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LDS have largest families in U.S.

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JD | 1:20 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I'm very pleased to see the increase in the number of African American Mormons. However, it is very hard for me to believe that there are three times as many Black Mormons as there are Hispanic Mormons in this country. There are a lot of Hispanic Mormons...

Utahn | 1:41 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Too bad that people are so focused upon the color or peoples' skin. Why are people "pleased to see" increases in black American Mormons? What about increases in White American Mormons, or Hispanic American Mormons? Why just the blacks? That seems a bit racist...

If not, then certainly narcissistic (look at what it says about me!)...how sad.

Mr. Law | 1:43 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

It is great that Latter-day Saints have the largest families in the United States of America. Now if only we could convert enough Americans to have 5% of the United States as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like in Chile!

Comments continue below

Eduction | 2:55 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I was shocked to see LDS come in the bottom rungs of college educated (28%). I wonder how many LDS women have never finished their degrees after getting married. It has to be more than a lack of women graduates to come in this low. We really need to make this overall a focus - get everyone at least with a Bachelor's. There is no excuse for this!

This just in! | 3:15 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

And the sun also rises in the east!

Ron | 4:25 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Mormons are clearly bucking national trends! This article states that Christian religions are losing members in droves. There were 5.2 million U.S. Mormons in 2002 and nearly 5.8 million at the end of 2006. Mormons are the only sizable religion in the U.S. that is actually increasing.

Robert | 4:26 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

The number that stuck out for me was the relatively low percentage of Mormon college graduates.

Shamrock | 6:22 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Surprise surprise!

russ | 6:16 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Percentages, percentages. What people can do with percentages is absolutely marvelous. As I continue to teach my class on research methods, techniques, and tools I continue to be amazed at how people can play with percentages, and more amazed at how people fall for it.

Going from 3 to 6 is a 200% gain. Going from 100 to 103 is a 3% gain. Hmmmm.

russ | 6:21 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I think I wrote that going from 3 to 6 is a 200% bump. Obviously, it is not. It is a 100% bump.

Not enough coffee this early in the morning. My apologies if that is what I wrote concerning percentages.

liberal larry | 6:30 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

It is really appalling to see people have large families. The world is already seeing the effects that our overpopulation is having on other species. It is sad to think that the next generation may see the extiction of many large mammals, such as mountain gorillas etc.

It's a conspiracy! | 6:45 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

no wonder Utah classrooms are filled to the brim and teachers are overwhelmed!

Anonymous | 7:03 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

It's disturbing, and somewhat corporate, to think that validation of the church comes only through the numbers.
That having been said, I guess if you want to appeal to a larger segment of the American population as has been suggested, maybe look at the product. I think there's some tweaking necessary.

No Kidding? | 7:23 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Are you serious? I cant believe what just read. Mormons have the largest families in America? I don't buy it.

I cant believe I just read that worth-less article. Now I am waisting even more time writing this comment. I could be off "multiplying and replenishing the earth".

call me crazy but I never understood what we are "replenishing", I dont think that the earth ever had such a population, so how can we "replenish". I dont think mormons know what that word means.

RR | 7:27 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

LDS people understand the meaning of family, and understand where these children are coming from. Most of the country doesn't, and kids are sometimes seen as a burden, so why have more than 1-2? It's wonderful to be LDS and know the truth. Families are great!

Dr. S. | 7:52 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I am extremely concerned that the LDS education rate is so low, given our belief that "the glory of God is intelligence." We should be at the top of the charts instead of somewhere in the middle. Nevertheless, given the realities of pursuing an advanced college education, especially in Utah, I understand why that goal is not a reality.

After years of struggling through college and graduate school at the major Utah schools, I understand how difficult it is to be a married student with children. I know what it is like to question if we could continue to the next semester due to extreme under-funding. (I once adjusted Ezra Taft Bensonï¿½s assistantship for inflation, while I was a graduate student at USU back in the late 80s and found that his was worth approximately $853 compared to my $650 per month.)

It seems as though if we were true to our religion, we would make education a greater priority in our personal, church and community lives. We would make the appropriate sacrifices personally, as a church, and a nation to make sure that anyone who desires an education can pursue it without the prospects of risking malnourishment.

Anonymous | 7:58 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

"the mormon tradition"? I thought wording like that was saved exclusivly for the Trib?

Deaf Guy | 8:00 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

RR - I total agreed with you, the Key to understand Truth about life on Earth and you will totel understand Family Issue on earth, Life before born on Earth and after life on Earth.

Deaf Guy

Lionheart | 8:00 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

The order to "replenish the earth" was because the world population had been decimated by the flood. The physical evidence of a flood (massive tsnami) exists all over the world, occurring approximately 3500 BC. I think the job is done, maybe time for a new flood.

mom | 8:02 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

No kidding is evidently one of those uneducated in the article. At least his spelling, grammar and lack of understanding seem to point that way

Chad | 8:07 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

It really cracks me up to see that the mormons, who are regularly accused of being racist, have a smaller percentage of whites than other protestant christian groups.

