When Mormon missionaries REBEL

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

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[@Richard.Atkinson]

Here’s my rebellion story: I’ve been obsessed with the music of Gustav Mahler (classical composer) since I was 7 years old. Our mission had a rule that you could listen to classical music if it was composed before 1900 (I guess classical music after 1900 is of the devil?). Mahler died in 1911 and much of his greatest music was composed in that last decade. I rebelled by listening to it anyway! 😮😮😮 Nobody was ever smart enough to know the difference, except for maybe the Mormon God.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Completely love this, obviously

[@rebeccacrow9427]

@@Richard.Atkinson Mahler is great! I was in a college symphony and we performed Mahler, A+ experience. Out of curiosity, did they distinguish to avoid gay composers? I love Tchaikovsky.

[@Richard.Atkinson]

@@rebeccacrow9427 Tchaikovsky died in 1893, so God was OK with that!

[@charlesmendeley9823]

And now you're obviously out.

[@KolobChoirQueen]

This is so awesome.

[@oddcheese6384]

One rebellion story from my mission. I had several abusive companions, but one in particular dragged me by my hair and broke my wrist as retribution for letting slip to the elders in our district that she never got out of bed before 11 am unless it was to lock me out of the bedroom after I got up to go to the bathroom in the morning. I took off my missionary clothes and badge and drove myself to a nearby town and went to a clinic to get my wrist treated. I still had to be companions with her for a few more weeks before she finally went home. I didn’t tell anyone that I’d driven myself to a different town to get treated until I left the church last year. I didn’t want anyone to know that I’d broken a rule. Now I can’t believe that I was so brainwashed that I drove myself back to the apartment and lived with her for a few more weeks after that just because my president told me I had to stay with her until she went home.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Oh my god! Broke your wrist?! Gahhhh 🩷🩷🩷

[@jeteaze]

I feel like there is a lot of missing information here

[@oddcheese6384]

@@jeteazethere is. I didn’t want to leave a really long comment.

[@larissam.2299]

My goodness that's terrible! I'm so sorry you had to go through that and keep living with that person

[@elizabethcox8692]

The most rebellious thing I did was hug my brother in the MTC (we overlapped for 8 weeks). My branch president heard about it and told me to never do it again. I thought that was ridiculous and gave my brother a hug every chance I got.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Ahhhhhh

[@WatchingwaitingG2D]

Liar.

[@unicorntamer2207]

That's so wild. Siblings hugging shouldn't be a problem

[@elizabethcox8692]

@@unicorntamer2207 tell me about it! I had a really hard time not laughing in that branch president's face😂

[@unicorntamer2207]

@@elizabethcox8692 My siblings and I probably wouldn't hug unless we *had* to

[@rebeccacrow9427]

The cover picture of Tanner ripping off his shirt AND THERE IS ANOTHER SHIRT UNDER is peak humor, oh my god.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER SHIRT UNDER

[@alexrene8633]

My friend told me that he downloaded breadtube videos (Philosophy Tube, Contrapoints, other channels like that) into a google drive folder and listened to them regularly on his mission as a way to stay sane

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Can’t fathom being cool enough for ContraPoints on a mission haha

[@Rje24222]

I love the idea of an episode about mission romance stories. I fell in love with a man (I’m a man) in Taiwan on my mission and it literally was the most beautiful experience. I need to write a short story or something for posterity haha!

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

[e-mail] pretty please 😜

[@krissssssss5401]

I’m a writer if you need help

[@Rje24222]

@@krissssssss5401 I actually just finished writing it haha! I appreciate you offering though! If it is really bad I will come back for assistance 💖

[@Catryx39]

My best friend had the same thing happen. He was in the closet but came home early from his mission because he had fallen in love with his companion.

[@bebeenderson7863]

@@Rje24222 where can we read?

[@BunnyWatson-k1w]

There was a missionary in my ward whose mother would send him care packages every two weeks. He got American candy that was hard to find in Canada. She also sent a lot of books and magazines that were not on the five book reading list for missionaries. I remember she sent about 40 books written by anti-Mormons. Basically any book against the church. He rationalized it by saying it would make him a better missionary. He could then do a rebuttal to any born again types who wanted to rag on the church.

[@ForestRain44]

When you told the story about the missionary who didn’t work at Halloween, I got an image of opening my door to two missionaries on Halloween night, assuming that that was their costumes, and handing them the candy bowl. I’m sure that must have happened.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Hahaha YES

[@fishh3ad]

I had a missionary tell me in passing he loved my shoes :) it surprised me cus I was dressed very y2k lesbian and wearing giant new rock platforms 💀💕😭 he was prob just being nice, but i hope someday he gets his own giant gothy boots 🖤

[@charlesmendeley9823]

@@fishh3ad No, it's a conversation starter. Some missionaries learn them from their trainers. These conversation starters are particularly good when proselytizing in public transport.

