If you are a Mormon, your Facebook page has probably been blowing up with this link (mine certainly has!) but if you aren’t you might not have seen this, so I thought I would post it here.
Michael Otterson, Head of Public Affairs for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote a piece titled “Why I Won’t Be Seeing the Book of Mormon Musical” for the Washington Post and I thought it was a really excellent response by the Church.
The real Book of Mormon (so much better than the musical 
)
I’ve had a few people ask me what I think about the play. I haven’t seen it, and I don’t plan to. I have read a lot of reviews online about it though, because I was curious what it would be like. I haven’t ever seen an episode of Southpark, but TH has seen the one on Mormons and he said it is frighteningly accurate. The creators, Matt and Trey, have openly said how much they like Mormons and are fascinated by them, and that the things they do aren’t meant to be an attack. I believe them, I think they just find religion in general to be strange and a bit uncomfortable.
What I like so much about Otterson’s response to the play is that he points out why this play is offensive. Not because we are the butt of the joke, or that some of the more ridiculous-seeming elements of our religion are exposed (Matt and Trey say that this play was 7 years in the making with lots of research!) but because the main point of the play attempts to show that proselytizing men and women are naively wasting their time, tossing out Books of Mormon and doing little else.
LDS missions currently cost around $10,000, funded by the individual unless they are not financially able (and then their fellow congregation helps pay). It involves 2 years of doing almost nothing but learning, studying, praying, teaching, and serving. No modern media, little free time and recreation, and only two phone calls home each year. It’s not a joke. Yes, the missionaries believe that teaching about Christ and the principles of the Gospel change lives (just think how we could wipe out the AIDS epidemic if everyone converted and worked to live the law of chastity!) but they do so much more than that over the course of their two years. I think Africa is a better place because we send missionaries there, and the more time the Church spends there, the better it can get.
April 17th, 2011 on 3:57 pm
Oh, I hate to disagree, but I’ve heard this argument so many times from Catholics that as a public health/anthropology student, I have to say something.
The AIDS epidemic won’t be wiped out by chastity. HIV is also spread from mother to child, especially if the woman has a vaginal birth. C-sections reduce the risk of the spread, but that is something that is highly expensive and often unreachable for women in Africa. So you could be born with HIV/AIDS, and live a perfectly chaste life, and marry a perfectly chaste spouse, and spread HIV to them.
It’s also spread through blood contact – a problem in hospitals that are underfunded and unsanitary. Also a big problem in Africa because of the poor nature of health care in many facilities.
Maybe if everyone did convert to a religion that preached abstinence and adhered to that teaching, the epidemic would stem. But teaching abstinence has had no measurable effect on the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
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Sophia Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
I was thinking along the same lines, Jackie. You worded it better than I could though.
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 4:27 pm
Obviously I don’t think that converting will cure your AIDS, but I do believe that there would be no more *epidemic* if everyone lived the law of chastity. Mothers and children could still spread to each other, and monogamous partners would still have to deal with the issue, but over time the disease would dilute and a much smaller percentage of the population would be dealing with it. AIDS is a problem in promiscuous cultures, where men and women have more than one sexual partner. There are other ways it can be spread, but when you eliminate promiscuity those are much less problematic.
Note that I understand promiscuity in some cultures can be very one sided, largely men taking advantage of women.
Also, I think talking about abstinence and prolonging sexual contact is going to be ineffective without true conversion.
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Jackie Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Ahh, I see what you mean.
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Ellie Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 6:21 pm
I’m very happy to read this article and see that it seems that the church is doing more to stem the tide of AIDS than just hoping for everyone to convert (although I’d feel even better if they were handing out condoms, especially for partners to avoid reinfecting each other). Also, remember that not just “men taking advantage” of women is the problem, but an epidemic of rape.
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Gogo Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 6:02 am
This is much better explained. I think the “chastity could wipe out the AIDs epidemic” was a kind of distracting note to end on. Especially without room for more explanation and since that’s a controversial topic in and of itself.
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April 17th, 2011 on 4:17 pm
But do missionaries “serve” in a way that they do concrete things that aren’t devoted to proselytizing? I get that you believe that converting people to Mormonism is inherently a good thing, but for someone who disagrees, I don’t see what contribution missionaries make.
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emily kate Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
Did you read the article she posted? The facts of what is being done in Africa were very “concrete.”
