From Deseret News archives:
Missionary slayings very rare in LDS Church
Statistics suggest that the tragedy was atypical for LDS missionaries, who seldom fall victim to violence. Most of those who have been killed in recent years have died in accidents, not slayings. The opposite appears to be true for missionaries of most other Christian faiths, where almost all of their reported deaths have been murders.
The Deseret Morning News identified 177 Christian missionaries killed in the past seven years, based on Internet searches of newspapers and church Web sites. Of them, 158 were murdered — 89 percent.
Among those 177 total deaths were 17 missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fourteen of them died from accidents, and only three from murders.
The LDS missionaries who died often were killed in supposedly safe places and not by attacks. For example, 10 of them died in automobile accidents, and eight of them died in the United States.
Of note, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former head of the Salt Lake City Olympics and presumed presidential candidate, was nearly killed in a car accident when he was an LDS missionary in France in 1968. (One missionary in the car was killed.) In fact, a policeman who found Romney lying on the road wrote "Il est mort" (he is dead) on his passport. Obviously, he survived instead.
Accidents besides car wrecks also kill LDS missionaries. Last month, Elder Benjamin Ellsworth of Mesa, Ariz., died in Argentina when he fell beneath a train he was attempting to board. In 2003 in Argentina, Elder Nathan Scott Godfrey was electrocuted when he jumped into water trying to save a 13-year-old boy. Both died when a power line made contact with the water.
The world may have more modern martyrs than most people may realize. The 177 missionary deaths identified by the Morning News among Christian churches is likely just the tip of the iceberg. (A list of all 177 and how they died is available online by clicking on the graphic link at left.)
2 comments
Recent commentsi am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and... laverne | Oct. 22, 2007 at 7:12 p.m. the missionaries are serving for there god. but why are they... latoya au paese | Oct. 22, 2007 at 6:59 p.m. Related content
First, a big thank you to all who posted questions here for me to ask... 
As the TV cameras Tuesday night scanned the West Point audience during... 
LDS Church publisher Deseret Book has some specials for the holidays.   Latest comments Remember, Jazz fans, Miles is still young. He would be a rookie if he had... if you believe abortion is your right, i guess that's fine. i believe... Why is this news? Who cares what Woods does off the golf course. Publicity is OK as long as it is in their self interest, but as soon as their... To those criticizing the LDS church as being deceptive because of LDS... Is it just me or does it seem a little hypocritical of Ute fans to jump all... Once again Hatch is distorting the facts for his own political gain. How... Privacy??? Hold it...you came into my home and sold my kids underwear,... CJ still should have a chance to prove himself. As someone else noted he is... ha every student knew but whoever did it needs to get caught kuz they kept... Advertisements
Advertisement
|
