DiscussMormonism.com

It has happened every year for decades. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has handed over membership data to Utah’s government.



This information, broken down by county, not only helps demographers create population estimates but also provides a window into the state’s shifting religious representation. It has brought to light Salt Lake County’s slow march to minority Latter-day Saint status, while other areas, like Utah County, hold firm.

But that window slammed shut in 2021.

The church didn’t send the data for the first time in at least 40 years and maybe much longer than that.

And the culprit is the coronavirus.

The pandemic’s effects have touched everything from what we can buy in stores to how our children are educated and where people attend church.

In an email to The Salt Lake Tribune, church spokesperson Sam Penrod said the Utah-based faith withheld the data for this past year.

“The reason for this is that due to church services being put on hold or reduced due to COVID, that the numbers do not accurately reflect membership numbers and trends,” he wrote, “including children born and blessed, or children whose baptisms were delayed because of COVID.”

Dr Moore wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:35 pm

Such an interesting data point illustrating how the church cherry picks which data to share.

Remember when the missionary age changed and we had that absolutely artificial boost in active missionaries to over 100k during that overlap period?

Now any reasonable first order analysis concluded those numbers also did not “accurately reflect” the true membership or trends, but somehow that good news was trumpeted all over, and even had a divine marketing slogan attached (“the Lord is hastening His work”).

Dr Moore wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:35 pm

Such an interesting data point illustrating how the church cherry picks which data to share.

Remember when the missionary age changed and we had that absolutely artificial boost in active missionaries to over 100k during that overlap period?

Now any reasonable first order analysis concluded those numbers also did not “accurately reflect” the true membership or trends, but somehow that good news was trumpeted all over, and even had a divine marketing slogan attached (“the Lord is hastening His work”).

Marcus wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 30, 2021 7:45 pm

Dr Moore wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 30, 2021 5:35 pm

Such an interesting data point illustrating how the church cherry picks which data to share.

Remember when the missionary age changed and we had that absolutely artificial boost in active missionaries to over 100k during that overlap period?

Now any reasonable first order analysis concluded those numbers also did not “accurately reflect” the true membership or trends, but somehow that good news was trumpeted all over, and even had a divine marketing slogan attached (“the Lord is hastening His work”).

And If I recall correctly, didn't Holland run with it, making a linear projection that the increase would continue for years? Do you think whoever gave him the data was just too afraid to point out to a prophet that it was an outlier, and was not expected to continue?

dastardly stem wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:23 pm

How silly. If they reported it and it reflected way low, then in the coming year or two they'd see a steep incline again and get to trumpet the increase.

Just asterisk the year. We're all aware it was pandemic time. An easy explanation for the anomaly. They bring suspicion by offering an excuse. "well, we don't want to inaccurately reflect the reality". Pandemics are reality, bub.

Dr. Sunstoned wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 01, 2021 4:48 am

They can't help it. Obfuscating, misdirecting, and lying is baked into TSCC's DNA. Lying for the lord is a storied tradition that has been passed down for 190 years.