by Keith L. Brown | Feb 20, 2014 | Mormons in the News
As part of a larger study on religious values, diversity, and immigration, the Public Religion Research Institute released an infographic which shows the age range of religious affiliations throughout America. Concerning the infographic, Tony Jones in his blog post on Patheos titled “Bye-Bye Millenials” stated,
Here, in living color, we see the church’s failure to engage an entire generation.
You’ll notice that it [the infographic] also undermines the evangelical claim that they’re doing better with younger generations than progressive Christians. You’ll see that’s not true. In fact, the evangelical drop is more precipitous than the mainline drop — they’ve also got further to fall. [1]
Evangelicals Experience Decrease, Other Faiths Witness Increase in Number of Millenials
While the evangelicals may be experiencing a decrease in the retention rate of the younger generations, other Christian groups are maintaining their numbers, and even in some cases, are increasing in the number of members of their congregations who are a part of the younger generations. Jana Riess in her article, “Mormons gaining ground in the 18 to 29 age group,” commented, “Black Protestants are holding steady; nonwhite Catholics are exploding; and Mormons (of all ethnicities combined) have moved from a 2% share in the 65+ age group to a 3% share among that generation’s grandkids.” [2] She also carefully notes that one of the main differences between Mormonism and other mainline religious groups is that the trend of disaffiliation within Mormonism often occurs later than sooner in life. (more…)
by megan | Aug 27, 2013 | About Mormons
A CNN article in July of 2013 explored the reasons why Millennials—the young adult generation who came of age in the decade of the 2000s—are leaving their churches. Rachel Held Evans’ article sparked an instant reaction in other news organizations and the blogosphere in general, with experts, scholars, and “Average Joes” chiming in with their two cents on whether or not Evans was right. In response, the Salt Lake City-based Deseret News ran a blog post from Sarah Shumway titled “Why I’m Staying: Replying to CNN’s ‘Why Millennials are Leaving the Church’.” In her article, Shumway listed five reasons why she believes The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (often inadvertently referred to as the “Mormon Church”), isn’t losing its young adults. Her reasons are as follows:
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We are taught to view our fellow members as our brothers and sisters.
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We are asked to participate in a given capacity to help the congregation. [This refers to The Church of Jesus Christ’s practice to give members “callings” or assignments to help keep the local congregation running.]
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Having an unpaid clergy, our church leaders are refreshingly sincere. [Shumway also included a caveat affirming that she was in no way slighting the paid members of other faiths’ clergy, who are also sincere in their efforts to help others.]
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We are taught to ask questions.
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Our doctrine is not a laundry list of what we can and cannot do[1].
Shumway elaborated on each point, explaining why she believes The Church of Jesus Christ is retaining more of its young adult membership than other religions are. Shumway believes that The Church of Jesus Christ is doing what Evans’ article asks churches to do: extend more substance to Millennials rather than just more modern services and buildings; encourage them to ask questions; ask for their feedback; strive for political neutrality; and show them a place where they can find the Savior Jesus Christ.
As a member of both The Church of Jesus Christ and the Millennial generation, I agree with both Evans and Shumway. Studies conducted by the Pew Research center,universities, and other agencies have increasingly shown that Millennials are leaving the church. These studies also provide insight into the all-important question Evans attempts to answer: “why are they leaving?” I also agree with Shumway that The Church of Jesus Christ offers what many Millennials are seeking in religion: a firm foundation on the gospel of Jesus Christ, a culture that encourages questions, and a place where they can, ideally, find acceptance. (more…)
by liviw | May 1, 2013 | About Mormons
It’s probably something most people weren’t expecting. BYU TV is perhaps best known for broadcasting talks from leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church), as well as the General Conference of the Church.
It’s known for educational programming and well done mini series on historical topics, like the Bible. But in 2013 BYU TV brought out a new program that puts an entirely new spin on their programming.
Welcome to Granite Flats
‘Granite Flats’ is a new fictional series about a small town in the 60’s near a Colorado military base. Interesting characters begin to be presented immediately in the pilot. Teachers, mechanics, nurses, little kids and parents just to name a few.
The show starts with great mystery. Metal objects are seemingly falling from the sky in all different parts of town – in some cases wreaking havoc. No one seems to understand the connection between these objects right away. Viewers see these different instances mainly through the eyes of children and the town’s sheriff. (more…)
by Gale | Apr 16, 2013 | About Mormons
Many people think of sacrifice as an old-fashioned thing. In the Bible it seems to be something confined to the Old Testament, done away with in Christ’s “new law.” When the ancient Israelites failed to qualify to “enter into God’s rest,” He gave them a “schoolmaster law,” which was a law of outward ordinances. Rituals, and practices, and patterns of religious behavior were all symbolic of the Christ, a preparation for the higher law to come. When Jesus was offered up, He became the great and last sacrifice by the shedding of blood, and asked us to come unto Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and to place our sins upon the altar. As we progress, we are also able to place our will upon the altar, and to surrender our lives to His service.
What then of sacrifice? Sacrifice means giving up something for a higher good. When one considers the two levels of priesthood, the Aaronic or lower priesthood, and the Melchizedek, or higher priesthood, sacrifice couples with repentance as Aaronic principles. They are foundational—the floor of the eternal, precious edifice that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Upon them, we build on a sure foundation, adding the Gift of the Holy Ghost, our desires to reconcile with God, and our surrender to His will.
In Mormonism, which is the Church of Jesus Christ restored in it’s fullness in these last days before His Second Coming, Latter-day Saints exercise the principle of sacrifice in many ways.
Tithing
Tithing is by definition one tenth of one’s increase, and has always been a law of the gospel. A person who pays tithing in the proper spirit realizes that all he or she has comes from God, and that all He requests is one tenth in return as an offering. By living this law, followers of the Savior reap the blessings He has promised to the obedient. In fact, He blesses us so much, that we are again in His debt. The paying of tithing is ennobling. Tithe payers increase in humility, sensitivity to the Spirit, faith, and patience, even as they are blessed line upon line with the doctrines of the kingdom, and even with worldly sustenance. This is not a prosperity gospel, but a sustenance promise. Those full-tithe-payers who have faced financial emergencies have been rescued time after time by miraculous means. (more…)
by Terrie Lynn Bittner | Mar 26, 2013 | About Mormons
The media is often fascinated by young Mormon athletes. Not only are many of them recognized for living healthier lifestyles and engaging in fewer risky behaviors, but many also leave their college teams for two years to serve as volunteer missionaries for their church.
Two such Mormon athletes were recently written about in the media. Tyler Haws was recently featured on ESPN.com. Although his accomplishments had been overshadowed by teammate Jimmer Fredette at BYU, he was racking up remarkable stats for a freshman. A shooting guard, he started in 33 of 35 games and he made 91.7 percent of his free throws. Despite his success, he applied for an unpaid missionary service opportunity and was sent to the Philippines. Missionaries agree to go anywhere they are sent. To his surprise, he learned that people there love basketball. Nearly every day, someone would ask to him to shoot a basket for them. Of course, he wasn’t there to play basketball, so other than these random shots, he played only casual pick-up games on his one day off each week.
Many people feel serving a mission will harm an athlete’s future in sports. Haws demonstrated there is no truth to this. He returned home and again began to play for Brigham Young University, the Mormon-owned university in Provo, Utah. He demonstrated his break hadn’t hurt a thing—he scored more than twenty points in six consecutive games. He is BYU’s second sophomore to ever break 1000 career points and is on track to break the school’s record for most points ever by graduation. (more…)