If mormons are so racist, why to people of other races adhere to mormonism more than other christian religions?

DLG | 8:22 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

RR - What are you talking about? Too many kids are a burden on any household. And everyone takes their lumps for it.
Pull your head out of the sand. Welfare Square and the Bishops Storehouse are full of young marrieds with 4, 5, and 6 kids they can't feed and provide the bare necessities for.
When was the last time you couldn't send one of your kids to school with a lunch or lunch money? It happens all the time in Utah. You say "families are great" because if you didn't you would be living the "gospel". Wise up.

Mrs Mormon Mom | 8:32 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I certainly appreciative that I was able to have 6 birth children and a "pre-packaged" daughter. Large families are wonderful and anyone who has not experienced that is losing out. Being 'Mormon' is such a wonderful experience! Knowing what we need to know while being on this earth is such an advantage. I never finished my degree but raised wonderful children that never spent time in prison, never did drugs, never parented children outside of marriage,....I can continue but readers here will understand the value of what my job entailed. Does it matter that the sampling of persons in the study did not fully take in the importance "Mormons" put on education? We have a program started by President Gordon B Hinckley that is called the Perpetual Education Fund. Anyone interested in exactly what that encompasses and how many countries it includes can ask a "Mormon". By the way, "Mormon" is a nickname. I am a member of The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints, our true name. By the way, what happened to the sampling of persons in Washington state?

Anon in KC | 8:37 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Are we actually surprised? You call this news?

OK | 8:37 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

So What? and Who cares?

Warren | 8:59 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

A high percentage of Utahns collect welfare or "They Bleed the Beast".

Fred | 9:10 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Just read an article in a newspaper back east that claim people in the US were less than religious and produced statisitics to prove their case. If taken in a literal sense, those statistics and the ones mentioned in this article are totally contradictory. Guess you always find what you go looking for. Suspect both sets of statistics are skewed to fit the results.

Adan | 9:10 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

There's an error in the article. The racial numbers are completely botched. I went to the Pew website. For Mormons, they report 86% white, 7% (not 1%) Hispanic, 3% black, 1% Asian, 3% other.

By the way, Lionheart said, "The order to 'replenish the earth' was because the world population had been decimated by the flood." Um. No. The order was to Adam and Eve; the flood happened much, much later.

Genius | 9:41 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Studies show 67% of all statistics are made up. So there!

Davey | 9:44 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

lets take a quick look at this. Lets say a family has 6 kids. those 6 kids get married. two car family. Thats 12 vehicles. Those 6 kids have 6 kids and get married. again 2 car family. Thats 84 vehicles in 2 generations !! Thats just automobiles. Think of the housing and the schooling, the employment. Please for the sake of humanity stop the insanity !!! Stop being selfish and think of others on this tiny blue planet.

So? | 9:56 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

A high percentage of AMERICANS collect welfare and bleed the beast. Mormons and Utahns (many of whom are not Mormon) do not occupy an abnormally high proportion of the total welfare recipients. Check your facts.

Big Families Rock | 9:56 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I grew up in an LDS home with 8 children! We were never a "burden" on society -- never asked for handouts or welfare. We may not have had the "hippest" clothing, biggest house, or ate out more than 1 or 2 times a year, or drove the fanciest car -- but we had so much fun! We camped, river rafting, played sports, took music lessons, and learned to work and work hard! My father was self-employed and if he didn't work, we didn't eat. We all learned from his great example and from working by his side. All 8 of us are grown and productive members of society. Many families, of every size, struggle today because they WANT too much -- cell phones, fancy cars, clothes, vacations, big home, big toys -- don't blame it on the size of the family -- blame the size of the appetite for THINGS.

Stuart | 10:10 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

The writer of this article need to take a math class, and so does the editor. The sample was from the adult population, not the total population. You cannot therefore take the 1.7% of respondants (adults)who identified themselves as LDS and multiply it by the TOTAL population as you did to arrive at 5.1 million adults who are LDS. You would need to multiply it by the total number of adults in the U.S., which would give you a much smaller number.

Raymond Takashi Swenson | 10:20 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Larger families will mean more growth in LDS numbers. As to education: Since the survey included adults of all ages, the 28% number of college graduates for the less than 600 LDS in the survey includes people in their 70s who grew up in the 1940s when there was less emphasis on college education. My guess is that a breakdown by age would show the college graduation rate increasing among younger cohorts of LDS, probably to 40% or more. How many college graduates do you really need in a population to run an economy?

Obviously, Hindus are self-selecting: They are in America because of getting or having education. Jews in America are descendants of immigrants a century ago who were not college educated but honored learning, much like the Buddhists (Japanese and other Asians) whose first generation ancestors were mainly farmers but whose second and third generations have become doctors, attorneys and engineers. The expansion in LDS college graduates began in the 1960s with the Boomer generation, as Utah transformed from an economy based on agriculture, mining and steel production to more technical products and services.

