BYU is near last place in # peace corps volunteers

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

you don't think some jobs are more noble than others?

Not really. Some are less noble than the rest. A prostitute is not in a noble profession, but the elevation of one profession or vocation over another is simply a cultural value judgment, not absolute judgment standing the test of empricism or even God's judgment.

Work is noble. Good, honest work. As long as a job requires that, it is no more or less noble than any other.

[RC Vikings]

Originally Posted by Archaea

A prostitute is not in a noble profession

Not noble? How about keeping sex freaks away from schools and parks and taking them into the world of shady "by the hour" hotels. Sounds very noble and community minded to me.

[Venkman]

Originally Posted by RC Vikings

I'm bothered by our support for the war in Iraq but not enough that we want our sons to join the military. I've been in my current ward for sixteen years and not one kid during this time has entered the military. I realize missions play a big part in this but our words and actions don't really match up.

We've had a couple of guys enlist in the Army and one Marine in two years I've lived there. I'm damn proud of them (especially the Marine - man has he changed). Now these kids weren't mission types, so missions and active duty military seem to be an either/or proposition, which frankly is understandable IMO. I do know alot of RM's however, that joined the National Guard once released.

[Mr. Incredible]

Originally Posted by RC Vikings

I'm bothered by our support for the war in Iraq but not enough that we want our sons to join the military. I've been in my current ward for sixteen years and not one kid during this time has entered the military. I realize missions play a big part in this but our words and actions don't really match up.

I attend two wards. Both have multiple members of the military who have served in Iraq and Afganistan including the newly called bishop of one of the wards.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by Mr. Incredible

I attend two wards. Both have multiple members of the military who have served in Iraq and Afganistan including the newly called bishop of one of the wards.

Is the Bishop still in the military? I imagine it would be hard on a ward for the Bishop to be gone for a couple of years during his tenure.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Is the Bishop still in the military? I imagine it would be hard on a ward for the Bishop to be gone for a couple of years during his tenure.

We've had members of the military in our ward, and have a current lad in Afghanistan. We also have a military base in town, but to single LDS out for not serving may be silly. IMHO, it's more of a class item than a cultural item. For most upper middle classes, the military is not the first choice, unless family traditions dictate otherwise.

[SteelBlue]

Originally Posted by Venkman

We've had a couple of guys enlist in the Army and one Marine in two years I've lived there. I'm damn proud of them (especially the Marine - man has he changed). Now these kids weren't mission types, so missions and active duty military seem to be an either/or proposition, which frankly is understandable IMO. I do know alot of RM's however, that joined the National Guard once released.

In my ward we've had 5 YM enter the military since 9/11. None of them were mission bound. BTW, 5 is a very high number of YM in my ward. In the same time period we've had 3 serve full time missions.

[MikeWaters]

Utah is 48th in enlistment.

Utah is 12th in terms of median income, btw.

http://nationalpriorities.org/index....=175&Itemid=61)

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Not really. Some are less noble than the rest. A prostitute is not in a noble profession, but the elevation of one profession or vocation over another is simply a cultural value judgment, not absolute judgment standing the test of empricism or even God's judgment.

Work is noble. Good, honest work. As long as a job requires that, it is no more or less noble than any other.

I disagree to an extent. I don't think it is necessarily the nature of the profession alone that makes it noble, but the nature of the profession combined with the sacrifice of a person entering the profession because of its nature.

That being said, some professions are noble on their own. UN relief worker, police, military, peace corp, etc.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

I disagree to an extent. I don't think it is necessarily the nature of the profession alone that makes it noble, but the nature of the profession combined with the sacrifice of a person entering the profession because of its nature.

To me, what you're saying, is society would like to enlist certain members of society to sacrifice for the good of society. To do so, we need to label the work "noble" in order to encourage people to do something for a higher cause. It's a sociological phenomenum. Your use of the word or concept of nobility necessarily involves sacrifice for society, and hence noble.

That's not the only definition of nobility for me. All work makes a person a better person, as it requires discipline, sacrifice and regimen. The street cleaner may not look like a noble vocation, but our streets are better off if they are cleaned. A man who shows up for work routinely, keeps his truck clean and does a good job cleaning has performed his work honorably and nobly. And each cog to society is important and noble.

We typically look upon firefighters, police, and the military as noble professions because of the "heroic" aspect of their work. I do not detract from that, but find its emphasis demeaning to those quiet vocations that society still needs and upon which no light shines. Good, honest work is noble.