Re: [TruthTalk] LDS Church has ZERO Growth!

[Blainerb473]

Blainerb:  I read all of the articles, found them very interesting.  I am astounded you have so much info readily at hand, or that you take the time to find it, whichever is the case.  You are a better source than me for current LDS Church stuff.  :>)  What bothers me is that your perspective is always slanted.  You ALWAYS come across  as  an anti-Mormon activist.  You claim on the one hand to be a scientist--but I always thought scientists were supposed to be more objective???? So much for the ad hominem (sp?) stuff :>)  The  movement of LDS people from older neighborhoods to new subdivisions and/or to Utah County is normal for older areas.  This is just a sociological phenomenon that occurs all the time throughout the world.  The retention rate problem has a lot of angles that could be considered, but if the average of 37% retention is true, I am inclined to say that is very good.  My good friend who lives in Germany tells me the attendance of Protestant churches there is low--he says the churches are for the most part vacated, on Sunday as well as during the week.  (I assume this is a universally European phenomenon, from what little I have read otherwise.)  When people do attend, they wear cut-offs, levis, etc.  However, he said on Easter or Christmas, the attendance goes up dramatically, which is at least a sign that many people believe, just don't attend regularly.  The latter  could also be true among Mormons--I suggest the rate of retention is much higher than stats say--stats do not always tell the whole story. The LDS Church's "raising the bar" for missionary service is as it states in the article--controversial.   As they say, however, it is an attempt to keep the kids out of mischief before they get into lifestyles that may effectively keep them from active membership anyway--a dilemma, it seems.  I, myself, have not seen any missionaries refused.  All of the active kids I know are preparing for a mission.  Activity seems to be a critical factor, which to a large extent reflects on the parents.  Of course, some kids choose not to be active despite parents insistence.  They do have the right to choose.    In a message dated 7/27/2005 6:15:53 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Blaine: none taken down or destroyed that I am aware of.    Now you are aware, or do you prefer to remaining in OZ to reality? http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2886597 Avenues wards continue to lose members   All that remains is a "for sale" sign on a dirt field. No longer are Mormon families streaming to the wardhouse on Sunday mornings. ...they watched as crews demolished the white concrete structure that once served as the heart of their predominantly LDS community.    Declining membership forced the LDS Church to redraw boundaries in 2003, consolidating three stakes, which oversee wards, into two. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2886596 Mormon portion of Utah population steadily shrinking The LDS Church said its count comprises "all members" - including children in LDS families under age 8, when most Mormons are baptized, and nonpracticing members. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2890645 Keeping members a challenge for LDS church http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2890646 Unintended consequence of church's 'raising the bar' Diminishing returns: With fewer missionaries going out, converts have slowed as well [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:   Blainer:  You can prove anything you want with statistics. During the year 2004, 3 new Mormon temples were dedicated, 2 re-dedicated, 0 were taken down, 119 in operation at end of year, with ten more in various stages of planning or building.  Converts baptized were 241, 239.  Total membership as of December 31, 2004, 12, 275,822, up about 3 million from 1998.  New stake buildings,  new ward buildings always being built, re-built etc, none taken down or destroyed that I am aware of.  All church meeting houses  are crowded, some with three wards using alternate time schedules, most with at least two wards doubling up.  Sounds like progress to me.    In a message dated 7/26/2005 10:48:48 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Keeping members a challenge for LDS church Mormon myth: The belief that the church is the fastest-growing faith in the world doesn't hold up http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2890645 When the Graduate Center of the City University of New York conducted an American Religious Identification Survey in 2001, it discovered that about the same number of people said they had joined the LDS Church as said they had left it. The CUNY survey reported the church's net growth was zero percent.