Mormon retention rates

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_Rollo Tomasi
_Emeritus
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Re: Mormon retention rates

Post by _Rollo Tomasi »

Jason Bourne wrote: In that he said that about 1/3 of active Aaronic Priesthood are not ordained elders. He wanted us to emphasize on this group as to advancing inithe priesthood, and this was even more important then a mission. So if I do some math at least for my ward. Making them El

About 70% of the Aaronic priesthood boys are active. If a third never make it to Elder that and go inactive that is 21% of them. Add that to the already 30% inactive then we have about 51% for my ward that will not make it to Elder.

If we assume in the US activity rate is about 50% 16.6% vof the active boys will never be Elders. Add that to the 50% that are already inactive and that means 66.6% will not be active.

I think the number of only 7% is way off. At least as far as the 20-30 year olds I know from BIC families.

The recent push to go after those inactive young men in the category known as "prospective elders" (i.e., any AP holder who has not received the MP after turning 18) has revealed this is a huge group. A visiting 70 to a recent stake conference I attended gave the percentage as something like 80% of all young men ordained a deacon will become part of the "prospective elders" group.
"Moving beyond apologist persuasion, LDS polemicists furiously (and often fraudulently) attack any non-traditional view of Mormonism. They don't mince words -- they mince the truth."

-- Mike Quinn, writing of the FARMSboys, in "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View," p. x (Rev. ed. 1998)
_truth dancer
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Post by _truth dancer »

So.... sounds like the church understands this is a "problem".

Why do they think this is so?

In other words... is it Satan? Sifting of the wheat and tares? Or might they look at some dynamics or other issues going on?

~dancer~
_Bond...James Bond
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Post by _Bond...James Bond »

truth dancer wrote:
In other words... is it Satan?
~dancer~


No. Much worse. Science.

Satan works for religion because it's the invisible boogie man (the evil to God's good).

Science everyone can see, and it doesn't play favorites when it comes to showing reality. It isn't good or evil, it just is.

Bond...."Big Bang Believer" Bond
"Whatever appears to be against the Book of Mormon is going to be overturned at some time in the future. So we can be pretty open minded."-charity 3/7/07
_Mephitus
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Post by _Mephitus »

Very well put bond.
One nice thing is, ze game of love is never called on account of darkness - Pepe Le Pew
_bcspace
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Post by _bcspace »

No. Much worse. Science.


Erroneous use of science is more correct. Science is actually a friend to the LDS Church. Regarding churches in general, science does not make any statements about the existence or nonexistence of God. Regarding the LDS Church, a couple of examples.....

1) Though many LDS are mired in a type of Creationism that cannot co-exist with Evolution, the fact remains that Big Bang/Evolution (which I subscribe to as the way God did it) does not contradict LDS scripture or doctrine in anyway. Neither Creationism or Evolution is the doctrine of the LDS Church and either belief fits.

2) Homosexuality. Homosexuals have tried and failed to come up with any evidence that homosexuality is inborn, though if they ever did, Ether 12:27 ensures that it does not matter and LDS doctrine will never change. On the other hand, science is repleat with the dangerous and even consequences of homosexuality, making it a choice that has no basis for legitimization.
_ajax18
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Post by _ajax18 »

Yeah, but there are still a lot of unresolved philosophical problems. Free will may be one.

I also think the idea that there is no real cumulative benefit to being faithful to the church throughout life versus simply repenting prior to death poses problems in the minds of many Christians. I've never really heard a satisfactory answer to this and the fact that most people in Church believe and preach ideas about this that I simply cannot agree with seems to remove me from the Church even further. This is probably at the heart of my disagreement with Christianity in general. Yet I agree with enough that I still participate, so that alone isn't enough for me to have my name taken off the roles.

Then you have to deal with the historicity of the Church. The Book of Abraham problems seem pretty difficult to resolve to me. The Book of Mormon has certainly turned out to be a lot different historically than what I was taught. This says some interesting things about what being inspired by the Holy Ghost to know the truth really means. The Holy Ghost certainly didn't inform these people of the Limited Geography theory and why it was the only plausible scenario. What can or better what does the Holy Ghost actually tell people? In my opinion not nearly as detailed information as I was led to believe in Church. Moral knowledge, yes I agree. Scientific knowledge, I've yet to see that revealed to people.

Then the thing that bothers me the most is how much better the GAs live than the average tithe payer, at the Church's expense often times.

These things may not make me leave the Church but I definitely see what is preached from on high in a very different light.

How do Mormons deal with these issues? They don't. Perhaps they simply cannot. Sometimes the way some people resolve those problems doesn't work in the minds of others. What if someone simply does not feel good about the doctrine that is upheld by the Church leaders? Is he simply a bad person? That's what they say at Church. I think there is more to it than that. I group all these philosophical and historical problems under science.
And when the confederates saw Jackson standing fearless as a stone wall the army of Northern Virginia took courage and drove the federal army off their land.
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