[@AllegedlyRyn]

The “no swimming” rule makes me so sad. Water is such a comfort to so many people what is the point of making one of gods most essential and beautiful creations something evil and scary ugh

[@milascave2]

I had a friend who said that she was on the "Green Tortoise" hippy bus company ride cross-country, they stopped at a hot spring in the Utah desert one night. They either wore very little or nothing at all. But there was what was clearly a Fundamentalist Mormon man and his group of wives in the hot springs with them. And those women wore full body concealing dresses even when in the water. I have a feeling that it was the sparse bathing suits, not the water, that is the issue. Regardless, those young Mormon missionary women I saw in Hawaii wore bathing suits in the hot pool.

[@schmuelking1535]

@@AllegedlyRyn I think you will find it is just a risk management measure underneath it all, to reduce the likelihood of having to pay for medical treatment or injuries. I am surprised they even let them ride bikes

[@lumanwalters_]

We had a neighbor who was about our age. IF he saw us outside(either coming home or leaving home) he would lean his head on the window and yell "JEHOVAH!!!!". And after a particularly rough day he did it again and threw half a can of pepsi at us(east coast baby!). We went to his house in the dead of night and let the air out of all his tires. Kids these days will never know the sheer joy of how much mischief you could get into in the era before cameras were everywhere. We actually had a pool at the house where we rented an upstairs apartment but we wouldn't DARE swim.

[@franknunez7974]

I agree with you 💯

[@mikesimmons6703]

My biggest act of rebellion: We had a zone activity where we got to play touch football on a black sand beach none of the tourists ever went to. When we were done, we obviously HAD to use ocean water to wash off all the black sand before getting into mission vehicles, and it wasn’t swimming if we only went in far enough to splash our legs. But at one point I crouched down so that when a wave came in, it was enough to lift my feet a half inch off the ground. - just so I could say that “technically” I’d swum in the Indian Ocean.

[@heyyotayo]

My mission president banned us from ever seeing any other missionaries, took away our dvd players, banned card games, and cut our email time down to half an hour 💀 it took me most of half an hour to write to him since my Portuguese wasn’t great yet, so I barely got to talk to my family 😭

[@giantclaw138]

My mission rebellion moment was music related like another person here. Before my mission started in 2021, I got the fattest micro sd I could find for my bare bones mission android and loaded it up with tons of jazz, classical music, Black gospel music (they sing better than fucking anyone in Utah), and pretty light progressive rock. The catch was that I successfully hid some more extreme things in there and took the bet that no missionary would ever find it in the sea of music. These hidden treats included progressive metal as well as a single death metal album. No one ever found them and it was amazing. There were some missionaries in leadership who didn't like that I had an unsearchable stash and tried to get a mission rule to limit how many songs you could have on your phone, but it never got anywhere. Late 2022 was when they started cracking down on "google drive piracy" and made everyone delete stuff they downloaded. They thought they got me, but I owned what I took with me pre mission and never downloaded anything because I was content with what I had. Even then, I have my views on piracy that boil down to Gabe Newell's "it's a service issue" and don't blame anyone downloaded shit they couldn't access otherwise on their missions.

[@Brossentia]

No, the mission didn't make me straight, lmao. My 10-year anniversary with my husband is next April.

[@janinemaxwell4297]

Didn’t make my ex straight either he was told to go on a mission and get married in the temple and his gayness would go away after 24 yrs of marriage I found out his dirty little secret but what upset me even more was the fact the bishop and stake president both knew and neither one of them thought to mention it to me before I got married

[@daverichards308]

One of the missionaries in my mission came out to me at BYU and eventually killed himself because he couldn't handle it. And two more have been married to their husbands for 25+ years.

[@clashwithwords]

had a couple missionaries stop by my house, years ago and one of them was from taiwan. I let them know that I was very much out of the church and content but we had a nice conversation regardless. I let the girl from taiwan know that I actually worked at a taiwanese tea shop and we served some street food snacks too if she ever wanted to come say hi and try it. and they did! I was actually on my lunch break the first time they came in, and they sat with me and we chatted about random stuff. after that, at least once a week they would both come in and get a boba tea 😈 I was happy to fuel their rebellion haha

[@nello1591]

I was in Durban, ZA, and the mission rule breaking there was so commonplace that it made my own rule breaking seem mild. We didn't have smart phones or anything, just the small portable DVD players. They had a slot for an SD card and a USB, so if someone had one of each they could actually transfer files over using the DVD player. I had a 32g SD card and every Monday I'd spend 2 hours after emailing using KZbin to mp3 on public internet cafe computers to get more music downloaded. The music was like currency and we would trade with other elders when guys had certain albums etc. Lots of us would burn cds and share them with eachother. We had lots of EFY nonsense and hymns etc. But under my drivers seat I had a cd holder containing everything from Fleet Foxes to Circa Survive and Saosin etc. Pretty well none of my companions cared and I corrupted numerous new elders when they'd arrive and we would just throw on Twenty One Pilots or something. They'd be confused by that, but honestly with some of the horrible things we saw and endured there, it was nice to go home and just crank sole tunes through shit ear buds and hang for a bit. Oh, and we would buy bootleg movies from markets and watch whatever we want. And play video games at anyone's house who let us. And I didn't even die from my disobedience.

