IN THEORY:Should mission work be required?

Some say Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie is a contender for rookie of the year honors. That’s a surprise because the Mormon pitcher quit baseball for two years to serve on a mission.

He credits that missionary work for his success now. Since the Church of Latter-day Saints started emphasizing the importance of two-year stints as a missionary in the 1980s, the church has experienced tremendous growth.

Do you think more religions should require years-long missionary work, and could it help congregants be more involved in their faith at a time when church attendance has been slipping?

The question of whether “more religions should require years-long missionary work” can only be answered by those other faiths.

In LDS theology, and we believe this to be Biblical, Heavenly Father has provided for all of His children to someday live again in His presence.

This means every person living today, or who has lived in the past, or who will live in the future, regardless of their color, religious tradition, culture or heritage, will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel, even after death. (1 Peter 4:6)

Therefore, LDS missionaries don’t perform their service because those who miss the message are doomed, but because they believe this message will change the lives of believers today!

It is their hope that those who accept this message now will live happier lives, will have stronger families, will enjoy sweeter marriages and that even their physical and temporal lives will be enhanced by living a healthier life style and having the support of the structure of the church.

They realize they will be challenged in their young lives with a new language (in many cases), new cultures, learning how to handle their finances (the church pays for none of their expenses except their return fare for those who complete their service), doing their own cooking, sewing, mending, bicycle repair and much more.

The commitment is challenging.

The rewards are life-changing.

Jeremy Guthrie is just one of many examples of this small miracle.

TOM THORKELSON

Faith, like love and democracy, is only real if people have a real choice to participate or not. Forcing people to do missionary work is like reverting to the legalism of ages past. There have been times when governments or communities forced religious attendance, but all that does is foster resentment. Love requires that we have the choice to walk away.

Yes, a lot of people walk away, but when real love happens it is beautiful. The same is true of democracy.

We could force people to be moral, but we live in an open society and people are allowed to choose their level or responsible behavior. The beauty of an open society is free press and criticism of the government without fear of reprisal.

The ugly side of an open society is pornography and the free movement of terrorist groups. Faith works the same way.

Yes, we could technically get more done by requiring certain levels of obedience, but we would actually be digging a bigger hole for ourselves.

RIC OLSEN

In the Jewish Religion, the equivalent of “missionary work,” would be the doing of good deeds and serving fellow Jews in the community and visiting Israel. If a young adult would leave his home and travel abroad into another Jewish community and live with another family, people would really develop a sense of brotherhood.

There is a lot of kindness there. In fact, this is happening now, this month in our community of Newport Beach, where a few thousand young Jewish people are coming to Irvine from all over the world to be connected.

The young become unselfish and care for each other to improve the world and fulfill the Jewish mission of “tikkun haolam,” or repairing the world.

The net result of all of this is caring, loving, warm, honest, committed, safe, secure and happy Jews, who inspire others like them to follow their example. It becomes a positive experience and will draw others like themselves to do so.

RABBI MARC RUBENSTEIN