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Growth is extolled
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This was my first time attending conference in the conference center. I am still reveling in the spirit I felt there, and that I felt so personally administered to. Everyone needs the opportunity to attend conference, and to be able to feel the love and look into the faces of these inspired leaders.
Why are you trying so hard to discredit the LDS Church? Why is this news so unworthy for a major metropolitan newspaper? I have a feeling that if a article about the growth of any other religious, or anti-religious group appeared in the paper, you wouldn't be so upset.
If your math skills are as accute as your ability to read an encyclopedia, you should take the time frame of Mormonism compared to Buddists, Muslims, and etc., compute in the LDS growth statistics, multiply all that by the time frame of the conseption of the other religions you've mentioned and bingo... you may get the reason for the excitement over the growth of the church.
I am afraid that membership numbers are like home teaching percentages... highly inflated.
Gettin' a little carried away with your numbers there!
What percent of those "billions" of other world faiths that you listed fall into that same description you have for the LDS? Do you have ANY idea?
I do. Ever been to Tokyo? One of the largest cities in the world. You ask any citizen what faith they are and 99% will likely tell you they're Buddhist. Ask them a question about Buddhism and the majority can't tell you much if anything at all. Go to a Buddhist shrine during a religious holiday/observance and you'll see maybe a hundred there in worship at a particular time, out of a population of around 12 million. count up the number of Buddhist shrines in the city and I think you'll find that it's really a very small percent (even less than what you were so critical of the LDS faithful over). Other Christians are no different.
I think the problem is your personal bias v. the LDS Church
About Rob Shiveley's comments, according to wikipedia ("Worldwide percentage of adherents by religion",if you suppose this to be reliable information) it only claims that there are 400 million Buddists not 1.5 billion and the other figures are off. Rob does not know how many members are active, nor much about where the majority of the church membership is. It would do well with any member of any church to not to seek to destroy another religion through their prejudices and bad information.
The church is .19% of the world population not .0019%,which makes "Mormons" just behind the Jew population which is .20%. God never said his church nor people had to be the biggest.
I would encourage all to read the words of the prophets and seek the spirit in guidance so that they may come closer to Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
Speaking of critical thinking.... Utah has 2.5 BILLION white people?? We should have a few more electoral votes...
It's no different with the 1.7-2 Billion "Christians" you mentioned. How many just go to church at Christmas/Easter, drop a few bucks in the collection plate and call it a good life?
Sounds like your problem isn't the article but your hard-feelings against the LDS.
While LDS remain a minority of the world's population, the growth is still very remarkable and newsworthy.
If you have a source for this, post it. Otherwise, you stand accused of making up numbers.
Keep in mind that you failed to apply the same standards of activity, to the millions of other religious groups you cited, as if you believe that their percentages are any better than that of the Latter Day Saint faith.
If you do apply the same standards to all faiths, you cannot put forth your statistical argument and have anyone accept what you say as anything more than a straw man.
If you actually think that more than one third of the christian world attends all their meetings, and lives all their lives in accordance with the standards of their faith, this is one man who is laughing in your face for your naivete.
Degrade! Degrade! Degrade! What have you accomplished other than personal satisfaction? I feel sorry for the likes of people like you. You obviously pretend that you are an authority on what it means to be active in the LDS Church and probably in other sreas as well. I feel sorry for you because it is obvious to me this is one way you get "your jollies" nevertheless, I love you brother.
The Church's own figures show an average decline in growth rate of 1.1 tenths of a percent per year over the last thirty years. This means that where the Church experienced an average annual growth of 5.3% in the 1980s, it dropped to 3.6% in the 1990s, and has slipped to 2.5% in the 2000s.
So, while the Church is growing, that growth is in fact gradually stagnating.
What made it "great" for you?
(I am amazed that I even read this column yesterday and today because I never have before). People who write just might be wanting to know more.....
In college they won't allow you cite wikipedia as a source for any research project. Meaning....the validity of your source is not considered trustworthy on a public school academic standard. Therefore, you'll need a stronger supporting argument if you feel that your oposing statistics should even be considered noteworthy. Sorry
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (a.k.a. Jehovah's Witnesses) began as a small group of Bible students in the late 1870s. Founded by Charles T. Russell, it has grown over the years to number in the millions. A quote from Wikipedia about it's membership:
"Jehovah�s Witnesses count as adherents the number attending their meetings. Of these adherents, they count as members those who report time preaching each month. As of August 2006 this membership is about 6.7 million."
Given LDS activity rates, the Witnesses might have more active members. Also remember, their religion began 40 years after the LDS Church was founded.
Would this make it "more true" than the LDS Church? No, I don't think so. All it means is that both religions have grown so fast because they are very aggressive in seeking new converts.
I feel inclined to say that when you listen to conference with a prayerful heart and an open mind then the spirit of the Lord reveals things that mean more than just the words that they say. That is what made it GREAT for me! My testimony was strengthened because I was looking for it to be. If it seemed liked nothing new to you, a helpful suggestion would be read the ensign when it comes out and have a prayer in your heart that you can spiritually grow from what has been said. I testify the Lord will communicate something more to you than what you feel you received listening to it the first time.
A few things that made it great for me: President Monson's quickie about redheads during the Priesthood session. I'm a redhead, and that really brightened my evening. President Hinckley's talk about Anger and Elder Hallstrom's talk about Procrastination were messages that helped me revitalize my effort against these two flaws of mine. Elder Wirthlin's struggle to give the words of life amidst his own physical toil (I will always think thrice when the thought "I'm just too tired" enters my mind). Elder Tenorio sharing his very personal stories regarding his testimony of temple blessings (and, in general, all heart-felt personal experiences given by the various speakers) that helped him to overcome the death of his child and see the conversion of his father.
Referring to the "Numbers" conversation,
I find it fascinating the growth of the Church amidst perceived deterrents. With a culture that seems to value God less and less, I find it refreshing when a person extricates themselves from that culture and seeks out God, perhaps against the odds. It is worth every effort to see their lives change for the temporal and eternal better.
I can't speak for other areas, but in parts of the midwest there is an ongoing, focused effort to bring back those who have chosen to leave activity in the LDS Church. It includes full time and ward missionaries, quorums, bishoprics, Relief Societies, Young Men and Young Women leaders, and stake presidencies to name some.
In the Iowa area, we call it the Nauvoo Commitment. When people can by exercising agency choose to be active or not, there will be some who choose not. We do not know when (or if) some of those who have left activity will come back, but we work to invite and be prepared to help them when (and if) they do.
As for converts, we have seen some fall away sooner and later. And we have seen many who have remained strong and are getting stronger.
We have seen miracles in growth and expect to see more. Perhaps the greater miracle is to see people whose life has been filled with pain and sorrow due to unwise decisions find the Gospel and a better way of life.
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Christians represent approximately 1.7-2 billion, Buddhists, one of the fast growing of the world's religions, represent up to 1.5 billion, Muslims represent about 1.5 billion and Hindus represents nearly one billion believers. The rest are largely agnostics or atheists or have tribal-based religious beliefs. Keep in mind, nearly 2/3rds of Mormons on record neither attend either church meetings nor the temple regularly, nor do they contribute regularly financially (i.e. are regular tithe payers). So, 4.3 million people out of 6.7 billion (of which Utah's 2.5 billion white people represent the majority of the members) merit an article from a major metropolitan newspaper? Give me a break. The 4th column of government (free press) deserves better critical thinking and better representation.