Agree, that aspect of proselytizing makes me angry, especially the manipulative nature of it. I'm going to try to dig up a talk by one of the seventies where he talks about the temples in Africa and the sacrifices LDS members make in order to travel to the temple once a year. It is seen as a story of great commitment and a show of strong faith but considering the origins of Mormonism being a provable scam, it is extremely exploitative and heartbreaking.
By the by, the actual long term conversion rate of LDS missionaries is so low that in the ex-Mo community, it is theorized that missionary work is not actually about converting outsiders but in further indoctrination of young men. The youth are falling away from the LDS church at a rapid rate, and young men are pressured to serve a two year mission. Before they go off to school, before they get married, everything has to be put on hold to serve the church for two years. It is essentially like the military or a monk lifestyle; the missionaries cannot read, watch, listen to music, anything that isn't officially put out by the LDS church. They cannot date on their mission, they have to remain physically pure the whole time(so, no "self-help"). They cannot play games or sports. They have to live and breathe the scriptures, service for others, and teaching/preaching the gospel. They get one day off a week, but what that is is not an actual day off from the repressive requirements of the mission itself. It's just a day where they don't have to spend every moment tracting. And they also cannot spend a moment alone. Missionaries are sent out in pairs and cannot be out of sight of their companion for too long(it is to keep the young men from masturbating; there are tons of stories of missionaries reportinga companion for spending too long in the shower out of suspicion of being impure).
So, they are immersed in the gospel and told to sell, sell, sell, in a high pressure environment away from home for two years, often in another country. It is about breaking down the last defenses and bringing home young men who are more committed to the church through trauma and indoctrination.
By the by, the actual long term conversion rate of LDS missionaries is so low that in the ex-Mo community, it is theorized that missionary work is not actually about converting outsiders but in further indoctrination of young men. The youth are falling away from the LDS church at a rapid rate, and young men are pressured to serve a two year mission. Before they go off to school, before they get married, everything has to be put on hold to serve the church for two years. It is essentially like the military or a monk lifestyle; the missionaries cannot read, watch, listen to music, anything that isn't officially put out by the LDS church. They cannot date on their mission, they have to remain physically pure the whole time(so, no "self-help"). They cannot play games or sports. They have to live and breathe the scriptures, service for others, and teaching/preaching the gospel. They get one day off a week, but what that is is not an actual day off from the repressive requirements of the mission itself. It's just a day where they don't have to spend every moment tracting. And they also cannot spend a moment alone. Missionaries are sent out in pairs and cannot be out of sight of their companion for too long(it is to keep the young men from masturbating; there are tons of stories of missionaries reportinga companion for spending too long in the shower out of suspicion of being impure).
So, they are immersed in the gospel and told to sell, sell, sell, in a high pressure environment away from home for two years, often in another country. It is about breaking down the last defenses and bringing home young men who are more committed to the church through trauma and indoctrination.