[@birdlyword2]

This is mind-blowing to me. I remember feeling guilty because an investigator had the Grammys on low volume a small TV in the corner of the room during our visit, and I sneaked a few peeks! Your experience sounds a lot healthier.

[@P4Stalot]

I did a mission year for my Mennonite Church in South Africa! An hour away from Durban. I had some crazy things happen that year and I remember music being my anchor more than anything else. And I got really into Bollywood because of all of those bootleg movies available lol Unfortunately, now, there are now a few bands I can't listen to without flashbacks (Avett brother, mainly)

[@MuzwakheManzini]

Hii, I'm from South Africa and currently meet up with a few missionaries at my place, we are more or less the same age, do y'all perhaps mind sharing how your experience was here in South Africa?

[@BunnyWatson-k1w]

I know of one case in Australia where my bishop served. He told me one of the elders got the branch president's wife pregnant. So much for the arm's length rule!

[@kentolsen1400]

My second companion wanted to take the training wheels off to give me experience for when I eventually became a senior companion. So he would often defer to me to be assertive when we had been in somebody's house for too long. He just wouldn't say anything even if it was getting really late or we were doing something we weren't supposed to be doing. This led to us teaching somebody and then me not be able to say no as they turn on the horror movie Legion because our lesson reminded them of it for some reason. We watched the whole thing because I was too awkward to say we needed to go. I found out after my mission that it was rated R, so that was the cherry on top. 😂

[@oddcheese6384]

My companions would do the same thing but it never got that far 😅

[@phoenixfritzinger9185]

I used to work with an Ex Mormon guy who managed to sneak an entire PSP on his mission by convincing people it was like some kind of new fangled fancy cell phone like this was in the mid 00’s like right before the first iPhone came out and people were getting funky with cell phone designs Also traditionally the brown powdery stuff on top of a tiramisu is espresso grounds, I guess you’re eating the coffee and not drinking it so…

[@foofieviolet]

In tiramasu the lady fingers are also soaked in a mixture of coffee and rum, soooo... double mormon sinning by Italian dessert

[@LilaEtwas]

it's cocoa powder, not espresso grounds

[@dr.bandito60]

Yes it’s cocoa powder. The sponge cake (or lady fingers) at the bottom of tiramisu is soaked in brewed espresso. But you are still eating it! Nom nom 😋

[@FirstNameBunchANumbers]

HOW DO I SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL MORE WITHOUT MONEY I watch most the videos, like all of them even if can't watch it all, and comment a fair bit but DAMMIT I wanna support you guys more bc you deserve so much more love than you already get!

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE ALREADY PERFECT 💗💗💗

[@FirstNameBunchANumbers]

@@ZelphOntheShelf OH WOW OKAY THEN TY 🙏❤️

[@charlesmendeley9823]

You can recommend the channel on other channels, especially TBM channels 😇

[@cyberdevil3000]

0:21 Hey that's me with my mouth gaping open behind both of you! I can't wait for the clayverse debrief of the trip to hear what you really thought about all of us 😇

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

😭💗💗💗💗 MISS YOU

[@andrewcraigmusic]

The ugly truth’s gonna come out and none shall be spared

[@KylieJelane-p9f]

I always felt bad that I don’t have a specific type of fashion style/signature look. I love that every time I open one of your videos, tanner is just a different person that day. I love how he plays with different looks and it makes me feel more comfortable with who I am too. ❤

[@BrianWaller-qe7gr]

Here in Utah I think in the bountiful area last year a father physically assaulted his son because the son confessed he did not want to serve a mission

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Holy shit

[@seerstone8982]

😢

[@stellaarthur2739]

Corporal punishment is becoming more normal in Mormonism. I was horrified my mother was beaten & hair chopped off as a teen way back when, but I hear similar stories these days of fathers doing the same to their disobedient daughters

[@oddcheese6384]

@@stellaarthur2739I’ve heard my mom recount horrific stories of abuse from her Mormon parents, but she is convinced that they were the best people who ever lived. They lived really far away from us, didn’t know our names, and never visited us. Now they are dead and I’m not allowed to be relieved.

[@BunnyWatson-k1w]

I know parents who bribed their kids with a new car if they served a mission.

[@ellenmoffatt2537]

This whole video was extremely claythartic!!! I love that I never have to find out what kind of rebellion I would have done on a mission. I do remember my first R rated movie as a teenager, deliberately deciding enough was enough and I had to watch Silver Linings Playbook at 1am on my phone. No ragrets!!!!

