Mr. de Freitas should have justified the initial non-denial of work permits by the Immigration Department that caused all of this if he wants people to listen to him.

Mr. deFrietas, you should ask Mr. Hughes what missionary work ? If young Mormon men do not serve a certain time –I think it is a year– overseas as required by church law, their chances of geting into heaven are slim.
What I am saying is that their “missionary” work has nothng to do like what Father Darke did and certain other genuine churchpeople are doing and Guyana respects this meaningful, genuine and altrusitic approach….
Let Hughes and others of his mindset bray and try to make something out of this done deal, Guyanese are not stupid..Peace..

Justin de Freitas ought to be ashamed to point out, as if it were some sin or unprecedented, that the opposition has asked “the Obama administration to meddle in local politics.”

When the PPP and others were running around asking Senator Ted Kennedy, the Carter Center, and other foreigners to pressure the PNC to hold free and fair elections, was that not asking outsiders “to meddle in local politics”?

I urge the opposition to continue to seek foreign assistance to help prevent the PPP from conveniently enforcing a one-pillar democracy on Guyana. I use the term one-pillar democracy to describe the PPP’s ridiculous notion that democracy has been restored to Guyana because elections are now allegedly free and fair.

By the way, the PPP is itself refusing to abide by that one-pillar democracy. For if it did, it wouldn’t be fighting the AFC in court over the Region 10 seat, regardless of what GECOM initially said. After all, no one, the PPP included, doubts the later GECOM declaration that the AFC won that Region 10 seat.

And just in case you’re wondering, Mr. defreitas, I believe that the Mormons and everyone in Guyana ought to obey all the laws of Guyana.

Mr. de Freitas ! You have just hit the bottom of the abyss of ignorance with the staement that the ‘Mormons have clearly broken the country’s immigration laws’. From a distance you are the competent authority. Your gov’t is yet to clearly define how the visitors are in contravention of its immigration laws. As far as I have read, applications for extension were filed accordingly and, there were no denials in that regard. Continue to wallow at the bottom of the abyss.

Thanks Justin well said,get the Mormons out as quickly as possible.

Sir, I think you need to check your facts more carefully. The Mormon Church does not willingly violate the laws of any country, in fact, quite the opposite. Millions of dollars and millions of hours are donated around the world in any country that will allow the Mormon Church access. No one is forced to listen to their message and goods, services and cash are donated with no obligation on the receiver’s part. I know that is a difficult concept to grasp given the state of the world but that is the reality. Everyone should be grateful for the help, not critical of the giver….

To: Reddy in Barbados

It never ceases to amaze me the level of intelligence of people who tell us about the Mormon religion as if they are experts and yet they know nothing… if very little about the Church or their faith and beliefs.

1. Missionaries are sent to the mission field after they have requested to become missionaries. They elect to be sent anywhere the Church needs them for a period of two years.. and are between the ages of 18 and 25.

2. One is NOT required to be a missionary.

3. By becoming a missionary it is NOT a pass to get into heaven.

4. Here is a copy of the missionary manual that the missionaries teach from. This of course is the ENGLISH version so you will be able to understand it.. but there are many other versions there for you to choose from as well.

^[1]

5. The Mormon church, which has been in Guyana for more than 20 years, has been supporting community agriculture and also provides much needed humanitarian relief… plus in the past has collaborated with Guyana’s main opposition Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR) in providing donations to the poor. I think there is something more “political” going on here than 19 year old Mormon boys who have allowed their “Visas” to expire. I can see one.. but 40 or 50? Now that sounds like a conspiracy. :-)

Mormon or no Mormons. Leave my people alone, they don’t need to be copnverted. go back to Utah where you belong, and just stay there.

All the mormons in Utah can take several wives, and make pleanty picknye as they wish. We don’t need you to convert my people. Guyana is already Hindu, muslims, and christians, and live in peace with each other.

Stay in the USA where you belong.

Jagdesh Mohunlall

well said cummins, i wont waste my energy to respond to de freitas.

so jagdesh if you feel that way, why are you still living in their country, you are a hypocrite, you should pack up and go back to guyana and live comfortable.

Jagdesh Mohunlall… for you info there are millions of Mormons all over the world including India and Africa. They don’t only come from Utah, if fact there are more Mormons living outside of the USA, and they are Christians, hence the name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Do some research before you cast stones, you’ll find out also that the the LDS do not practice polygamy. And tell me this nah, how many Muslims in Guyana have more that one wives? eh?

And Justin DeFreitas.. . them people didn’t break no immigration laws and overstay their time…they are the most law abiding people I have ever known….many of these missionaries come to Canada where there is every comfort and don’t overstay their time … why would they want to overstay their time in Guyana?

Not being a lawyer or having any expertise in law, I cannot say whether the Mormons broke any law. All I want is for them to leave me alone when I walk the streets and don’t visit my home to try to convert me to their religion. I’ve wasted too many minutes trying to re-educate them about the sordid and unconfessed origins of their religion. Mormons and other colputeers & pamphlteers, leave me alone.

“No one is forced to listen to their message.” Yeah, but good manners forces you to listen to these ‘little gods’ when they stop you on the street or visit your home, when all you want is to be left alone minding your own business and keeping your religion to yourself.

