the neighborhood doing a survey on religious beliefs. We carried the surveys with us, marked down the answers, then at the end tried to build on their answers, working toward a first discussion. Of course we disposed of these "surveys" when we got home. People saw right through this once the segue into a first discussion was attempted and the survey often ended a bit angrily. Even at 19 and eager to be doing what I was told, this didn't sit right with me. After about 8 months, my mission split and I got sent to Belgium with a new president who did not like the survey approach and put an end to it. As it turns out, it didn't much matter what you said at the door, once talk turned to Jesus, you weren't getting in.

[pellegrino]

When will you Utes come to terms with the fact that it's CS now?

You know where my allegiances lay and It will always be CUF for me. In fact, I'm kind of pissed that the mods edited the pellegrino-approved template with the bastardization of CS instead of the original CUF.

[pellegrino]

Like 30ish. It fulfilled part of my patriarchal blessing.

I'm sure that was very important to you at the time. What does it have to say about your life now?

[Jeff Lebowski]

You know where my allegiances lay and It will always be CUF for me. In fact, I'm kind of pissed that the mods edited the pellegrino-approved template with the bastardization of CS instead of the original CUF.

The template is confusing enough without using an acronym that makes no sense to newcomers.

[Non Sequitur]

Who knows what he taught the people. But he used tricks to get in the door. Trickery is fine in some circumstances. But to me simple sincerity is the more appropriate approach on a mission.

It's not trickery, it's salesmanship. You're never going to close if you never get in the door. We used to get members to host neighborhood get-togethers where we told investigators we would be showing movies. The movie was always Johnny Lingo, and we got great turn-outs and baptized a lot of people. People don't let you into their homes because they think you're sincere or because they instantly feel the spirit when they meet you. They let you into their homes because they like you or find you interesting. I'll take salesmanship over sincerity any day.

[Pelado]

It's not trickery, it's salesmanship. You're never going to close if you never get in the door. We used to get members to host neighborhood get-togethers where we told investigators we would be showing movies. The movie was always Johnny Lingo, and we got great turn-outs and baptized a lot of people. People don't let you into their homes because they think you're sincere or because they instantly feel the spirit when they meet you. They let you into their homes because they like you or find you interesting. I'll take salesmanship over sincerity any day.

That sounds very sincere.

[Moliere]

It's not trickery, it's salesmanship. You're never going to close if you never get in the door. We used to get members to host neighborhood get-togethers where we told investigators we would be showing movies. The movie was always Johnny Lingo, and we got great turn-outs and baptized a lot of people. People don't let you into their homes because they think you're sincere or because they instantly feel the spirit when they meet you. They let you into their homes because they like you or find you interesting. I'll take salesmanship over sincerity any day.

While I don't fully agree, there is a good point in here. To illustrate that point, I was once a DL in a small town in Normandy. We weren't having really any success in the district. Even finding people was bad...bad by French standards. At the weekly District meeting I came up with the idea that we'd have a contest to see who could write the best opening lines for tracting. It turned into a fun contest as we came up with crazier and crazier lines. Then I challenged all 6 of us to not only use the lines we were randomly given, but to not use the same opening line twice for the whole week.

Tracting that week was a blast. We'd start out by asking the craziest questions and the French people would either just slam the door (they'd do that no matter what we said) or we'd end up in a fun, although non-spiritual, conversation. My favorite line was when my Finnish comp asked someone what their favorite Finnish dish was...the old French guy just stood there and stared at us, but we then had a 20 minute conversation about Finland. We did have some spiritual conversations and maybe even taught a 1st discussion or two, but we generally got those a couple times a week. However, we went from dreading tracting to actually finding it kind of fun. Granted we didn't find anyone that week (1st discussion never wanted us to come back), but we never found anyone tracting anyway so we didn't care.

[Pelado]

While I don't fully agree, there is a good point in here. To illustrate that point, I was once a DL in a small town in Normandy. We weren't having really any success in the district. Even finding people was bad...bad by French standards. At the weekly District meeting I came up with the idea that we'd have a contest to see who could write the best opening lines for tracting. It turned into a fun contest as we came up with crazier and crazier lines. Then I challenged all 6 of us to not only use the lines we were randomly given, but to not use the same opening line twice for the whole week.

Tracting that week was a blast. We'd start out by asking the craziest questions and the French people would either just slam the door (they'd do that no matter what we said) or we'd end up in a fun, although non-spiritual, conversation. My favorite line was when my Finnish comp asked someone what their favorite Finnish dish was...the old French guy just stood there and stared at us, but we then had a 20 minute conversation about Finland. We did have some spiritual conversations and maybe even taught a 1st discussion or two, but we generally got those a couple times a week. However, we went from dreading tracting to actually finding it kind of fun. Granted we didn't find anyone that week (1st discussion never wanted us to come back), but we never found anyone tracting anyway so we didn't care.

SoonerCoug for prophet!

[wuapinmon]

I baptized 50 people. I do not remember their kilogrammage. I often used tricks to get into doors. I can shove a pen up my nose and pull it out my mouth. I can remove my right index finger and put it back on, and if I put a coin inside my tie, I can make you think I made the coin disappear (a different one) in about 3 seconds. I was also asked about "Maykel Yordan" and the "Chee-cah-go Bools" about 7,324,468 times. Panamanians didn't like us though. "YOU CIA." A lot.

[Northwestcoug]

I would wait until someone asked me an innocuous question, and then I'd reply 'yo no sabo'. Then we they would correct me with 'yo no se', I'd fire back 'usted no sabe tampoco?'



Man, I killed with that line!

[Omaha 680]

A scientologist would call me a suppressive person.

It's all a matter of perspective.

For me, I can say that I would never exclude a family member from a wedding. Principle should come before your devotion to a religious group.

My journal at age 16 documented my views on God as well as my perception of a mission as an opportunity for cultural exchange. I never intentionally converted anyone. And I did not misrepresent my views to investigators. I was very open about my doubts and skepticism.

Before I decide if I think you were deceptive about your reasons to serve a mission, I need a bit more information: Who paid for your mission and did they know at the time you just viewed it as a cultural exchange?

I baptized 50 people. I do not remember their kilogrammage. I often used tricks to get into doors. I can shove a pen up my nose and pull it out my mouth. I can remove my right index finger and put it back on, and if I put a coin inside my tie, I can make you think I made the coin disappear (a different one) in about 3 seconds. I was also asked about "Maykel Yordan" and the "Chee-cah-go Bools" about 7,324,468 times. Panamanians didn't like us though. "YOU CIA." A lot.

The CIA thing was always hilarious to me. We heard it in Argentina all the time. I would always try to explain to people that CIA operatives typically don't try to stand out like missionaries do. They never agreed with me though.

[CardiacCoug]

Before I decide if I think you were deceptive about your reasons to serve a mission, I need a bit more information: Who paid for your mission and did they know at the time you just viewed it as a cultural exchange?

Parents paid for it of course and they preferred he approach it as a cultural experience rather than a chance to convert people to God's only true and living Church on the face of the whole earth.

[Katy Lied]

Did they want that for you as well?

[CardiacCoug]

Did they want that for you as well?

Yeah of course.

They would agree wholeheartedly with the "cultural exchange" mindset both now and 20 years ago.

[Omaha 680]

Yeah of course.

They would agree wholeheartedly with the "cultural exchange" mindset both now and 20 years ago.

Interesting. So if one of you had been called to, say, Omaha, Nebraska would they have just preferred you not go?