[@BrianaONeal]

Most “rebellious” thing I did on my mission was probably eat lunch at a different time than we should have or visit this lonely woman for months even though we knew she would not join the church.

[@oddcheese6384]

So sorry you had to deal with a cyst on your ovary. I’ve had PCOS since I was ten and doctors would not take me seriously about the pain for over a decade. They always tried to convince me it was just period cramps and I needed to, “get used to it.” I totally related when you said that the pain was so strong that you worried that it was appendicitis ❤

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

🩷🩷🩷

[@purpl-monkee354]

The last few weeks of the mission & my companion mostly only wanted to visit the members with daughters 17-23. I felt so bad being there. These gals would throw 'parties' as he was leaving soon. Parties with a cake, a pinata, and gifts. Lots of hugs, photos of cheek to cheek, even latin dancing lessons hip to hip missionaries & the gals. We would sort of justify it as the gals brought nonmember friends and all six missionaries from the district crossed boundary lines to come several time those last few weeks.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

!!!!!

[@WayOutHerePodcast]

"Repent all you evil zooers" 😂😂😂😂 we cannot overlook this brilliant pun

[@Julieseven]

I was never mormon myself, but I became friends with a few missionairies once, albeit just for a summer. I met two of them in the city where I live, and although I said I used to be a Christian but no longer believe they wanted to meet up and talk. I had a good chat with one of them in a pub- he only drank soda- and by the end of it I asked if he or his friends had tried any traditional Swiss food yet. They hadn't, and since apparently they were only allowed to visit a single woman in groups of four, I ended up making "Dampfnudeln" for four Mormon missionaries in my flatshare. They made one attempt at convincing me to convert but quickly gave up, thankfully. The rest of the night was very pleasant, we talked for hours about anything but religion and I had the feeling that they had a good time. @Tanner can you say if any of that would have counted as 'rebellion', or should I invite missionairies over for dinner more often to give them an unofficial night off?😂😂

[@joseejohnstun4641]

In Korea, as a follow up trainer, I took my companion to a cute cafe near our villa for weekly planning. Bakery items and smoothies and “worldly music”. I would have explained it away then, but now I know I was grasping for a hint of normalcy. When I got a new companion, she thought we shouldn’t be doing it and we stopped. I was sad for WEEKS 😂

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Awww

[@vanhaley4959]

My companion and I played star wars risk with a 10 year old and his fam. Lego Batman was on in the background too. It's amazing how strong I was trying to fight the urge to watch. I had lessons longer than 1 hour. A couple we taught really liked to hang with us and ask questions. I was like well beats knocking on doors in the streets of Vegas late at night. 🎉

[@techwithbec]

My older brother was traumatized by a leader in the boy scouts that killed a frog in front of him. My brother was very sensitive and deeply loved and cared for living things so it was a life altering experience for him. He was also younger when it happened.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

🥲

[@BunnyWatson-k1w]

I know a missionary who met and baptized a 12 year old and her entire family. Years later he went back for a visit. The girl had turned into a beautiful woman aged 20. They married and he brought her to the U.S. They have been married for 20 years now.

[@BunnyWatson-k1w]

My former room mate told me on his mission one of the elders got an investigator, then a new member, pregnant.

[@peterhoyt2529]

Apparently I've always given off snitch energy so I never had missionaries (or anyone else in my family, or my time at BYU, haha) try to entice me to do anything remotely "bad" in fear I'd report them. 😭😅🤣

[@annie5024]

On my mission I was the queen of contraband. I had multiple flash drives of music from video games (specifically Zelda), movie soundtracks, Jazz, indie music, musicals, etc. to be fair they always talked about Jesus or I would feel like they brought the “spirit” whatever that means. I was very spirit of the law, and if my companions complained I would tell them how much I could feel the spirit listening to Studio Ghibli music compared to MOTAB. I also had the CES letter, Saints, and this weird PDF of the Book of Mormon put thru different translations (modern English, gangsta, Hawaiian Pidgin, etc.) I also had the jehova witness Bible, and a couple movies on flash drives. I really was living my best life just messing around on my mission, and I never felt bad about it. My mission president would put the suicidal missionaries with me because he knew I could cheer them up. Some people need a break. We would listen to music, make cookies, volunteer at horse farms, all under the guise of “service”. I would also sing a lot. The worst thing I ever did was go over to some elders house and film silly videos there, we built a blanket fort and just goofed off. We tazed an elder as a prank. We also made funnel cake at a family’s house while watching the wedding ringer (I think it’s rated R). Hmm also I went to the Opera and I went to a favorite member family of mines graduation for their daughter, and I went to multiple birthday parties for members. The members loved me. My STLs did not😂

[@larmaine]

I love this so much!

