Turkey opens for LDS missionary work

[oxcoug]

Cool. Also - yikes.

http://ldschurchgrowth.blogspot.com/...nary-work.html

[falafel]

In accordance with societal attitudes regarding Christian proselytism, all missionary activity will occur through member referral. Reports indicate that missionaries will learn the Turkish language by attending university classes for a portion of the day once transferred to Istanbul

Sounds like my kind of mission.

[BigPiney]

That is really cool. I would love to spend some extended time in Istanbul.

[MarkGrace]

Memo and Enes opening doors for the LDS church. Way to go, guys!

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

That is really cool. I would love to spend some extended time in Istanbul.

I bet the rebel missionaries call it Constantinople.

[BigPiney]

I bet the rebel missionaries call it Constantinople.

Well, they are bringing back Christianity.

[creekster]

Well, they are bringing back Christianity.

But dont they teavch that Constantine was a big part of the reason they need to do so?

[NorthwestUteFan]

But dont they teavch that Constantine was a big part of the reason they need to do so?

That's nobody's business but the Turks.

[Northwestcoug]

That's nobody's business but the Turks.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Rick Steves is a local guy (and apparently is very 420 friendly).

During the PBS fund raiser a few years ago the station played his travel show episodes for Turkey and Iran, and he offered a bit of commentary about the shows. He spoke of a very different feeling toward the Call to Prayer between the two countries, and also of the general attitude toward religion.

Turkey has a significant amount of religious freedom, relatively speaking, when compared to Iran. Individuals participating in the Islamic prayer rituals in Turkey seemed to be happier and more spiritually devout, whereas in Iran many people acted more robotic in their actions. Steves posited the difference between the two was the Turkish Muslims were devout by choice, while in Iran the devotion to the religion is compulsory.

It was an intriguing distinction.

My wife's uncle is an anthropologist at U. Chicago and spends a significant amount of time in Turkey, and has lived there for a total of 16-17 years over the last several decades. He absolutely loves the people, culture, history, etc. We stayed with them on the trip as we were relocating from Boston to Seattle, and he had returned from Ankara the evening we arrived and shared
a date baklava he purchased at the bazaar that morning. The term 'Scrum-diddly-umptious' merely begins to describe how good it was.

[Paperback Writer]

Rick Steves is a local guy (and apparently is very 420 friendly).

During the PBS fund raiser a few years ago the station played his travel show episodes for Turkey and Iran, and he offered a bit of commentary about the shows. He spoke of a very different feeling toward the Call to Prayer between the two countries, and also of the general attitude toward religion.

Turkey has a significant amount of religious freedom, relatively speaking, when compared to Iran. Individuals participating in the Islamic prayer rituals in Turkey seemed to be happier and more spiritually devout, whereas in Iran many people acted more robotic in their actions. Steves posited the difference between the two was the Turkish Muslims were devout by choice, while in Iran the devotion to the religion is compulsory.

It was an intriguing distinction.

My wife's uncle is an anthropologist at U. Chicago and spends a significant amount of time in Turkey, and has lived there for a total of 16-17 years over the last several decades. He absolutely loves the people, culture, history, etc. We stayed with them on the trip as we were relocating from Boston to Seattle, and he had returned from Ankara the evening we arrived and shared
a date baklava he purchased at the bazaar that morning. The term 'Scrum-diddly-umptious' merely begins to describe how good it was.

You had me at "baklava". Do people have legal protecton from recrimination for leaving Islam in Turkey? Does Sunia law prevail? Being put to death for leaving Islam would be a conversion killer (pun intended).

Or are they just subjected to a good 'ol Mormon shunning.

[RC Vikings]

One of my son's best friends has been serving in Bulgaria and called his parents Sunday to let them know he was headed to Turkey to serve there. He's a good kid and smart so he should do well there.

[Viking]

One of my son's best friends has been serving in Bulgaria and called his parents Sunday to let them know he was headed to Turkey to serve there. He's a good kid and smart so he should do well there.

Seems like an odd decision to send Bulgarian-speaking missionaries into Turkey on the basis of geographic proximity. Didn't the Church do that with Finnish missionaries into Russia? I guess there's no one else to send in so why not have the most proximate kids go, right?

[Indy Coug]

Seems like an odd decision to send Bulgarian-speaking missionaries into Turkey on the basis of geographic proximity. Didn't the Church do that with Finnish missionaries into Russia? I guess there's no one else to send in so why not have the most proximate kids go, right?

Who's going to supervise them? The mission president next door, that's who.

[Green Monstah]

My best Mormon friend from high school is 1/2 Turkish and he's spent some time in Turkey the last two years. He's very excited about all of this.