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The Mormon Church is letting members use the internet in a secret mission experiment

The Mormon Church is letting members use the internet in a secret mission experiment

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Mormon church Antoine Taveneaux
Mormon church Antoine Taveneaux

The door-knocking days for Mormons spreading the Lord's word may be coming to a close — the Mormon Church has started to integrate the internet into its missions. During the traditional, two-year Mormon proselytizing, new missionaries have only been allowed minimal access to the outside world, including their families. But in new test missions, the Church allows missionaries to use technologies like Facebook, Skype, and the iPod touch to better learn the word of the Church and reach prospective members. As one mission president put it, using new technologies simply "makes sense" for the larger goal of the Mormon Church, especially in an age when people are less likely to open their doors to preaching strangers (even if they seem as friendly as Elder Price). Read the entire piece on The Atlantic to learn how missions are being supplemented with apps and iPads, and why some Mormons remain cautious about using the internet on a daily basis.