[@jdl63-c7q]

I’m an old timer. Mission in Korea 1982-1984. I broke a lot of rules but one that happened regularly was shopping for cheap stuff like Nike shoes, Polos, sports equipment etc that was manufactured there. Didn’t always happen on p-day either. We used illegal black market shipping through the military to send the stuff home cheap. I bought quite a bit of pirated music (on cassette in those days😂) 2 weeks before I came home I took a trip out of the mission to a beautiful mountain (overnight!) but got busted by some missionaries from the other mission so I had an uncomfortable exit interview.

[@santytemas]

The first thing that comes to my mind is when I and the whole zone of missionaries went to the biggest amusement park in the country for an entire day; we rode water attrations and rollercoasters. The next P-Day we went to a mountain valley to hike and watch condors... and yes, with the whole zone included. The ZDs told us we had permission from the mission president fot both consecutive activities and since we didn´t want to have them canceled we did not verify...

[@wizardbug4726]

My trainer gave me her pink sports bra to exercise because I didn’t have one. (You are only supposed to wear white or cream bras) I felt a bit bad, but kept it because I did really need one.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

You’re only supposed to wear white or cream bras?! Even for sports! Whoah I had no idea

[@wizardbug4726]

@@ZelphOntheShelf it’s in the dress code instructions they give you before you go to the MTC. I served in 2016, so it might have changed by now.

[@laurenwalker1048]

Super interesting to hear how young people rebelled in the Mormon church. Especially because I was a very, very naughty teenager with a pretty serious drug problem. And while I find these rebellious stories super wholesome, it also makes me really sad that you all didn’t get to actually express yourselves and just be a young person making mistakes! Obviously don’t make the mistakes I made lol, but still.

[@3v3_n]

Just the mention of "Singles Ward" makes me really want a full video reflecting on that fever dream of a movie 🤣🤣

[@saegemehlfee]

my brain instantly tried to sing "i was a bishops daughter, he was a missionary" to the tune of avril lavignes skater boy and failed miserably 😂

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

SAME

[@Henri_Hilarious]

35:52 I kind of want to be a “forever investigator” like that. I really want to be a nice person they can go to for friendship and as a place to relax. On the condition of no religion talk

[@jimbo6882]

I was so rebellious, I didn’t even make it past the virtual mtc (they thought I was depressed and suicidal)

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

💁🏼‍♀️

[@charlesmendeley9823]

Great to hear you "escaped".

[@jimbo6882]

I escaped into the United States Marine Corps

[@P4Stalot]

​@@jimbo6882oh Lord

[@jimbo6882]

@@P4Stalot oorah

[@mikey1305]

I’m in love with Sam’s shirt. The ‘straps’ of the shirt being part of the graphic is so fun.

[@loni8078]

Good to see y’all refreshed from vacation ❤

[@AllegedlyRyn]

I love yalls outfits this video very iconic

[@joewalker643]

I had a few little rebellions. From the UK, served in NZ and some British people moved into the apartment below us (i was a missionary in the days before skyping home weekly etc and my phone calls at Christmas and mothers day were strictly 40 minutes long) we used to go round there house for dinner parties and just shoot the breeze with them way past 9pm. Would nip outside to report that we were home and give our numbers over. It was like a taste of normal life back gome for a few evenings. In the same area we were also just down the road from the local library. Got a card and took out some books on Māori culture because it was way more interesting than personal scripture study. Later in that same area but different companion, he was really struggling with his mental health one day so we just stayed home and made up our numbers in the phone call that evening. Now i come to think of it, all my rebel behaviour was in that one area. Probably because it was in the arse end of nowhere and the newrest companionship were like a 45 minutes drive away.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Elicit library card is my favorite rebellion!

[@danielmajdali3713]

Regarding animal abuse, any anthropologist will tell you that it's the common pastime of children in low technology cultures. Yes, I feel bad about 19 year Olds harming frogs. That smacks me of bullies venting. I'm no authority or expert on anything however. But oddly, though we like to think of children and low tech cultures being better, animal abuse is very human.

[@sallyostling]

There's a culture somewhere in South America that chinchilla is their main protein in their diet. They raise the chinchilla in the house, they just run around, no cages or anything and treat them like pets until dinner, they grab one or two and there ya go! So odd.

[@BrianWaller-qe7gr]

I never served a mission was downtown Provo saw two missionaries walking towards the temple I was blasting my unapproved church music the sisters just kind of looked at me.

[@KULTNEWS]

When I was a Mormon missionary I literally danced on the edge of the Hollywood sign. Hollywood was not in my mission geographic boundaries. 😈 -mike

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Iconic and unsurprising move from you! 🌀

[@danieljohncarey7917]

Danced on your mission? You'll never get into the Celestial Kingdom.

