Jan 25, 2012

12: Nena and David Look for Answers

Brandt interviews his childhood friend, Nena, and her husband, David, about their search for answers to troubling theological questions and their decision to resign from the church when no answers came.

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By Heather C. Podcast 9 Comments

Elder Vader

Got sick? In my
mission the prez just sent people home. Is ‘getting sick’ common parlance for ‘did something stupid or disobedient and had to get sent home’?

Things will all be worked out in the next life. That answer only works for people who don’t
have any time to think it through. I’ve been told several versions of this in an effort to make the church work for me again. ”If you just get busier, it will work for you again.”

Anonymous

While Dave is the one who mentioned “getting sick” I’ll step in. He and I both know people who were sent home. I remember one guy getting home and everyone was just talking about how sick he was… though he appeared totally fine. This went on for months before one of his friends clarified for me. I think there were 2 or 3 in my ward when I was a teenager. I know Dave had a couple from his mission that were sent home for getting girls preggo. At least in that situation someone did get sick

brandt

We only had 2 people go home, and they were for legitimate “sickness” reasons. One guy put his arm in one of those “heart rate” monitors, and it read his heart rate at 150+ BPM. Or something crazy like that.

However, one of the problems with the missionary program is this fact of the unwritten standard. While the church will say “the bar has been raised,” you also have the negative stigma of someone who doesn’t go, for whatever reason. Even people going home with legitimate sicknesses, there are documented cases of these RM’s who go into depression because they feel they weren’t strong/worthy/spiritual enough to last their entire mission, or have people in the ward saying things like “He went home because of “sickness”…I wonder what he did..”

Anonymous

Oh, no doubt at all some people are actually sick. My brother in law went home for a while because he was in a biking accident, but he was able to return. And some people go home because they make mistakes.

Anonymous

“GQ-ing”: Haha, I haven’t heard that phrase since my mission! Awesome.
Anonymous

I really liked David’s comments about the church’s attacks on gay marriage rights. He’s right. There are many other things that threaten the traditional family. But you wouldn’t know it to listen to the church. Instead, you’d think gay marriage and watching porn were the only “threats” to the family.
Anonymous

Hey Brandt, great interview. I just want to say, as an atheist, I really appreciate that you are on the podcast as a believing member. You add a lot to Mormon Expression!

brandt

Thanks. I’d like to say it’s part of an over-arching conspiracy to bring you all back to church, but in all honesty, it’s just an avenue for me to get my intellectual Mormonism on without boring my wife

Anonymous

That’s great! Hope to hear more from you in the podcasts.

12: Nena and David Look for Answers

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