RM SHOULD MEAN 'RIGHTEOUS MAN'

This rant is brought to you by this blog post, which is really good. Read it.

As you may or may not know, my husband did not serve a mission. Did it bother me when we were dating? Not in the least. And let me tell you why.

Missions do not automatically guarantee you a spot in the highest degree of glory on the celestial kingdom. It took me going on a mission and recognizing my own weaknesses to realize this, along with examples of other people who wore their weaknesses proudly on their sleeves. Would you believe that in this day, there are still missionaries going out because they feel obligated? And when they feel like that is usually when they don't feel like following the rules and guidelines would benefit them at all. They figure they're already out there, why make an effort to try and be someone they're not? All they've got to do is push through and make it those long 24 months. When they get home they can proudly say "I served a mission." Eventually that proud statement dwindles into an apathetic one as they quickly revert back to who they were before they embarked on what could have been the best 2 years for their lives.

Where does this unwritten obligation come from though? Certainly parents and leaders make it clear what they want for the youth of the Church, but I feel like a lot of the time what is not made clear is that it is still their choice to live the way that is expected of them. As I was growing up, it was pushed very heavily that as a young woman, my list of what I want in a husband should include "returned missionary". In my heart, I never really believed that I would marry an RM, but I made sure it was something I looked for when I met anyone who could potentially become my husband. It was a priority.

This is NOT the way we should be teaching our youth! What they need to be taught is they should to be looking for righteousness. Someone who shares their same desires, as well as someone who makes them better. Serving a mission does not automatically make you righteous or even a good person. That's why I say RM should mean Righteous Man.

What I believe is if you want that example for your future children, then go on a mission yourself. Don't depend on your future whomever to have done it for you.

 I respect my husband's decision not to go on a mission because he decided for himself. He didn't give into the pressure that many young men feel to serve.



If you have any questions about any of the religious mumbo-jumbo, you can visit mormon.org to answer those questions.