The missionaries in my area (Ireland) seem to blame the people's 'unwillingness' to convert on many factors but None of them relate back to Smith's fictitious story.
I am NeverMormon myself,just have a strong interest in the subject matter of Mormonism and why people join.



One of the most commonly cited reasons is 'agency'.They say things like they cannot 'control agency' and people's unwillingness to convert.They also cite those that are 'unwilling to accept the gospel'.Lol!
It also makes me laugh hard but they tend to blame our love of 'smoking and drinking' and of the 'Catholic church'.
Another factor seems to be family and friends warning them off,often after research.




Lol.

Yes a certain percentage of the population here smokes,drinks and adheres to Catholicism(though that number is certainly ever lapsing here) but I would Love to tell them that the Major reason most people don't convert is due to their fictitious doctrine.


OMG,wake up and smell the coffee already!Lol.

Well, of course, the church is true -- so it *can't* be that the church isn't true!

It must be...Satan! And his minions -- facts, friends, Irish whiskey, and that great whore of Babylon, Catholicism :)

I just want to go on record as saying that really good Irish whiskey is all the reason anyone needs to avoid Mormonism.

always went to the closest church she lived by so she could walk to church. So when they moved to Mesa, AZ, the mormon church was the closest, so she went. Her husband thought it was important to be supportive of her, so he would attend with her. There were a few people who were determined to baptize them. They did baptize 2 of their daughters (who are no longer mormon). BUT his father has a grandfather who was a mormon who came to Utah as a Danite (and I don't have access to the records).

One week in F&T meeting one of the men determined to baptize this couple stood up and called out my boyfriend's dad and told him that he had too much pride and he needed to humble himself and be baptized. He and his wife never returned.

His dad knew more about mormonism than most people I know AND he had more literature than I've ever seen on it.

I live in a nice town with high housing costs. The missionaries here have complained that people are too proud and satisfied with their lives to convert. What cracks me up is that Mormons will call a stable, civilized place a "mission field." There's no need for their nineteenth century fantasies here. People aren't desperate enough to grasp after any hope that is presented to them.

It's *extremely* telling, don, that the only places the church is growing at all are largely poor, uneducated, and have little internet access.

Hi Nevermo4, thanks for your post! I lived in Ireland for about a year in the late 90s,, but haven't been back since 2001. Miss it sometimes, really made some good friends, still keep in touch some.

GOOD for the IRISH for using their 'agency' (LOL) and telling the MoRons where they can stick it!

I wish I could say I am a NeverMo.. but I am an EX, over 20 years now… too bad the first 20 years of my life had to be wasted so (my parents fault).

That is funny though about their inability to understand regular people's common sense and understanding of their fictitious church. I remember being in it still but doubting and noticing certain things, like the cluelessness of other members when it came to non-members when they would tell them they didn't believe or weren't interested etc. They did NOT get it and worst they didn't respect the non-members feelings or views AT ALL. It was like they just weren't 'whole' or were under some terrible 'influence' (Satan, Liberalism, Intellect, etc..).. I used to feel so mortified by those encounters wanting desperately to apologize for my zealous friends who thought they were doing so much 'good' with their proselytizing. So embarrassing!

And yes God forbid we use 'AGENCY'.. as in our own FREEDOM to think and choose and act as we will. Clearly they would LIKE to CONTROL 'agency' completely if they could (And they do a pretty good job of it within the church with their already indoctrinated sheep).

What they don't realize is that by wishing they could control "agency," they're following what Satan wanted in their preexistence myth.

The internet had been a thing for a while, but social media was just taking off. What a time to be a naive Mormon missionary. It felt like Satan was far more powerful than the Lord and could easily overpower his work. Of course doubts flicker across your mind, but you've had a lifetime of training to suppress doubts. Whatever perspective or insight that explains your frustration feels like deep inspiration from the Holy Ghost telling you to keep trying to matter how hard it gets.

Mormonism has always thrived in the face of adversity because of this culty mindset, but the internet has changed the game and the church is struggling to peddle its bs in the information age.

Free agency is the main excuse. My MP told us people also have the opportunity to say no. At the time it made perfect sense and was a way to rationalize why there were no baptisms.

Sort of like a Yugo dealership that can't figure out why *everyone* isn't flocking to buy one of their new cars.

Are these kids so brainwashed when they leave the MTC that they believe that anyone who hears the First Vision story will instantly beg for a baptism date? I guess so, because to the TBM, TSCC is like oxygen: it's simply a fact of life that you need it to exist, and there's must be something wrong wit you if you slam the door.

Who's up for a chorus of 'I Believe'?

Well said: bravo!

When you have a bad product, blame the salesforce and consumers for not buying it.

You should stop and wonder: what's with all the hurry? I liked the church and the people, but I didn't like all the pushing from the mishies to commit to a baptism date. I kept telling them that there wasn't any need to rush it. They didn't like that.

I started getting calls from members, inviting me to their homes for supper, nice things like that. I was too dumb to see through it.

I finally caved and agreed to a date.

Silly me.