TAK wrote:So the Church can not find 210,000 members in Chile, cuts back the number of stakes and wards significantly, but apparently they never removed the names from the roles of the church or else you would have seen a decline in total membership or at least nearly flat from one year to the next. What BS.
Because we don't excommunicate people just because we can't find them? Some are undoubtedly fraudulent but should we purge everyone we can't find and hope none of those people are real?
Besides, who cares? The only people who do are those who base their testimony on Church growth (we'll lose them eventually anyway) and those who are sure the Church is rapidly shrinking and want it to die faster (why in the world would the Church care enough to spend tithing money and member time to do a purge to satisfy these nitwits?)
The rapid growth of the church is definitely used as a "sales tool" by the missionaries. Now I know the ultimate goal is to get the investigator to get that special feeling, but until then, many tactics are thrown around to convince the investigators to join.
I've frequently heard the "how could 13 million people be wrong" phrase -- which never made sense, since there are so many more Catholics, Muslims, etc....
I must admit I've never heard that phrase used by LDS. Considering the book we hand out ends with one person being right and everyone else wrong, the argument seems weak to me.
If numbers who accept a concept confers truth, we should bow to China in awe of their wisdom.
My ex used to use this on me, as well as the "There are lots of people, way smarter than you that have studied all this and THEY still beleive!"
If there's one thing I've learned from this board, it's that consensual sex with multiple partners is okay unless God commands it. - Abman
I find this place to be hostile toward all brands of stupidity. That's why I like it. - Some Schmo
Scottie wrote:My ex used to use this on me, as well as the "There are lots of people, way smarter than you that have studied all this and THEY still beleive!"
That would never have worked on me. I'm too arrogant.
"Surely he knows that DCP, The Nehor, Lamanite, and other key apologists..." -Scratch clarifying my status in apologetics "I admit it; I'm a petty, petty man." -Some Schmo
TAK wrote:So the Church can not find 210,000 members in Chile, cuts back the number of stakes and wards significantly, but apparently they never removed the names from the roles of the church or else you would have seen a decline in total membership or at least nearly flat from one year to the next. What BS.
FYI about 6 or 7 years ago I was at a meeting where the visiting GA said that in the lost member files-the list of members we do not know where they are-was about 850,000 Church wide. At that time that was about 8% of total.
I doubt its only 8% in the lost files then or now. Do you really think the Church is actively tracking the whereabouts of 5-6 million people around the world who have not crossed the threshold of an LDS chapel in 5- 10 or more years?
That however, is not really the point.. The Church in this instance acknowledged by substantially reducing wards and stakes in Chile but continues to claim 500k members in Chile.. That is 100% BS
I doubt its only 8% in the lost files then or now. Do you really think the Church is actively tracking the whereabouts of 5-6 million people around the world who have not crossed the threshold of an LDS chapel in 5- 10 or more years?
That however, is not really the point.. The Church in this instance acknowledged by substantially reducing wards and stakes in Chile but continues to claim 500k members in Chile.. That is 100% BS[
Well you have to understand. This lost files means we have no idea where they are. There are many that never come but we still now where they are and ahve addresses and many of them even will take a hometeacher or visiting teacher. We have a bunch of those on my ward.
Scottie wrote:My ex used to use this on me, as well as the "There are lots of people, way smarter than you that have studied all this and THEY still beleive!"
You should've answered, "There are lots of people way smarter than you that are Jehovah's Witnesses and THEY still believe!"
"Finally, for your rather strange idea that miracles are somehow linked to the amount of gay sexual gratification that is taking place would require that primitive Christianity was launched by gay sex, would it not?"
Scottie wrote:My ex used to use this on me, as well as the "There are lots of people, way smarter than you that have studied all this and THEY still beleive!"
You should've answered, "There are lots of people way smarter than you that are Jehovah's Witnesses and THEY still believe!"
Oh I did, except I used Catholics.
Her response, "Well, ya, but most likely they just haven't heard about Mormonism yet."
If there's one thing I've learned from this board, it's that consensual sex with multiple partners is okay unless God commands it. - Abman
I find this place to be hostile toward all brands of stupidity. That's why I like it. - Some Schmo
Scottie wrote:My ex used to use this on me, as well as the "There are lots of people, way smarter than you that have studied all this and THEY still beleive!"
You should've answered, "There are lots of people way smarter than you that are Jehovah's Witnesses and THEY still believe!"
Oh I did, except I used Catholics.
Her response, "Well, ya, but most likely they just haven't heard about Mormonism yet."