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TJ Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Yes, and it isn’t clear to me (1) the reliability of the figures, since all the links calculating the contributions of missionaries are church websites, and (2) whether the service is unconnected to proselytizing (analogous to issues with faith-based charity work).
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Monica Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Regular weekly service is required of all missionaries in the field. In my mission we provided a variety of service such as teaching English, volunteering at a local school for adults with mental disabilities, and visiting hospital wards, among other things. And, the service provided by the church goes far beyond what missionaries do. The regular membership of the church also participates in a variety of service in their local communities and throughout the world, including working on or donating to the projects listed by Otterson, among other things.
But, I believe this kind of response (even just to the service Latter-day Saints provide – really? Are the numbers accurate? Does the church really do anything? Are missionaries really not simply naive?) is the problem that Otterson is addressing, in part. That people who know very little about the LDS faith or church may have this view that Latter-day Saints aren’t aware of or doing anything about the incredibly difficult and heart wrenching issues people deal with every day throughout the world, and thus come away from the musical with the idea that the parody is actually trying to make fun of a reality of who Latter-day Saints are as people.
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
Thanks Monica! It’s hard for me to answer these questions sometimes because I didn’t serve a mission.
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Jessica @ One Shiny Star Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I didn’t read the article, but I know that missionaries do things other than proselytize. I don’t have much experience with missionaries in foreign countries, but most who serve in the US are required to do many hours of actually, working, service every week… to the community, not just to the church. They will volunteer in schools and local facilities like homeless shelters or food banks. They are involved in renovating and maintaining public properties and a variety of other things. I haven’t served a mission, so I don’t have the exact number of hours, but I have gone with missionaries on many occasions, and even had their help painting my non-LDS neighbor’s home once.
They are constantly looking for opportunities to serve, and if they come to your door and you don’t want to hear their message, they will still ask if there is anything they can do for you.
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Kristin Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
I just wanted to add my two cents in here regarding the service going on in Africa from the LDS church and whether or not it is related to missionary work, and if the figures can be believed.
I worked as a humanitarian aid worker with an NGO in Mozambique, and many times helped the LDS missionaries in my free time. Let me make some clarifications for the original commenter:
1) There are missionaries that are called for various types of service. One of them is proselyting, which is the most well known. However, there are missionaries, usually older retired members of the church, (though younger people are occasionally called on these mission as circumstances permit) that are called on missions known as “humanitarian missions”. They work with people in their areas, both members of the LDS faith and those of other denominations, to help with lots of different initiatives.
2) In addition to the humanitarian missionaries’ service in the communities there are, as already mentioned by a previous commenter, times devoted to service for the missionaries who proselyte. This service also extends to people of other faiths, as they are called to the ministry of Christ’s teachings which is to love and serve your fellow man regardless of his beliefs. Sure, if that leads to an opportunity to teach someone more about the church that is a bonus for the missionaries, but many times they are serving to simply lift those around them.
2) Though the figures that the article links back to are from the LDS newsroom, there are many articles in the national and local papers concerning the work the LDS church is doing in Africa in the respective African countries. We just don’t see them here in the US, so the LDS church makes members aware of the good that is being done with their tithing and donations around the world through their own articles.
3) From my own personal experience I know that the service is being done, and it is not just to get baptisms, it is to help those around them as Jesus Christ would. While I was in Africa I helped an LDS doctor and his wife who were on a humanitarian mission assemble neonatal resuscitation kits that he later used to train hospitals on how to help babies who were born unable to breathe on their own. He was working in Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Ghana, and Zimbabwe for 18 months. I helped two proselyting missionaries finish a playground at a Muslim orphanage one afternoon so the kids had a place to play and get exercise. I helped with teaching an economics class to community members (both LDS and not) to help their small businesses grow which was all set up by the local humanitarian missionaries. I helped gather materials for the literacy classes they held each week for the older generations (both LDS and not) who never attended school due to a civil war in Mozambique from 1975-1992. I also did humanitarian work with the LDS church as an intern for the Welfare and Humanitarian Aid Department in Brazil and saw the impact they are making there as well. I taught people how to find jobs, and out of the 200 people I taught 80% of them were from other denominations. I say this not to brag, but to let you know from a first hand account that the LDS church is in the business of assisting those who are in need of help in Africa and in the world over. We believe God wants us to be happy, and part of that happiness stems from having our temporal needs addressed.
