M. Blaine Peterson (1906-1985) was a Utah politician. He set apart as a missionary in September 1926 to serve in the German Austrian mission (he would serve until July 1929).
In a recent biography, we read the following, showing how common
it was then (and sadly, still is now) for those who were themselves unconverted
to the faith would go out on a mission in the hope to convert themselves:
In early October, Blaine said
farewell to his family in Ogden and made the short train ride to the mission
home in Salt Lake City where he would receive a crash course on how to be a
missionary. . . . That evening, Blaine wrote in his journal the ten reasons he
had decided to serve a mission:
1. To prove to myself
that the Gospel is true. . . . (Mike Peterson, Lord, Keep Me Humble: The
Life and Political Career of Utah’s M. Blaine Peterson [Cold Shoulder
Press, 2021], 71, emphasis added)
Elsewhere, we read the following, showing that Peterson did not
simply “follow the leader” (a commendable attitude) during his mission:
On the inside cover of his
mission-rules book, Blaine wrote down some personal guidelines that would
guarantee him success as a missionary:
. . . .
3. Obey your superior Elders—but
obey your own conscience (Ibid., 83, emphasis added)