Alex | 10:39 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

While I can see the need for improvement among our people in the education department, I am pleased that we are doing better than average in children in the family. I would be more concerned if the tables were reversed: if we were below average for size of families, but way above average for education. While the importance of education cannot be underestimated, my wife and children are of greater value to me than all my graduate education and professional experience combined. My degrees have been a great blessing to our family, but they are not my family.

Other Big Family Impact | 10:54 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

My big family's impact on the planet: 1 small business owner in business for over 30 years -- employing others and paying taxes; 2 in retail; 2 in accounting/finance; 8 in teaching/university/other educational support; 2 in marketing; 1 city worker; 1 in manufacturing; and 5 full-time moms -- this represents 3 generations! Growing up we recycled before it was even popular -- hand me down clothes; used cars that we re-built; small home with small "carbon footprint". Even though we had many teenage drivers -- there was only 1 extra car to share - unless you worked and bought your own! Today's kids are given too much too soon without having to work for it! Teach the value and self-satisfaction of working hard and working well! It's a life lesson that we all need to know!

Rod | 10:57 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

We have every right to have as many kids as we want. Although, we must be responsible for the kids we have, obviouslly.

I can understand the "welfare" families being a burden, but that is a tiny fraction of the large families in the church.

education and mountain gorillas | 11:05 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

First on education: Is it any wonder that mormons don't want to pay teachers to teach their students? Most don't value education enough to pay for it. On top of that, they want tax breaks for having children that consume tax dollars. I have no problem with big families, as long as you're willing to pay your share of the consumption of goods and services.

Second: Mountain Gorillas??? Liberal Larry, perhaps liberals will one day become extinct...we can only hope.

MT | 11:09 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

It was fun to read the reactions here in the Deseret News and read the Tribune's also. "Big Families Rock" was right on with the conclusion.

LOL! | 11:45 a.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Lol! Don't bust my bubble! LOL!

In favor of large families | 12:17 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Big families are great--especially when you think about the current state of social security in this country. I think that if people live responsibly, they are among the greatest assets this planet has. Besides if you believe the D&C then you must also believe the part that says (about the earth) that there is "enough and to spare." Frankly, if it is selfish to have a large family and raise them well, then I'm planning to be as selfish as I can. I am not interested in limiting my joy (read "family" there) simply beause somebody else thinks I should.

Alex | 12:31 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

In favor of large families,

Amen.

mamma2many | 12:42 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I have a very large family. Much larger than I anticipated when I was young, and a whole lot larger than I ever could have imagined! I have 8 kids. Now, before you start in on me, all 8 are adopted from Foster Care. Some are siblings. It's funny. We always have enough for what we need. Not always for what we want, but we have what we need. If you want to call me selfish for having such a large family, that's cool with us. Our planet will surivie my 8 or more.

JeffBlue from AZ | 12:43 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I am also wondering about the validity of the data. 46% of all Jewish adults make over 100 grand? Hmmm. 3% African American and 1% Hispanic? The 2nd post by Utahn is disturbing that someone can be so quick to draw the racist card due to the first post mentioning race. Yes, humanity comes in different shades of skin, thank goodness we are not all the same, the differences make humanity unique and beautiful. As far as many kids being a burden to society, I thought that was reserved for single adult males over 30? Perhaps single males over 30 need to be looked at in a more positive light, lol!
---sincererly, single male over 30.

Momar | 12:45 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

You know you have too many kids when you have more than muslims.

Alex | 12:59 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

mamma2many:

There is no selfishness in sacrificing for and taking care of your children. You and others with large families (that are provided with the necessities of life) have nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever. You have nothing to apologize for. All I can say to people like you is, congratulations. Enjoy your blessings.

lalala | 1:02 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Utahn wrote: Too bad that people are so focused upon the color or peoples' skin. Why are people "pleased to see" increases in black American Mormons? What about increases in White American Mormons, or Hispanic American Mormons? Why just the blacks? That seems a bit racist...

Well, considering that black Americans couldn't hold the preisthood until 1978, I think that we are fortunate to have ANY members from these countries or origins as part of this church.

Alex | 1:05 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

Momar:

Hasten the day.

so | 1:17 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

At least we can earn our $30K a year and wonder why we can't afford the $250K home for our family. WE are truly blessed......I mean the rich must be more righteous than the poor are.

Big Daddy | 1:20 p.m. Feb. 26, 2008

I can think of no better way to influence the earth and the future of the planet and humanity than to have a big family.... and then teach them to be selfless, to be good stewards over material items (like recycling/reusing/making do/doing without), to value things such as education/intelligence. I tackle the problems I see in the world (hate, selfishness, ignorance) by teaching the next generation to be kind, to value things besides materialistic frenzies, and to serve others. For those who think that having too many people on the planet is damaging the trees, the animals, and the earth then I kindly invite you to protest with a 14 day fast from food or drink and get immediate results in your aim to "save the planet"! It is the plague of humanity the thirst for too large of homes, too new (and constantly turning over) cars, too many commodities, too much stuff.... why can't we be happy with simple pleasures of relationships, the sky, the air, the grass.......

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