[@hucklebucklin]

The extra in the movie on genuinely had me laughing out loud

[@amynay4686]

There's a missionary in the "ex mormon group without toxicity" on FB. When people say "come out come out wherever you are" he responds, "peekaboo here I am" 😂

[@evanloomis8264]

On my mission in the US I helped a guy perform surgery... ON HIMSELF. We went into a doctor's office after hours and he fused his big toe bones and took out some bone spurs. It was our job to hand him scalpels and stuff. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my very own eyes.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

OH MY GOD

[@Wayza666]

what

[@jamiepotts6102]

I have heard quite the spread between Mormon Stories and Ex Mormon Reddit. I'm glad that even the TBM missionaries were often able to find small ways to ameliorate the experience in their small rebellions

[@thefrostychemist]

54:20 not a boy but was raised as one, and when I was little I also "hugged" a frog until it popped so that does weirdly track

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

🥲

[@transientdaydreams]

I was never Mormon, but for some reason, they keep sending missionaries to my random Bible Belt city? I work in a public library, so I see them somewhat regularly. Nice kids. Seem vaguely confused by my gender presentation, but you know... blue hair and pronouns and all that jazz. I sincerely wish them all the best. Anyway, I'm eternally fascinated by stories like this. And this was a nice distraction for me right after I finally unfriended my former ab*ser on discord (like 4.5 years after we stopped having any sort of relationship; took forever but I finally did the thing). We love to see people rebelling against the system

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Whoah, congrats! 💗💗💗

[@savannahweymouth7370]

Really bad timing on the part of the ovarian cyst... I'm sorry Sam, that's truly a worst case scenario for vacation and I'm glad you're alright!

[@danielmajdali3713]

A'ight. So when I was 13 or 14 (so '92 or '93) and definitively out of the church, a couple missionaries showed up after I got home from school and before my mom got home from work. I told them that I wasn't up for religious discussion but offered them hospitality. My mom arrived home to a couple well dressed 19 year old strangers eating pop tarts and playing SNES. An employer, privy to this story, laid into me when i was about 25 about corrupting the missionaries. Absolutely none of her business. She wasn't even LDS. She was certainly dead wrong as I was the juvenile in that story. Anyway, I'm curious what is the LDS stance on that scenario, not that I'd respect their take on it.

[@annapatterson549]

The first time I got an ovarian cyst was on vacation with my boyfriend it was really awful!! I’m so glad you’re okay but totally understand what you mean by 10/10 on the pain scale. May we never have to experience it again❤❤

[@dakotawebb8701]

I KNOW THE GUY WHO GOT EATEN BY LION!!!!!! He lost his arm, you can see a lion scratch on his leg. He was there with a group of missionaries & from my understanding he was allowed to be there. The family tried to set up a blog & the news reached out & the church stepped in and asked them to stop being public about it. He has a beautiful wife & 3 beautiful daughters. He's still an active member last time I saw him a few years ago.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Ahhhhhhhh

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Hell of a testimony builder

[@jayanderson147]

54:00 when my ward went on trek the YM found a puddle with tadpoles in it and dared each other to swallow them 😂

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Nooooooo 😅

[@nicolafigini784]

Tanner's laugh at 0.05. Brilliant!

[@melissashiels7838]

Evangelical here (not Mormon) that was in a travelling Christian theatre troupe for 5 years. We also had 1 day off a week, but that often got eaten into by travelling to a new location or having to make phone calls to find housing. It was such a grind, and such a head f*ck after I left.

[@katie17330]

13:50 I was pretty scrupulous, so take this with a grain of salt. One way to determine how comfortable a companion was with bending the rules, is how they act around the less active members. Every ward I was in, there were a couple less active members/families that were chill with having missionaries pop in and hang out. How long you would hang out and what activities you did depended on the missionaries' attitudes. 15:23 I had a major crush on a zone leader on my mission. My comp and I at the time were good friends with both him and his companion and it was SO difficult to act normal around him 😅

[@ashakes4911]

1. I like you guys being more playful with your call to actions. 2. Every time you talk about missions I just deeply want the opportunity to provide a safe place to breathe for these brainwashed kids. Before I would have sent them away out of hand due to my own religious trauma but now I'm really hoping to get the opportunity to let them talk in the AC.

[@portieay8137]

I'm having the missionaries over today for the 6th time to play Mario kart.

[@tabithalayton2001]

Did the Mormon boys you know who abused frogs know about the Book of Mormon musical f***ing frog joke? 🐸

[@brandy31d]

Y'all glowing love it. The first story adorable love it.

[@KyleYoung-t4p]

This was not my mission but I fell in love with this girl when I was really young. She was sent to Houston Texas. I for some reason found myself in San Antonio, Texas for like 2 months. I may have attended her ward Giving her a hug all that wonderful shit I gave up the church about a year in the her mission She wanted to go home so I I got copies of her documents And got her replacement identification And went home together

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Wow! She had to get replacement ID to leave??