I hope that clears up your questions, if you want to see some videos of real people on the receiving end of the church’s work here are some links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYrNBpJly9s
http://www.youtube.com/user/MormonMessages#p/c/CA1426AE08567A04/3/7TndfX1JvsU
And some from BYU, the private university owned by the LDS church who sends students (like me) to go do service around the world each year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B54HYuBkwc&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/user/BYUNews#p/u/35/Eo2Yu1_po3Y
http://www.youtube.com/user/BYUNews#p/u/37/vPdz74f_0G4
Enjoy!
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Kristin Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
oops, you would think I could put the correct bullet numbers, my mistake
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Kristin you have done so many amazing things! I admit I’m pretty jealous and wish I had done some things like this before I got married. I hope to be one of those “humanitarian missionaries” someday
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April 17th, 2011 on 4:21 pm
I’m not sure how to word this- we’ve been packing and cleaning for our move and my brain is fried. But I was thinking of how that Danish cartoonist and South Park got death threats for portrayals of the prophet Mohammed, and how glad I am that, for the most part, most religions are not driven to violence by fun being poked at their beliefs (of course I don’t think that Muslims are the only people to react this way, it’s just the example I used because it is related to the creators of South Park). I’d rather live in a world where people have freedom of expression, and where people don’t kill each other over words, and the discussion around this musical has had me thinking about the ways in which people react to slights against their respective religions. I remember at one point, the man that voiced Chef got angry and tried to leave the show over the Scientologist episode because that was his religion- yet he was fine with mocking others’ beliefs for years…
I agree with you that the missions are not a waste of time, and I like how the article you lined put numbers and facts to all of the work the Church does in Africa.
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Jackie Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
I kinda feel the same way. The Catholic Church has been mocked mercilessly for centuries. Example – Dogma, the movie! I think as a whole the Church’s response tends to be just ignore it. Sure it stings when someone asks me if I am a cannibal or when they make a pedophile joke, but me lecturing someone on why they should respect my religion isn’t really going to change their hearts.
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April 17th, 2011 on 5:19 pm
It was interesting to me that he wrote that article, as I thought the Church’s original statement about how the Book of Mormon would change lives was quite sufficient and very gracious and classy. I disliked the article for several reasons:
1) I dislike when people bring up the charity/service they’ve done in times of criticism. It makes me feel like the main purpose of having done that charity is to have it in their back pocket for moments like this, and in my opinion, it then ceases to be charity, and just sounds like bragging. It comes off as unchristian to list it out. I’m sure the South Park guys have given to the poor, but as far as I know, they’ve never publicly boasted about it. (Additionally, while the Church would have people think they give massive proportions of its income to charity, really it’s been estimated to be only 2%, on the high end, or about $4 per member each year)
2) As the article was not warmhearted or written with a sense of humor, it comes off as very petty, impulsive, and self-righteous.
3) He hasn’t seen it. He shouldn’t comment on something he hasn’t seen. While the musical may not set out to convert people to the LDS religion (as Otterson would prefer it), it is inspiring and well-executed.
(Also, I’ve heard rumors that the Church may disband traditional proselytizing in the US at some point– if that’s the case, it may well be a waste of missionaries’ time, if it’s not the most effective method of converting)
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Interesting that you would bring up the disbanding of traditional proselytizing. I actually hope the church does this as I think it’s ineffective in modern day society and would like to see missionaries focusing on service to spread the message about Christ.
I don’t think talking about your good works demeans them if you aren’t boasting, and I didn’t find any boasting or arrogance in his article. Most people don’t know we do anything other than hand out scriptures if we dont say something about it.
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Also I’d like to know where you got the 2% from. With the Bishop’s storehouse, educational and employment resources (I am participating in a program mentoring an unemployed woman to help her find a job, and another woman in the program is looking into schooling with aid through the church), and aid sent all over the world on a regular basis (not to mention aid sent to disaster areas of Japan), I find that number to be disproportionately low.
