I would say that about half of what the TBM side of my family posts on Facebook is what could be considered proselytizing. My niece wrote a flowery description of how inspired TBM leadership is followed by an explanation of volunteerism and lay clergy. "We all are volunteers, including the prophet and apostles. No body gets paid." She seems to really believe that!

Then a niece from a different family posted the following links www.youtube.com/preparetoserve (described as thousands of clean, educational videos) and www.preparetoserve.com which is where the Monson quote came from that my niece posted...no force on earth can stop the work of god...yada, yada. These pre-mission sites are tightly controlled but I was hoping to find a way to comment and warn kids what they're getting into. The only place I found was the blog, and I'm sure truthful comments here would be immediately deleted.

I'm hoping that just viewing Youtubes might lead someone to the numerous excellent "I used to be a Mormon" exmo videos.

LDS Inc will lose, and lose badly on all social media fronts.

They need to control the conversation, which they will not.

They are a very small fish in a very big pond.

Not only will they not control the conversation, each of their people will be forced to defend the indefensible.

Inconvenient questions, that mormons have managed to postpone in their own little circles, are going to be uncomfortably unanswered.

This will force each online mormon to seriously ponder the disastrous LDS doctrine that they normally sleep through.

As with the passion and (lack of) wisdom of Don Quixote... out 'tilting at windmills'... believing they're on some noble quest.

+10000000

Thanks Concerned. At the very least, I would like my niece to know the truth. This link is helpful, because then it's not just anti stuff that she could easily dismiss, coming from her crazy exmo aunt. Any other ideas?

...well, like a lot of folks here, the CES Letter is often a recommended read. It's quite a read, but well worth it. Sums up most of the problematic issues the Church is currently dealing with. Don't know if your family would take kindly to it, though.

http://cesletter.com/

Wow. Page 80 is a shocker. I didn't know the extent of the perks for family members. It reads, "The following are provided or reimbursed: undergraduate tuition at an accredited college or university..."

It also says,"The amount of funds reimbursed to you should be kept strictly confidential and should not be discussed with...other mission presidents...or family members." It also warns mission presidents not to open any personal checking accounts, so as not to raise any income tax issues. Just wow.

Hooray for whoever got this information so easily accessible online.

Ok so I'm kind of hijacking my own thread here but listen to this. Who could make this stuff up? This is all from the Mission Presidents Handbook.

"Because you are engaged in volunteer religious service, no employee/employer relationship exists between you and the Church. As a result, any funds reimbursed to you by the Church, are not considered income for tax purposes; they are not reported to the government, and taxes are not withheld with regard to these funds."

So, TSCC sets up a checking account to which president and wife have full access through debit cards and checks, and this is considered by TSCC as "reimbursement." The credulity it would take to buy into this...How does TSCC get away with this stuff?

I agree releve. Like missions being for the indoctrination of the missionary and future offspring. Not in the hope of actually obtaining and retaining a convert.

And you wonder why so many mission presidents and stake presidents get their Second Anointing? It's to buy their silence to protect the Morg.

What's on page 80 that so shocking!??

I think the Facebook marketing is just singing to the choir. Think about it. When you were an active member if you had seen a Facebook post by a Scientologist you would have dismissed it as being weird.

I do think that the LDS Facebook marketing is effective, in that the active Mormons are trying to out devout each other. That helps to entrench them. I don't think that it converts anyone.

We all are volunteers, including the prophet and apostles. No body gets paid.

Translated into Russian this reads Bullshitski !

Indeed it does. But apparently at least some TBMs are still eating it up. My apologies for the visual on that one.

I think TBM Facebook posts just make Mormons look crazy. Like totally brainwashed, culty weirdos. The things they post about the BOM being true and the prophets...I'm actually embarrassed for them and I cringe reading some of their posts.

Missionary tool, NOT. Anti missionary tool is more like it. Who in their right mind looks at these crazy posts by TBMs and think "I want to join that cult!"

Thousands of FB users market something.
It's annoying.

Remember that anything and everything you post on Facebook, including your personal information... is for sale and re-use by them. YOu give them permission to use it for commercial advertising per their terms of service.

You might find the nice family photo of your 7 brothers and sisters in a family planning or comdom ad in the future. Not a thing you can do about it because you gave them permission to use it.