#1 Per this article, Lds Scholar Richard Bushman has noticed a significant uptick with Mormon having historical problems over the past half-dozen years or so.
#2 This is reinforced by Lds church historian Marlin Jensen, who per the article: He told Reuters there have been more attrition over the last five or ten years..."I think we are at a time of challenge," he told Reuters...
#3 From the article: The Open Stories Foundation "conducted a survey that Dehlin said suggests disaffections have trended upward the last three to six years...
What are the key sources for Mormon heartburn that's removing their "burning bosoms?"
(a) The Internet: From the article: ...Bushman heard that many other scholars were also being beset with queries from members of the LDS Church who had encountered something on the Internet that had shaken their faith. He began to hear the same thing from ordinary Mormons who had friends or family who were having problems. He also heard from people at BYU how it was a problem there as well. People were encountering things about church history and losing their faith...
Mormons: You're not alone...re: these doubts in Mormonism. You can have the REAL, Ultimate God revealed unto you. But you're not alone...leave the Mormon church.
(b) History of Mormonism/Joseph Smith: From the article: Reuters recently wrote about a question and answer session at Utah State University with LDS Church historian Elder Marlin K. Jensen. Jensen acknowledged some people are surprised and troubled by what they read...
From the article: Peterson said...that people discover this or that historical fact they had never heard before. They then feel like the church had been hiding the fact and so lose a sense of trust.
So...the Mormon church and its leadership has been besieged by historical (& probably doctrinal) questions since around 2005. So, you would think they took Bushman's advice and "stepped it up" in providing people to answer those questions, right?
WRONG!!!
One criteria of a cult it: THOUGHT CONTROL, PLACING SHARP LIMITS ON DOCTRINAL QUESTIONING.
Here's a sampling from Mormon automaton thought from 1899-->2010!
Circa October 2010:
It's Oct. 24, 2010. Just weeks earlier, the Lds faithful had gathered for one of their two key 'y'all" come meetings in Salt Lake City, which are fed via satellite around the world to Mormons who can't make the trek to SLC. You would have thought that if an earth-shaking announcement needed to be made, it would have been made there. It wasn't. Perhaps too much media glare was on the conference. Therefore, more quietly, Lds leadership sent a world-wide circular letter to all church members. Here's two sources for that:
Source 1: Quit pestering us, church leaders tell membership in letter
Source 2 -- from a Mormon columnist, Robert Kirby: Wrestling with doctrine no match for me
From the first source:
On October 24th, the LDS First Presidency (led by Prophet Thomas S. Monson) wrote several letters that were to be read in Mormon Sunday services around the world. According to examiner.com, the first letter was “likely spurred by Boyd K. Packer’s most recent General Conference talk entitled ‘Cleansing the Inner Vessel.’ Church Headquarters has been receiving an increased amount of correspondence from its members about doctrinal issues. Because of this influx of correspondence, the First Presidency reminded and encouraged LDS church members to utilize their local church authorities – bishops, branch presidents, stake presidents, etc — before resorting to contacting Church Headquarters.” In other words, the Mormon laity was told to quit bothering their church leadership on issues related to doctrine. We can only wonder why the church is apparently receiving so many inquiries.
From the second source (Kirby): With only partial tongue in cheek, Kirby said: "According to the First Presidency’s letter, members with real doctrinal concerns were to seek the counsel of our local leaders — stake president, bishop, Scoutmaster, building custodian, etc."
Why? Well, per Kirby: "The letter...told/counseled rank-and-file Mormons to stop pestering church headquarters for clarification of church doctrine. Apparently some members get so stressed about the finer points of doctrine that they’ll fire off a letter asking for the final word. Church HQ can’t handle the demand...
There ya go. Just as the Wall Street Journal writer said: "placing sharp limits on doctrinal questioning" [Many an Lds historian has commented on this as well...do your own Google search with the words "faith promoting" in quotations...add the words "historian" and "Lds" to the search for better specific results]
My first exposure to Momonism, years ago, was from reading Zane Grey’s “Riders of the Purple Sage.” Although that is fiction, all the facts I’ve read in the ensuing years have backed up and reinforced the phoniness of this “religion.” I have long said that Mormonism was the blueprint for Scientology.
"So we will just answer the questions that should have been asked. Change the subject or just lie out right." That's how we (the leadership) will deal with questions. (eye roll)
I usually preach that if they are not against us like Obama, they are for us.
However satan is poised to make a mockery of
Christians through the lack of confidence other
faithes have when facing the “Universe Pope of Sciece”
Sadly, why would people of science turn to Islam which is all against?
Money, politics and sins of selling these new
products to any savage out there is tantalizing.
They will sell the ropes with which we will hang or shackle them with.
Yes!
CHRISTIANS (Bible literate ones) have HAD it and are fighting back with INFORMATION!
Deal with it!