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Jenn Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
You know, I can’t remember exactly where I got the specific 2% from, and it may not have been a solid source. I probably shouldn’t have typed it without thinking further. But I believe it was based off the estimated amount of tithing that comes in each year, about $4 billion. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finances_of_The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints, and http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/2010/12/lds-history-summary.html)
In January ’06, Bishop Richard C. Edgley said that since 1984, the LDS Church had donated nearly $750 million in cash and goods to people in need in more than 150 countries. I also found a similar stat on this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDS_Humanitarian_Services
This came out to be about $43 million per year. Divided up among the membership (13.5 million members in 2008, and about 6 million in 1984), that’s anywhere from $3.20-$4.20 per member, each year.
But who knows…since the Church hasn’t been public with its finances since the late 1950′s, it’s hard to do more than estimate.
I definitely believe the Church (and its membership) does a lot of good, more than most churches probably. I just think the numbers can be easily blown out of proportion, since no current figures are available.
Anyway, thanks for your response, & also for not censoring dissenting comments! I really appreciate the way you promote thoughtful discussion amongst your readers.
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
You are welcome! I always like to hear from people who are presenting logical, educated arguments. It’s really fun actually!
The Church newsroom site actually has a statistic up that say the value of humanitarian assistance since 1985 is 1.3billion. http://newsroom.lds.org/facts-and-stats
I also think that the “cash and goods” estimate severely estimates the value of time and talents donated by members serving throughhout the world. Kristin cites some excellent examples of this above (ex. LDS doctor and his wife who were on a humanitarian mission assemble neonatal resuscitation kits that he later used to train hospitals on how to help babies who were born unable to breathe on their own).
TH is actually doing the math to figure out a better number right now. Once I read this comment to him I couldn’t stop him from doing some calculating
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TH Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
I think the tithing estimate of $4B is in the ballpark that I got from back-of-the-envelope math, but the margin of error on this thing is huge – anything between $1B and $10B wouldn’t surprise me. So I’d personally stay away form humanitarian aid as % of tithing revenue since all you’re getting are guesses.
The $ of aid per person per year is more interesting. We have 13.5M members, and from what I’ve seen throughout my life, I’m guessing about 50% are active and maybe 1/3 are donating. You could maybe estimate 50% donating, but that sounds too rosy to me. Additionally, given that Mormons tend to have lots of kids and one wage earner per household, I think 4 people per household is a good ballpark estimate (esp. given that 8M of Mormons outside the US are concentrated in developing nations with higher birth rates). This gives about 1.1M donating households world-wide, with probably around 0.5M in the US.
Using the $1.3B figure from http://newsroom.lds.org/facts-and-stats for humanitarian aid since 1985, you get about $45 per household per year (about 10-20% higher if you adjust for inflation). If you wanted to just include US households in the denominator, you get $110 per household.
On top of this the church has a fast offering program which is used to help the poor locally and isn’t counted in humanitarian aid. You’ll get at least another $100 from that per household, although if I were to bet money on a number I’d put it north of $200.
Given these numbers, I don’t think the amount is trivial, but to your larger point of bringing up charity in face of criticism I both agree and disagree. I agree that we shouldn’t use it as a shield (e.g. “You suck” “But I give to humanitarian aid”). But why would we not use it as a relevant argument (e.g. “You do no good in Africa” “But I spend a ton of money on humanitarian aid in Africa”)? I think the latter is more applicable in this case.
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Monica Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
There are several other programs as well that one should take into account like the Perpetual Education Fund. Also, it is important to keep in mind that the “church” as an entity doesn’t pay for all of these services. Recently the women in our congregation put together hygiene supplies and a couple of full size quilts in response to the disaster in Japan – everything from supplies to shipping was donated by members of the congregation.
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Monica Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
I should have also said that I agree, 2% seems too low considering the goods and services that the church provides on a regular basis and in emergencies.
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Gogo Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 9:05 am
I also really liked the Church’s response. It was elegant, simple, non-combative. I wish this guy had left it at that. I didn’t think this article felt petty or self-righteous, though I was half expecting it would be like that when I first started reading it. I think he was trying hard not to sound that way.
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Kristine Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
Why the need to pick apart how much money any organization is dedicating towards service? Shouldn’t we be praising anyone that gives anything regardless of how much WE think they should be giving? How many organizations can say that they donate BILLIONS of dollars towards humanitarian aid? While I think that everyone (and I mean EVERY single person in the entire World) could give more service than they do(more time, more money, more effort, etc.), I think we should still applaud any type of service that is given… great or small.