Mr. Nirom, I stand corrected about the LETTER of the requirement of missionary work. But if it is voluntary as you claim, please provide us with the percentage of Mormon young men serving overseas. In’t it quite high ?
What I think would be worthwhile to the debate is to place this so called “humanitarian” aid in context of this “call” ,. I’m not saying the assistance is not welcome : what we have to look at is the motivation…
There are a lot of things in the Christian faith -and if we can stretch that to incldue the Mormons- which are not mandatory but which are neverthelsss undertaken to become a faithful member and ascend to heaven…How many of us baptsied Catholics as teenager had to attend mass every Sunday if not it would be a cardinal sin and the road to Purgatory and possibly Hell…
Religion is god in some ways but must be placed in context…

MXQBH, two young Mormon guys in white shirt, black pants and tie knocked on my apartment door three days ago. From the moment they identified themselves I told them I was quite comfortable with my religion and didn’t need theirs. They didn’t accept that and asked me if I never heard about this and that message. I repeated I was not interested in their message but they won’t move away from my door. I then threatened to call the security people in my apartment complex and only then did they walk.

Thank God!! they dont carry the sword and guns like old days and convert u. Enjoy GY with mormons, commies and dictators.

Anne,
After reading all of the Guyanese contribution on this issue, is it not evident that the Guyanese people do NOT want the mormons in their country? Go to Haiti. The Haitians can be more easily indoctrinated.

…and if they want to make themselves really useful they should go and donated blood at the NBTS every 56 days … 50 units of good rich healthy strong Mormon blood every 56 days would do a world of good for needy Guyanese …

Flatly speaking, they broke the law, so, get out. I wonder if research is done, how many of Jim Jones’ followers ,including himself, had papers to remain in Guyana.I am certain that an investigation would find 900 people in the so called doom of the People’s Temple were illegally in Guyana in 1978.

To Reddy In Barbados

Let me give you some facts first of all.

As of June 2007 there are 13 million members world wide.
47% of the members live in the US and Canada.
36% live in Latin America
17% live in other parts of the world.

Missionaries are not just pooled from the US and sent overseas.. but are sent from where ever they live to where ever they are needed. It is not an “automatic” call that a missionary will be sent “overseas”. And it should be noted that it is not only the boys that are missionaries… young women too have that same opportunity. And yes.. sister missionaries can also be sent “overseas”… or not.

The church will take a willing and able young man or woman.. teach them a new language, and send them on their mission for two years to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

People then have their free agency to choose to accept what is taught.. or reject it. But if the Church acted based on your feelings about religion, then people would not even have the opportunity to hear the message.. and therefore could not even reject.. or accept it.. because you say that “religion” has it’s evils. You would have essentially denied them the opportunity to decide for themselves if they want “religion” or not.

Who has the authority to tell the people.. they can not have the opportunity to investigate any other church or religion other than what they currently have? All religions must be made available to all people so they can decided for themselves what they want.. and what they don’t want.

Some people get the image in their minds that missionaries go into the world clubbing people over the head and forcing them to accept the Gospel of Christ. That these people are being held captive against their will and somehow… someway… are making decisions that are forced upon them. This of course is ridiculous.

In Guyana alone there is about one missionary for every 7,700 people.. and there are currently about 4,000 people that are members of the LDS faith in 16 congregations.

Interesting how when you hear the name Guyana.. and the first thing you will think of is Jim Jones and the 900 people who died drinking his kool-aid. One can not compare Jim Jones and his 900 followers to the LDS Church with 13 million.

Whether you “feel” our faith is Christian or not.. does not change the fact that people have the right to accept or reject it once they have heard it. You being baptized as a teenager into the Catholic faith and being made to feel that you were going to hell for not going to church on Sunday is still not a good enough reason to keep other people from having an experience in this lifetime that could be nothing like yours.

Yes Amenra, I love Guyana and will return any time to help.
And for Ane form Canada. I used to be a Canadian. I left and until the good old USA wants to throw me out. I will remain here.

The USA send back my people after a day if they vilate US laws. Why should Guyana allow these people to stay more than one day. Change your foreign Affairs Minister and deport them immediately. This is not a religious matter. It is because they violate our immigration laws.

What you think our caribbean brothers like Antigua, and Barbados do to our people. They deport and use some concocted excuse to send them back.

Guyana is a free country. But we must uphold its laws.

Jagdesh Mohunlall

MXQBH, go to the people’s HQ and tell them if you want to convert or not.Us bloggers are not sure about what you really want to do with these people in Guyana.

Absentmindedness.To the hilt. Application for an extension means THAT YOU MUST LEAVE THE COUNTRY UNTIL THAT EXTENSION IS GRANTED.Guyanese,those who do not understand,read and be wise.I am teaching you something by taking you to school here.

What can be surer than ‘leave me alone’ and ‘keep thy religion to thyself’?

To NotFromGT:

Since there are 770,000 people that live in the country of Guyana, it would not be fair for 3 or 4 people on this forum to decide whether or not LDS missionaries should or should not be allowed into their country and preach the Gospel to other people.

We would have to ask the 4000 current members who live in Guyana if they would have liked having someone else decide for them that they could not speak to the LDS missionaries.

Each and every person upon this earth should have their God given free agency to accept or reject the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ… or any other religious belief.

This article would be more appropriate for a blog than a “news” site. The article is poorly written, has no facts, and demonstrates the writer’s inability to communicate. I would recommend hiring a reporter who has talent. In these hard times for news organizations, such shoty work surely doesn’t help your organization.

Anne. Are you Anne, a Mormon?