The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints calls upon its disciples to go forth and “preach the gospel to every creature [...], baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son, and Holy Ghost” (qt. in Hanks, 315). Although not all Mormon youths respond to this calling, many do. The completion of missionary work acts as a rite of passage for many young Saints of both sexes; nevertheless, the system is organized to more deeply reward the male.
For the Mormons that do embark on a mission, the missionary experience changes their outlook on life, forcing them to mature and accept the burdens of adulthood. This rite of passage is manifested in both the necessity to cope with new situations and confront their faith. Within his essay The Mormon Missionary Companionship, Keith Parry invokes the stories of twelve college students who had recently returned from missions, extrapolating that it is the relationship between companions that marks the transition between adolescent and adult. One interviewee states, “Because we couldn’t choose our companions, we had to make the best of the ones we got. This often forced us to learn patience, tolerance, cooperation, and understanding” (Parry, 187). The need to morph to “make the best” of situations drives the missionaries to shed the petty, uncompromising stubbornness of childhood and take up a mantle of maturity. Furthermore, an intense immersion of religion propels missionaries into adulthood. According to Jenette Wood Crowley’s Call to Serve: An Oral History of Mormon Missions, a compilation of former missionaries’ experiences in the field, serving a mission is a profoundly religious process. Many attest to having a hard time adjusting to not being in a “spiritual state of mind” after returning (Crowley, 27). That former religiosity forces adolescent missionaries to partake in self-reflection and define their lifetime desires and “eternal goals,” both very adult concerns (Crowley, 28).
Although it is clear that serving a mission brings about maturity, wisdom and self-reflection, the direct emotional returns are greater for males than for females. From both Crowley’s and Parry’s stories, there seems to be a larger network of brotherhood than of sisterhood. This provides more opportunity for bonding. Additionally, men can participate in more rewarding missionary experiences. Sisters are only given the authority to “preach the gospel” whereas elders can also perform “gospel ordinances” (Hanks, 322). While this is not a hard and fast line of demarcation between the duties of men and women serving the Church, it still prevents women from attaining the same degree of reward from their missionary experiences. One sister writes, “We get discouraged and upset--but all that is forgotten as we watch someone we have grown to love enter the waters of baptism” (Hanks, 330). Her intention was to dismiss such concerns, but it is likely that if she were permitted to personally baptize that loved one, her elation would be much greater.
Considering these outcomes of a mission trip, what do you think are the other effects? Why would some missionaries come back saying “a missionary converts himself” while others very disillusioned (Crowley, 29)? Also, given that women are more successful missionaries than men, why are they not permitted to perform as many duties as their male counterparts?
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Although I agree that there is an unfair balance of benefits for males and females, I believe that balance is very subjective. One person may see a large disparity while another may not at all. For example, in Hank’s piece, “one sister dismissed the gender gap… a sister missionary isn’t much different than most other missionaries. (330)” Although there are differences, many look past it because of their passion and joy when they see someone “enter the waters of baptism (330).” Furthermore, I agree with Maggie’s point that it drove the transition between adolescent and adult. Specifically, it “exposes the adjustment that marriage brings (Parry 199)” and many believed that “a mission was the best way to prepare for marriage (Parry 199).” I agree that there are certain aspects that make the transition easier, but I feel like there’s a stark difference between marriage and companionship. For the most part, marriage is not forced like companionship. In companionship, you need to discipline yourself to begin to like them, while in marriage, your significant other is someone that you fell in love with. Although, your wife or husband will have quirks that bother you, I don’t think it’s to such an extreme where you’d have to force yourself to appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the arbitrary restrictions imposed on female missionaries are the manifestations of the deep-rooted sexism found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is important to note I am not asserting that sexism is inherent in the Mormon religion; both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young assigned women to crucial positions in the development of the missionary system in the nineteenth century. However, as the Church developed and its predominately male hierarchy became calcified, the Church’s administration systematically began to reduce the role of women in the faith. Women specifically were discouraged from embarking on missions by prominent Mormons from the 1950s into the 1980s. If women did become missionaries, deliberately limiting doctrines trivialized their role in the priesthood based on semantics. As Maggie correctly points out, through all of this, female missionaries were empirically more successful at securing conversions. In the face of this fact, the restriction of female missionaries can only be attributed to innate sexism within the Mormon Church.
ReplyDeleteClearly, missionaries have different experiences individually, culturally, and companionship-wise. How those experiences played out could explain why some felt they had converted themselves and others were disillusioned.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jacob that the Mormon religion has sexism built right into it. The most pointed example being women cannot receive the priesthood. I was not surprised that women would be given less duties as missionaries. Since Mormon women cannot even perform the same duties as males at home, I don't think things would be that much different abroad. What was surprising is that there is a stigma attatched to women missionaries in the Mormon culture. In Crowley's "Called to Serve" Stephanie and Laurie expressed their families feelings that women go on missions because "they do not have anyone to marry" or were "losers" (4). Perhaps, this view results from the homemaker role that is encouraged by the church, "that their first calling is to stay home and write to [male missionaries]" (Hanks,320). Even so, women become some of the most important people in mission work, and to not reward them with performing all the duties as males do, reveals the inherent sexismthat has lasted in the Mormon Church.