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April 17th, 2011 on 7:09 pm
I just wanted to pop back by and clarify that I wasn’t trying to be combative with my second comment- more of a musing on the ways in which religions deal with negative press and talk that they might not appreciate. It wasn’t an extrapolation of how you, specifically, are dealing with it, just a comparison of the extremes of the spectrum.
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April 17th, 2011 on 7:45 pm
I love the South Park Mormon episode. At the end the Mormon kid tells the others Look, maybe us Mormons do believe in crazy stories that make absolutely no sense, and maybe Joseph Smith did make it all up, but I have a great life. and a great family, and I have the Book of Mormon to thank for that. The truth is, I don’t care if Joseph Smith made it all up, because what the church teaches now is loving your family, being nice and helping people. And even though people in this town might think that’s stupid, I still choose to believe in it. All I ever did was try to be your friend, Stan, but you’re so high and mighty you couldn’t look past my religion and just be my friend back. You’ve got a lot of growing up to do, buddy. Suck my balls.
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April 17th, 2011 on 8:09 pm
This is really interesting. One question I’ve always had about missionaries who do aid work is whether the aid comes with a price. More rather, what are the requirements to benefit from the aid? Do you have to go to church, read literature, etc.,?
I hope this question doesn’t come off as rude. This has just always been something I’ve wondered about missionaries of all different denominations.
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 8:23 pm
There are programs that one must be a member to participate in, and programs where you don’t have to. Wikipedia talks a little bit about the different programs here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints#Humanitarian_services
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April 17th, 2011 on 8:09 pm
I just have a problem with Africa being the destination for missionaries and people who want to do good. When, in my experience, those people are afraid to step into the “bad” neighborhoods of their own cities and/or towns. In the field I work in, social work, it makes me angry as a person of color to hear people think they deserve a badge of honor for helping out countries in Africa but snub their noses at local areas that need so much help ( and in my experience they have always been urban areas with a high population of people of color). Helping out countries in Africa seems more like a commodity than actual service, kind of like the “trend” of adopting babies of color from African or Asian countries.
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
You do know we serve all across the world, right? Over 50,000 full time missionaries. TH served in the Bronx, doing exactly what you said. I think we’re trying to hit all possible areas here.
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Meg Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 10:55 am
I still think Africa is a commodity and I am aware that people serve in a lot of different places. Though it seems to me that a lot of people I’ve encountered seem to think they deserve a badge over the person, like your husband, who served in an at-risk area in the US.
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Kristin Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
I respect your point of view, though there are many people who are doing service the world over including in the United States. I commented above on the time that I spent doing service in Africa and South America as a humanitarian aid worker.
There are people who go over to Africa to serve with the intentions of being a tourist, and there are people who go over there hoping to “find themselves”, and there are people like me who see a need for help and a skill set that can be used for bettering the lives of others. I speak Portuguese fluently (Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome e Principe, Cape Verde are all Portuguese Speaking nations there) I have a background in teaching, why wouldn’t I go offer my help in communities that are trying to get the education they need to better their families lives?
I think regardless of your reason for going, the service needs to be done. There is a level of poverty in those nations that simply does not exist here in the United States. For example, in Mozambique people did not ask for money on the streets, as you commonly see here. In all the time I was there not once did someone ask me for money on the streets, only food. The panhandlers asked directly for you to buy a small loaf of bread and some milk for them, because they were hungry. I once gave a little boy a loaf of bread and he started crying because he was too conflicted on eating it at that very moment or taking it home to his family, because they needed to eat too. He was too hungry to think straight. There is no welfare, no food stamps, no outreach centers for the homeless, just hunger.
I taught English classes under trees because there was no classroom, on a broken chalkboard where children had to share pencils and notebooks because there were not enough to go around, and the books for the class were too expensive (they cost about $4 USD) so I was the only one with a book. Never in the worst circumstances here in the US have I seen or heard of classes being held outdoors, though I am well aware that there is a widespread issue of lack of materials in public schools.
Children on average were about 2 years smaller (in height and weight) than children in the US. I had to reset my thinking on a child’s age while in country-children that looked like a 7 year old in the US were usually 9-11 years old, mainly due to malnourishment.
It was common to hear that so-and-so was absent from school due to malaria, dengue, cholera, hepatitis A, or a host of parasites, and other food and water born illnesses from a lack of clean drinking water.