[@KyleYoung-t4p]

@ZelphOntheShelf Some missions put it in a safe when you arrive It's more common international internationally

[@larissam.2299]

Being from the city where Tanner served his mission I have absolutely no idea of how missionaries there survive walking around under the sun constantly with that many clothes. It's basically torture!

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

Mormons gone wild is just 'some dude sipping coffee'

[@daverichards308]

Another missionary in my mission. He was a really good friend. When I got called to be an AP, I had to sit in on his "disciplinary hearing." It turns out he had been dating the daughters of two Bishops. He actually married the one, was found out and sent home. He got her back to California, she got her green card and left him. Now he's on wife 5 and blames all of his ex-wives for his problems. Oh he also did have sex with his wife after marrying her on his mission.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

!!!!

[@justinatkins737]

I was never Mormon or JW but my mother told me the story when she did something similar. The Church of Jesus Christ #3146 did knock on doors in their own area but nothing to the extent of the Mormon missions. We were however encouraged to invite people to church and that's one of the reasons I left. I was lucky I grew up in the Oneness Pentecostal churches not Trinitarian for Oneness is the less crazy version of Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism as whole.

[@jamiepotts6102]

Sorry for the ovarian cyst pain Sam! I feel so bad for the level of pain you experienced in the jungle

[@vohol6158]

I didn't realize until now that these missionaries were sort of "rebelling". I've heard stories about a relative who's now long passed. She had no interest in joining the church. But she still had these visiting missionaries who she welcomed to sit down, eat, and just chill. It was a big deal because 1) she was a devout believer in her own Christian denomination and 2) the area, and this relative, were pretty poor. The missionaries apparently learned some food related words in our language while on their mission ;) The story says the missionaries ended up baptizing some of this lady relative's children in their own bathtub, without permission from the parents. No food after that, haha. I'm not sure I blame these missionaries anymore (IF the story even is true) after having learned about the pressure to keep the numbers high. I suppose they could have been manipulated to use shady tactics.

[@bl3343]

11:55 I hope no one tells the Apostles about Genesis, Heart, or Van Morrison (all rock and roll bands that used flutes). Also, the flute is probably the most suggestive of musical instruments. I'm imagining that scene in Alien: Covenant when David tells Walter "I'll do the fingering, watch me".

[@mikesimmons6703]

Also - Richard Dutcher is no longer associated with the church. I worked on God’s Army 2 with him, and am still in contact with people who are still in contact with him. He was definitely nuanced at the time, and released an official statement when he fully left.

[@darin6958]

Happy Jaredite Day everyone!!

[@charlottehenderson7884]

Fun fact- I once went to the hospital with an ovarian cyst and was misdiagnosed with appendicitis, so had an unnecessary appendectomy! Even though I told them that I have endometriosis and known cysts... I've also heard of other people with endo not catching appendicitis because it was so similar to endo pain! I guess it's similar?

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Oh my god!!!! Ahhhhh

[@blemisheddiscgaming6464]

3:41 - 4:00 is the peak of religious comedy.

[@victoriagibby8069]

I'm sorry... Utah mission? What in the world is the purpose of a MORMON mission in UTAH?

[@marissa638]

one of my mission rebellions is that I watched Smosh videos on facebook😔

[@quinn0517]

I 100% genuinely would not have thought airsoft guns were firearms. 😂

[@sidvicious2845]

Hi, The 3 constants in life are death, taxes and ironically “change” itself. Facing change… we either migrate, mutate or we die. Migrate correlates to moving away from change, mutation is like adapting doctrine to accommodates change and dying in this case may be viewed similar to a spiritual death, possibly atheism, agnosticism, apathy, loss of direction or faith, purpose, etc. In lieu of change, there still appears to be many people suffering in life who could use assistance. Our choice can change to focus more directly upon the physical needs of others, we simply loose the concept of some spiritual reward beyond the simple acts of kindness. At risk is the concept that our being at the top of the food chain, possessing the ability to think and create in the world around us somehow suggests we possess a consciousness or soul, which can potentially reduce the value of our meaning.

[@sidvicious2845]

One potential solution could be to address it mythologically. Mythology allows the student the option of rationalizing a given situation, weighing the pros vs cons with or without a dogma. For instance, a return missionary who learns the church history is not consistent with what he/she was taught has the option to continue to be obedient… obedience is a quality trait while protecting one in the fold. There also lies the choice of honor… is it more honorable to follow such changes or oppose them? It’s not a must, rather a choice. An agnostic or atheist can continue to help people in need while not getting caught up in following and any future necessary changes. Serving others is equivalent to serving God…. King Benjamin When you are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. Book of Mormon It a matter of freewill and the level of achievement one chooses to strive for. To strive for a lesser light, is to strive for light. And though light is objective, one’s perception of light is subjective thus, in the eye and mind of the beholder.

