Has the raised bar been beneficial to missionary work?

[smokymountainrain]

This has all the signs of a hastily-written memo, because a clerk or counselor forgot to write it until the night before. ('look good', 'infected by porn'???) C'mon.
Yeah, parts of it are offensive. But there's no way this is anything else than a local stake's dumb initiative.

Exactly. Look good? Really? Myself and Hermana Gold might have been the only missionaries in my mission. Not that that would have been a bad thing for me.

[TripletDaddy]

If I were to apply today, I would obviously dominate the financial aspect and pass the physical and "mental emotional" portions. Eagle Scout, no prob.

That would leave me one bullet short of qualifying.

[Flystripper]

If I were to apply today, I would obviously dominate the financial aspect and pass the physical and "mental emotional" portions. Eagle Scout, no prob.

That would leave me one bullet short of qualifying.

[DrumNFeather]

That letter is so last year!

[hostile]

I have been able to stave off porn infection by gradually building up a tolerance to it

What if you are just colonized with porn but not infected?

[TripletDaddy]

What if you are just colonized with porn but not infected?

per the terms of that letter you should be ok but i wonder what is the dormancy rate with porn infection? I suppose it is possible that you could develop a full-blown porn infection while on your mission even though you were not infected when you left. Hopefully the MP would not send you home (assuming you looked good).

[Shaka]

I wouldn't qualify. Furthermore there's a possibility that teenage me would have saw this and decided a mission wasn't worth the hassle. I would have met most of the criteria but would have pushed back on the rest.

I'd pass the following:
The physical/emotional, parents had the financial covered, Seminary graduate, no serious sin and I read the Book of Mormon. I can't remember if Duty to God existed but I would have treated it as optional.

I'd fail the following:
My testimony was in its infancy and certainly didn't reach stalwart levels. I was not an Eagle Scout and wouldn't entertain being one, and I'd never spend two years going to mission prep class.

[cougjunkie]

So fat guys with porn problems wouldn't be allowed to serve. Am I the only one that doesn't see a problem with this? The church is better off without them.

[YOhio]

So fat guys with porn problems wouldn't be allowed to serve. Am I the only one that doesn't see a problem with this? The church is better off without them.

Yeah but it sucks because I bet you would have had some cool mission stories.

[fusnik]

Had a funny convo with my Gpa who was a mission president.

He started laying down stats pre raise the bar, post raise the bar and post lower the age and said that raising the bar and lowering the age has killed baptism numbers. And he and multiple MP's have serious concerns about the missionary program and think it's one its last leg and lowering the age was a last ditch effort to resurrect the program.

He said he's tried to call the brethren but nobody listens to him anymore since all his buddies in the 12 are dead and the ones that are alive that he knows he doesn't care for or they don't care for him.

lol.

[Commando]

I wouldn't qualify. Furthermore there's a possibility that teenage me would have saw this and decided a mission wasn't worth the hassle. I would have met most of the criteria but would have pushed back on the rest.

I'd pass the following:
The physical/emotional, parents had the financial covered, Seminary graduate, no serious sin and I read the Book of Mormon. I can't remember if Duty to God existed but I would have treated it as optional.

I'd fail the following:
My testimony was in its infancy and certainly didn't reach stalwart levels. I was not an Eagle Scout and wouldn't entertain being one, and I'd never spend two years going to mission prep class.

Who ever heard of a two-year mission prep class? I think most of us would balk at trying to be a "Warrior Missionary." It's hard enough getting it together to go out for two years- who's trying to be a hero to get an extra nod from the stake president?

[Dwight Schr-ute]

I wouldn't qualify. Furthermore there's a possibility that teenage me would have saw this and decided a mission wasn't worth the hassle. I would have met most of the criteria but would have pushed back on the rest.

I'd pass the following:
The physical/emotional, parents had the financial covered, Seminary graduate, no serious sin and I read the Book of Mormon. I can't remember if Duty to God existed but I would have treated it as optional.

I'd fail the following:
My testimony was in its infancy and certainly didn't reach stalwart levels. I was not an Eagle Scout and wouldn't entertain being one, and I'd never spend two years going to mission prep class.

How can you even know that when the Emotional Fitness Evaluation is still being developed?!

[TripletDaddy]

all his buddies in the 12 are dead

[Moliere]

I would have passed with flying colors. In fact, I would probably still pass that list

FWIW, I have more of a porn mole and not an infection.

[byu71]

Had a funny convo with my Gpa who was a mission president.

He started laying down stats pre raise the bar, post raise the bar and post lower the age and said that raising the bar and lowering the age has killed baptism numbers. And he and multiple MP's have serious concerns about the missionary program and think it's one its last leg and lowering the age was a last ditch effort to resurrect the program.

He said he's tried to call the brethren but nobody listens to him anymore since all his buddies in the 12 are dead and the ones that are alive that he knows he doesn't care for or they don't care for him.

lol.

I think raising the bar could be responsible for lower baptism's. I know if I had known eventually I would have been accepted by my family and in the community if I didn't go, I wouldn't have.

I baptized a lot of people. I knew missionaries that were non conformists and a bit on the edge when it came to following rules and they also had among the highest baptisms.

I would love to have seen statistics back then of who baptized most, the strict rule obeyers or the on the edge guys.