The AIDS epidemic is tragic and heartbreaking, I helped with AIDS outreach and testing in some cities that had infection rates of 1 in 3 people according to the country’s latest health census.
So, while there are places in the United States that need help and need services, there are usually government and private aid organizations that are there to help. In many of the countries in Africa, however, these government organizations are just starting, poorly funded, lacking in infrastructure and the transparency needed to be widely effective among their populations. Until these organizations can be at least as effective as the (broken) government organizations in the US, I will applaud the efforts of those who go abroad to make a difference and help people learn to help themselves. I am not preaching handouts, but people should have the opportunity to learn and protect themselves against things like AIDS/STDs, food and water born illnesses, and proper nutrition.
As for the bad neighborhoods in the US, I grew up in the Bay Area of California, and I spent time there working with the local Hispanic population trying to get on their feet and find good jobs to support their families, because I speak Spanish and could lend my services. I have worked on literacy programs where I am currently living to help underprivileged schools, and helped in various United Way projects. I say all of this to let you know that the people who usually are willing to go to a place that is, lets face it, just as dangerous if not more so than the “bad” neighborhoods in the US, are also willing to help out in their own cities.
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Meg Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 10:57 am
I completely disagree with you. I actually find it sad that you approach this as a “who needs more” type of issue. I don’t think it’s right to place value on the pain and suffering of any people. So to say that people in Africa or anywhere else are suffering MORE that someone where in the US completely demeans the experience of a people.
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Kristin Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
It isn’t a who needs more issue. It is a there is a need issue. Why demean people who go and serve where there is a need? There is nothing sad about seeing a dire need of millions of people and setting up means to serve them. I also clearly stated that those who are willing to go elsewhere in the world (like myself) are usually willing and are already serving in their own communities. I hope someday you can grasp a bigger picture of humanitarian efforts that extends past your own backyard.
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Hailey Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 6:19 am
i’ll also add that missionaries do not choose where in the world they will serve, nor do they choose which area they will serve in once they reach their mission – they could be sent to a wealthy or developing nation, and even within their mission country, they can be moved between low and high socio-economic areas. this has very little to do with a missionary’s own preferences and everything to do with the mission president’s discretion. white americans are sent to countries with a coloured population, sure, but lots of white americans also serve their missions within their own country, and people of colour serve all over the world too.
i certainly appreciate what you’re saying. some people do commodify their humanitarian work, and that is sad. i trust that most people have pure intentions! to turn up ones nose at local social problems is likewise unfavourable, and i see it to be in everyone’s best interest to improve the society in which they live. in this situation, i suppose africa has specifically been targeted in this article because this is where the book of mormon musical is set. if the musical was set elsewhere, i trust ottersen would have mentioned missionary efforts relevant to the setting of the musical
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Meg Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 11:00 am
I suppose it frustrates me that they would even pick Africa as a backdrop for this play. But I think they did that because of exactly what my experience has been: it’s fashionable to help people in the continent of Africa but not so much in the rural area of Tennessee.
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Gogo Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 8:52 am
I’m not sure I understand why your frustrations over the failures of a lot of people to help and lift up the poor in our own country translate into you having a problem with Africa as a place where people provide aid. I say this as someone who’s major largely deals with African history, culture, and politics because I too bemoan the way in which Africa is so often painted with one big infantalizing brush. The “Africa is so hot right now” stuff. But the fact remains that there is much work to be done in many African countries to improve really fundamental aspects of life for most citizens.
And yes, there are people who wave around their international service experiences while frankly refusing to help closer to home. And that’s a problem. But it isn’t one that really applies to missionaries of the LDS church. First of all, they don’t choose where they go. They are assigned based on the need of various areas and revelation as to which incoming missionaries should fill that need. Second, missionaries do serve in inner city areas in this country – both by proselyting and by doing community service. Jenna mentioned that her husband served in the Bronx. My fiance served in Alabama and Mississippi in poor rural and urban areas. Sometimes they were stopped by the police who told them they didn’t want to go into the neighborhoods they were heading to since not even the police went there. Which is sad on so many levels. And illustrates the racism and classism that perpetuate and create and hinder the alleviation of the problems and challenges that the poor in our country face. But that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t help out in Africa. It’s not an either/or situation.