[@sidvicious2845]

One needs to keep in mind the story of Daedalus and Icarus who were trapped on an island. Daedalus, the father, made wings of bird feathers, leather and wax and warmed his son to follow his path, not to fly too close to the sun or the sea. Icarus disobeyed his father and soared higher in the sky. The wax melted, the wings fell if and he fell into the sea. The moral; beware your weaknesses, beware going beyond what you can endure… know yourself, holster your desires. The dens of Medusa and the Minitaur were home to the bones of many a fallen hero!

[@blackhawk-kf8kq]

9:06 And it contradicts the doctrine of people receiving the gospel in the spirit world.

[@tamalthor697]

don't have names, but about a mission gen or two before mine, the West Indies mission was full of rich kids as elders, so it is rumoured as being super outta control, Stories of a few elders winning surfing contests in Tobago, my training companions told stories of being told "hey wait a minute one of your buddies left something behind," and they come back with a child. Would assume between 1985-1998, story goes mission pres around 96 or 98 (i think) started cleaning house and sent a bunch of elders home there was an arcade across from the mission office with a huge screen playing one of the vitua fighter games, my prez was cool in many way, but there was no argument i could make to get an hour to play on a pday

[@daverichards308]

There are a ton of horror stories from missions I am sure. Now in my mission, the missionaries who "performed" the best got some privileges, such as being allowed to go to movies (with approval), to listen to music (as long as it wasn't rock or rap, or metal). I have one story. One missionary in our mission had a companion that some of us found out later was gay. The companion said that he was there to work and to leave that gay stuff behind until he got home. The senior companion did not tell the President, but the greenie came out to him and was promptly sent home but not ex-d because he was from a big Utah family. Forced to get married within a month. Now the senior companion was asked why he didn't report that and then was sent as a junior to the worst part of the mission, got deathly ill, and nothing was done about it. Luckily the first President's time had ended and when the new one found out, he was in hospital, he was moved to a better district and then served with me in the Mission Home. He ended his mission as one of the biggest "performers" to that time. When the new President started, there were no more special favors for the top performers.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

Wow, I’ve never heard of special favors like that before!

[@InkMina]

another person who just found out they have an ovarian cyst....aparently they are way more common than i tought i hope shes doing well now !

[@Matt_Dillon1]

I am so glad you 2 do so well doing this. you grew up in a world with generations of Mormons went to schools with people that you knew and knew you and knew what sacrament meeting meant. Try growing up as the only kid in your school or any around that even knew what a Mormon was. Being strongly committed to preparing for a mission amidst trying to be one of Cool kids that could be popular at school Bring forth a few elements that sent parents onto the path of get out of my house at 17. Then go through life falling into worldly experiences after worldly experiences almost Forrest Gump like. Beautiful Women Celebrity Friends, Cool Cars, Casino King but always in the back of my mind I was watching everything I had learned unfold before my eyes just as it only could. Fortunately as Low as I have gone in life Spiritually or Morally or whateverly I always saw the BIG PICTURE. To say that You Two can't see the Forest for the Trees would be Falsifying another Fact for you tow Can't See the Universe For the Stars in the Sky

[@lucidthomas4402]

It's crazy to me how much they guilt trip people about making the church spend money when they have more money than those missionaries will never see

[@andreannegarant6346]

excommunicate you doesn't it mean also that your familly back home will be ,if not forbade, at least strongly encourage not to have any further contact with you anymore? So doesn't it mean that they are menacing you to be kicked out on the street basically?

[@clashwithwords]

yes. my mom was kicked out of the house at 17 for her having her own realization that church wasn’t for her. it was “go to church or you’re out” so she left. but how sad leaving a minor to figure things out on their own??

[@andreannegarant6346]

@@clashwithwords ❤Yes indeed, sad, dangerous and cruel. Religious, might i say. So how did she managed?

[@hotdiggity8094]

My cousin's on a service mission right now, and from what I can tell he just wears his missionary tag and goes golfing. And occasionally says racist things at family dinners.

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

As Christ himself would have done 🤍

[@ivano42]

We listen to Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites on on a mission trip.

[@melinamenendez1732]

I'm a 100% waiting (wishing) for your reaction to Hugh Grant's Herectic movie

[@melinamenendez1732]

Okey I'm not watching this one because you are doing too many weird comments about latinamerica haha, but all good, watch that movie, you'll be interested

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

??

[@coocamungas]

I forgot about the movie gods army. I loved that movie back in the day hahaah.

[@euphoricNostalgiaa]

Hey I have a question, I just got to know a mormon missionary and I feel sorry for him and I wanted to talk to him about his believes.. I am a bit paranoid if I challenge the Mormon Church could I get in danger in some kind? I know its pretty irrational but I feel like the church is not welcoming any "distraction" or outside influence... and I feel like whenever I talk to him its always checked by another person its weird

[@ZelphOntheShelf]

No, you won’t be in danger! 💜

[@IDoNotFeelCreative]

the thumbnail 🔥🔥🔥