[svcw]

ministry - nope
indoctrination - yes.

[Buckeye McFrog]

I agree, leaving the theology aside, there is a lot we could learn from the Mormons. Certainly my Catholic Church is doing an underwhelming job of just hanging on to young people, let alone engaging them.

[showme_the_Glory]

I read some of the God Maker series a long time ago. Truth or not it painted an image I haven’t forgotten.

[wideawake]

In 1985 there were 4.5 million Mormons and now there are over 12 million.

That was more than a demographic generation ago.

If Mormons live longer due to the clean living code, and if their families average 4 children - I don't have statistics handy, but that is not a crazy number - that explains the 12 million pretty handily without many conversions.

[AZLiberty]

Most of us look at the clean cut Mormon missionaries that peddle the streets of our city and knock on the doors of our houses as somewhat out of date.

Pedal the streets, not peddle the streets. You'd think they were trying to sell the Brooklyn Bridge or something.

[yuleeyahoo]

This person hasn't done much research on Mormon Missionaries.

The Mormon Church has had such a problem attracting enough young men to be missionaries, that they have reduced the length of Missions from 2 years to 1.5 years.

They have also turned to pushing young women to become missionaries before they get married. Previously, the Church stressed that young women should go on missions only if they have no marriage prospects.

[John Leland 1789]

Service, either voluntary or coerced, is not salvation, obviously ; and there is a difference between indoctrination and discipling. The basic difference lies between teaching truth or error ; the difference between regeneration and mere vain religion.

Nevertheless, the point is well taken, and if one studies Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus, it is all too easy to see that we have FAILED miserably in our Gospel training of YOUNG MEN.

We are involved in missionary service in Asia. We can more easily see young Asian Christian men (as young as early teen years) convinced of their duties to their Savior than we can see in American churches. In the Philippines I hear conversations of Bible doctrine and of winning people to Jesus Christ among teen and young adult men very regularly. In the USA the conversation is about sports stats and automobiles.

I charge the men in the pulpits for this lack of godliness and fervency among young men. There is too much hyper-spiritualizing away of the words God spoke through His servant Paul in regards to service, training young people, marriage, family. Modern preachers have run the Scriptures through the press of modern American culture--modern youth culture.

The author is correct. We expect nothing of our young people, we only hope for their presence so that we can count heads. Expect nothing---get nothing.

[lurk]

I am always amused to read expert commentary on the Mormons, written by people whose exposure to Mormonism is changing planes in the Salt Lake airport.

There is more to a culture than the facade. Look for stats like divorce rates, suicide rates, prescription drug abuse, meth use, teen pregnancy, depression, actual active members, etc.

[AppyPappy]

Muslims do an even better job. If you convert to another religion, they kill you.

Maybe we should use that method.

[N3WBI3]

Mormons offer a warped version of the already warped prosperity gospel... You too can be a God..

That would appeal greatly to your average 12 year old who already thinks they are a God..

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

****Mormons do better youth ministry than the average Protestant church! ***

Well of course they do it better. They don’t have to prove by scripture what they believe.

I went to a youth banquet at a mormon church years ago. They had the teens give a testimony as to why they joined the Mormon church.

They liked the friendship, the programs, the young people, the togetherness. Not a one joined because he felt he was a sinner in need of Christ. To them the Mormon church was just a big social club.

I have found them to be extremely ignorant of any bible teaching.

[Salvation]

And Mormonism is a cult.

Christianity is not.

[MeOnTheBeach]

Since the Mormons are the most active at reaching out and keep accurate numbers of their converts; watching their numbers could be a somewhat accurate litmus for the worlds spiritual level.

By this I mean, if the Lord holds true to His pattern, like with Sodom, there was no one left that would repent, then the Lord destroyed Sodom.

Therefore, by watching the numbers of the Mormon converts through out the world, we could determine how close the world is to becoming like Sodom and thus the return of Jesus Christ.

Interesting thought.

[RnMomof7]

Because if the want to be Gods with their own planet ..they have to follow the rules and work their butt off