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Kristin Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
I completely agree here, it is most definitely not an either/or situation! People who extend their efforts in the United States can also go to other places (Africa and the world over) to lend a hand as well. Thanks for pointing out that missionaries do serve in areas that are “bad neighborhoods” here in the US. I think many times people assume that they are only in areas where it is easy to live, serve, teach, etc. and that is just not the case.
I am also not a huge fan of people romanticizing Africa and going and serving there because it is “trendy”. But, I realized while I was there that sometimes the visit a person might make because it is popular and trendy opens their eyes to ways they can help. It provides the bigger picture of sorts, and those people later get involved with specific causes they feel passionately about because of their touristy/service visit to Africa.
Don’t get me wrong though, I was disgusted by people asking to take photos with malnourished infants, beggars, etc. as if they were circus attractions. That is a wrong and degrading practice, I am speaking more towards those who go over to a country to be on vacation and stop in at an orphanage for a day or something. Those are the people that might see a bigger picture and get involved later on, at least that is what I saw in my experience.
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Kristine Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
I think it is sad to breakdown and ridicule ANY type of service that is being done. Whether you are helping your next door neighbor that you know closely or helping someone you don’t know half way around the world, it doesn’t matter. You are serving someone and helping to better the world and that is what is important.
I also think that the type of service that is being done in Africa is completely different than the service that is needed in the United States. Africa (for the most part) is more rural and uneducated while the US is domesticated and provides means for education. I am not trying to say that service isn’t needed here, but I feel like it is comparing apples to oranges. The types of service that someone could give in Africa (based on their skill sets) may not be needed in the US.
I also disagree that we should help ourselves before helping others. It doesn’t make sense that we should make sure that our country is in tip top shape before we can branch out and help other countries and people in need. If we waited until our country was perfect and didn’t need help, what kind of situation would that leave the less fortunate countries in?
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April 17th, 2011 on 8:19 pm
why don’t girls do missionaries? or do they?
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Jenna Reply:
April 17th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
They do! Monica commented above about the mission she served. I didn’t serve one because I was in consumer debt (from stupid things like shopping at Nordstrom), and then when I paid it off I got married
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Rebecca Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 12:35 am
Jenna, Great post! I had not gotten the Facebook messages so I was out of the loop.
Andrea, I also served a mission. I was in Argentina for 16 months. My mother served a mission to France, and both of my grandmothers served missions, so women missionaries are all over the place, although not as common as male missionaries.
I am very, very grateful for the time I was able to spend as a missionary. Not only did I have the amazing opportunity to learn another language and assimilate myself into another culture but I grew SO MUCH personally. It was SO HARD, but so so so worth it. I wish everyone could have that experience although I did not always think that while I was experiencing it. I have made so many lifelong friends, my relationship with God grew immensely, my gratitude for everything grew so much, and my love for humanity expanded more than I thought possible.
And just to add my thoughts about The Book of Mormon, I love that book! I wish I had kept track of how many times I have read it, but it has been dozens of times. Every time I read it I learn something I didn’t see the other many times I have read it if I am reading with the intent to find answers to my life. I hope this musical, or the buzz about the musical, will make some people curious enough to pick it up and read it for themselves.
xoxo
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Katy Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 8:30 am
That is exactly what I thought. If 1 of every 50 people that see this musical decide to honestly seek out the Gospel and read the Book of Mormon, then something kind of disappointing like this can actually yield something good!
I’m enjoying reading the Book of Mormon the more I do it and the more I talk to my husband about the reading – you have to read it over and over because new insights or meanings stick out at different times in your life.
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April 18th, 2011 on 8:30 am
I agree with the commenter above, regarding the criticism of something you haven’t seen. Personally, I can recognize the men behind “South Park” as geniuses. They really are brilliant. But their brand of humor doesn’t do anything for me, so I don’t watch it. Because I don’t watch their work, I’d never put out a public criticism of a piece of it. Whether its going to make LDS leadership uncomfortable or not, I think it’s irresponsible to make a statement for the entire church about a piece of media he hasn’t seen.
The Catholic church is dealing with this now, too. People are making sweeping statements condemning Lady Gaga’s next video for being offensive to Catholics… when not a single bit of it has been released yet. It’s all hearsay. It may very well BE offensive, but let’s wait until we’ve seen it and THEN make a statement based on fact, not on what we’ve heard.
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Jenna Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 8:48 am
I don’t think he is “guessing” at what this is about. The play is released and you can google many, many reviews about it.
