Posted on 01/28/2013 2:16:26 PM PST by SeekAndFind
ministry - nope
indoctrination - yes.
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.
I read some of the God Maker series a long time ago. Truth or not it painted an image I haven’t forgotten.
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.
I have wondered where all of the anti-Mormon trolls had gone since Romney lost and their beloved 0bama had won.
Pedal the streets, not peddle the streets. You'd think they were trying to sell the Brooklyn Bridge or something.
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.
My entire family continues to be counted as part of that 12 million, even though we have attended a non-Mormon Church for the last twenty years.
My entire family continues to be counted as part of that 12 million, even though we have attended a non-Mormon Church for the last twenty years.
Really? Because I was approached in my apartment building by two you, attractive female Mormon missionaries in 1985.
And again, 1,500 miles away in 2004.
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.
Part of the growth of Mormonism is outreach - and a large part is demographic. They have 2.5 kids or more, while most Americans have 1.5.
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.
How do you rate those books?
What anti-mormon threads?
Lots of anti-mormonISM which go back to 2002, apparently you have not been paying attention.
My experiences with mormonISM goes back to 1962, the book in not untruth.
In addition it is almost impossible to have your named removed from their “membership” rolls.
Any other thing they do is keep people on the rolls until they reach their 110 year.
The 12 million figure is actually world wide, not just the USA.
You are correct.
We need to teach “to serve” not “be served”.
“I have wondered where all of the anti-Mormon trolls had gone since Romney lost and their beloved 0bama had won.”
We haven’t had the constant stream of half-truths and faulty logic to respond to ever since Saundra Duffy was banned.
For the record, once Romney had the nomination I held my nose and supported him.
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