OMG. I love the line from this Salt Lake Tribune article about the "treks."

"We didn't want to emotionally manipulate the kids."

http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith/4133695-155/treks-give-mormon-teens-a-taste

Oh god. That's so rich! "We didn't want to emotionally manipulate the kids!!" In fact, it's all about "getting the kids outside."

And this, of course: "Instead of receding further into the past, the handcart pioneer experience has been yanked forward through the wormhole of time, where it has become a useful and highly adaptable vehicle for building Mormon identity in an era of rapid growth, global extension and the proliferation of social media."

"A useful and highly adaptable vehicle for building up Mormon identity." Read, "Useful indoctrination vehicle."

Thanks for sharing this laugh with me.

"We didn't want to emotionally manipulate the kids."

That may be true, but they know it's the only way to keep them in, and they act accordingly.

These treks are all ABOUT emotionally manipulating the kids!

That's what every church activity is all about, manipulation. They lie when they say it is something other than that.

As a convert, from day one, first meeting with missionaries, it was manipulation. Pure and simple.

And what is with the "we didn't want to" spiel? Are we then to understand they were compelled to manipulate the children? Because as we all know, the Mormons are never about to let a chance to manipulate anyone go to waste.

Wait....do not look behind the curtain... nothing here to see... keep moving... do NOT look around. Mormon's and their ancestor worship make me sick!

And here in Minnesota the Lutheran's take them on a boundary waters trip. Most religious thing we did was a Sunday Service under the sky before we started across the portage for the day.