Wikipedia has a snyopsis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Mormon_(musical)
NPR wrote about it extensively here: http://www.npr.org/2011/03/24/134803453/on-broadway-a-mormon-swipe-at-everything
I don’t think the article I linked to was meant to be a review. In fact it was pointing out WHY he wouldn’t see it.
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Chelsea McGowan Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 8:51 am
I didn’t say he guessed. I said he “heard”. I don’t blame him for not wanting to see it… I don’t want to see it either, and I’m not even LDS. But reading reviews of a piece of art (because it is, even if we don’t like it) is not the same as viewing it for yourself. I just think that in general, people in leadership positions should refrain from “official comments” on things they haven’t seen for themselves.
I know this can be taken to the extreme… we don’t have to see every pornographic film to know that pornography can have damaging effects on a marriage. So I’m really not trying to stir the pot, there. I’m just stating that I think his statement would have held more weight if he’d been able to say, “I saw the play, and this is what I think of it.”
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April 18th, 2011 on 10:46 am
Growing up in the South, I’ve had my share of proselytizing from the LDS and 7th Day Adventists, not to mention the Southern Baptists and the college kids that come to the beach every spring break and summer to preach on the beach. So I am just not a fan of the approach and at least around here where you get hit up by every angle, it overwhelms, annoys and ends up giving Christians a bad rep. But, while I am not a fan of the practice, I can appreciate what the missionaries give up and how much effort they give etc. Personally, I believe in being the “hands and feet” of Christ and going out and doing good works (like building a school or digging a well or volunteering in a hospital etc)and if people ask you about your beliefs, explain, otherwise, just be a good example of His love and hard work.
Specifically with regards to missions in tribal areas, I highly recommend this book, Things Fall Apart:
http://www.amazon.com/Things-Fall-Apart-Chinua-Achebe/dp/0385474547
Its interesting to follow these tribes through their interactions with missionaries and the after effects, from the tribes point of view. WARNING: This is not the light and fluffy, all is good in the world and all good intentions are met with good results type of book. It is, however a very good well written book that you should read if you are willing to read something that MIGHT challenge your way of thinking and take you to a new perspective on something that is near and dear to you. (And btw – if ANYTHING I typed came across as combative, its my fault in my typing. Solely meant as an expression of opinion and a suggestion.)
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Jenna Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 10:52 am
When I started reading your comment I wondered if it would be combative, but I thought it was really nice! I added that book to my Goodreads list.
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Michelle Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 4:27 pm
Yeah – ANY comment that comes from me and sounds combative means I goofed in typing! I dont always agree, and I share different ideals and beliefs, but I think discussions or agreeing to disagree are what being in a diverse culture is all about.
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Sophia Reply:
April 18th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
I agree that this book is wonderful. I read it in high school and loved it.
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April 18th, 2011 on 1:19 pm
On the South Park thing, there are several episodes featuring Mormons and they are always shown as nice, good, sweet people! One of the episodes has a bunch of characters dying and when they get to heaven they are turned away because it turns out that “the correct answer was: Mormon.”
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April 19th, 2011 on 9:23 am
I don’t think this musical is offensive to Mormons. Certainly it fails to meet the media standards that some members live by. It sounds definitely offensive to Ugandans.
I think if you walk away from reading the reviews and listening to the interviews thinking that the point of the play is that missionaries are wasting their time than you missed something. The point is more like, religion is kooky but can lift us up to something more. On the way, it makes fun of Mormonism (which, honestly has plenty worth teasing about).
The reality is that a lot of missionaries do go into the field woefully ill-prepared (even if the Church itself is). That’s mostly on them, I think, and some on the Church. But, like in the play, a lot of those missionaries will rise to the challenge.
I loved the Church’s official response. Because it’s true. This play will probably make you laugh for the night, and if that’s all you want then you’re set. But life changes are found in the Book of Mormon and in the principles of the gospel. The play and the religion are pretty far apart if you look at it like that. And the one doesn’t have to detract from the other.
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Gogo Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Coincidently, my boyfriend/fiance/whoever wrote a letter today as part of a blog project he’s doing to his mission president. I think it’s a nice reflection on the mission experience, in case anyone is interested. http://mooneyofftherecord.blogspot.com/2011/04/open-letter-to-example.html
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