By Leah Elison
A spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed Wednesday that the majority of missionaries will continue to work cautiously but without interruption even though the war with Iraq has begun.
Missionaries who are in the armed forces may not be able to complete their missions before being recalled for military duty, but the Church of Jesus Christ has no plans to reassign, bring home or delay the departure of missionaries.
'The safety and well being of missionaries is of highest priority and is monitored carefully, particularly during times of heightened security around the world,' said church Spokesman Michael Purdy.
The church has given mission presidents instruction for reacting to social unrest and for helping missionaries avoid dangerous situations, he said.
When dangerous conditions arise, it is a mission president''s responsibility to decide when to evacuate the mission, said Scott Taggart of Kirkland, Wash.
Taggart has served nine missions in eight locations, including service as a mission president in the Canada Montreal, mission from 1984 to 1987 and in the Kinshasa Zaire, mission during the Persian Gulf War.
'In terms of anything like social unrest, the church tries to stay aware and keep their finger on the pulse of areas where such things might arise,' Taggart said. 'They would follow the advice of the mission president in every case.'
While serving in Zaire, Taggart had to evacuate his entire mission because of a military insurrection and a portion of the mission in Ghana because of government hostility.
He said the church coordinated with the United States evacuation efforts after he had counseled with area authorities and made the decision to evacuate.
'It is impossible that anyone would know the status of the country better than the mission president himself,' Taggart said. 'He is the one that is on sight; he is the only one that knows.'
Taggart said he is not worried about missionaries being harmed by the war because the church has no missions in Muslim countries where the danger is most extreme.
Professor of church history Richard Cowan agreed, pointing out that even the missions closest to the conflict, in India, Russia, Northern Africa and Eastern Europe, were still thousands of miles away.
While the church has had to periodically withdraw missionaries from individual missions, the biggest evacuations have occurred during World War I, World War II and most recently during the Korean War.
'During World War I, the first presidency had plans in place in case the missionaries had to be withdrawn,' Cowan said. 'Word was given through telegrams to mission presidents, and they in turn contacted the missionaries.'
He said the only doctrinal implications of withdrawing missionaries were that peoples in closed areas would not be taught the gospel.
Cowan said he is hopeful that the war will not hinder missionary work, but allow members to share the gospel in new countries.
'There are many areas of the world where the church has grown in the wake of wars,' he said. 'There were no missionaries in Korea before the war, but LDS servicemen and chaplains shared the gospel, and afterward, missions were opened there.'
Returning missionaries to church service after they have been withdrawn can be a difficult task, Taggart said.
In accordance with church doctrine that counsels members to be loyal to the nation they live in, the church has expressed appreciation and support to members and missionaries who serve in the armed forces.
'A small number of U.S. citizens who are now on missions for the church have military service commitments that may obligate them to serve their country if needed,' stated church leaders in a statement released earlier this week. 'If called to active duty, the church will grant those affected an honorable release from their missions.'
Members of reserve units are permitted a two-year leave of absence to serve full-time missions, but the military retains the right to recall the soldiers for duty.
The effect of a draft would have on missionaries cannot be determined as a draft is not yet being considered, said a spokesman for Hill Air Force Base.
In remarks given at a BYU Devotional Tuesday, church President Gordon B. Hinckley said he is grateful for members of the church who are serving in the military.
'If there be any of our number in the reserves or National Guard who have been called to duty, we extend our greatest appreciation and our love and respect to them and to the families they have left behind,' Hinckley said. 'We pray with earnestness and with faith that God will watch over them and preserve them and return them unharmed to those who love them most.'