A little while back, someone posted
this link and wanted it verified. I got verification from a couple of RMs, and the following response:
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Yes, madnak, those are real rules, more or less. He's taking most of them from the Missionary Guide, which is a small handbook missionaries carry outlining the basic expectations of their conduct. He gives the impression that every one of the rules he lists is strictly binding and never to be broken, or even bent, but in my experience, such was not always the case. As a general rule, the rules should be followed whenever possible, but of course there are situations where this is not practical. I would sometimes bend or make exceptions to the rules on my mission, and I found that virtually all other missionaries did the same. One of the reasons the rules seem so all-encompasing and definitive is so that missionaries will have no question in their minds as to how they should act in any set of circumstances. There is a set standard to cover most of the situations missionaries will encounter, but obviously we're expected to use our own judgment as well. There are specific reasons for ALL of the rules, and most missionaries understand what those reasons are (I could tell by his commentary that this former missionary definitely did NOT). It is generally expected that missionaries will obey both the letter and the spirit of the law, but in instances where this is not possible, I felt that following the spirit of the law was more important. It sounds like whoever wrote up those rules had a pretty bad experience on his mission, which is unfortunate. I had no problem with following the rules because I understood why they were in place and how they would help me be a successful missionary.
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This is definitely more representative of the LDS position than SitNHit's stuff, IMO.