According to the survey, 3.2 million Americans identified themselves as members of the LDS Church in 2008. Official LDS Church statistics indicate that number was actually about 5.9 million. The difference is attributed to the fact that the church counts total members on record, while the researchers only count those who actually identify themselves as church members.
According to the report, "young men in the Mormon Culture Region are defecting at substantially higher rates than young women, creating a growing gender imbalance and a surplus of Mormon women. In Utah, self-identified Mormon women outnumber men by a ratio of 3 to 2."
Someone posted a blog that looked at the census in Mexico. There about 30% of Mormons self identified as Mormon. There were about 1 million members and about 300,000 people self identified as Mormon.
It is my province to teach to the Church what the doctrine is. It is your province to echo what I say or to remain silent. Bruce R. McConkie
Very interesting. Activity rate is, I think below 50%, but it appears that most "inactive" people are so inactive that they no longer consider themselves Mormon. Presumably, they have rejected Mormon truth claims, and are not just taking a church holiday.
Parley P. Pratt wrote:We must lie to support brother Joseph, it is our duty to do so.
I was surprised at how low this is in the US. Because it is indisputably lower (sometimes much, much lower) in other countries, one has to wonder, does 14 Million = 6 Million who will even ADMIT to being Mormon and maybe 4 million active? And will polygamy be brought back (if it becomes legal) to make up for what is becoming what must be a truly concerning gender imbalance?
According to the survey, 3.2 million Americans identified themselves as members of the LDS Church in 2008. Official LDS Church statistics indicate that number was actually about 5.9 million. The difference is attributed to the fact that the church counts total members on record, while the researchers only count those who actually identify themselves as church members.
Yes, and "members on record" includes:
Children under the age of 18 who were blessed and named as infants, but have not been baptized yet. If these children do not get baptized, they continue to be counted as members of the church until they turn 18.
Dead people. If a member of the church dies and the church does not receive a death notice, that person stays on the records as a member of the church until his/her 110th birthday. The average lifespan in the United States is 78 years.
Inactive people who have not formally requested to have their names removed from the records of the church. Many of whom would no longer self-identify as "Mormon" on a survey.
Remember that the 3.2 million members are only those who self-identify as Mormon. It doesn't even say anything about those who are active in the church or those who truly believe in what the church teaches.
So the discrepancy in the numbers isn't at all surprising. The church's self-reported numbers just don't mean very much.
"It seems to me that these women were the head (κεφάλαιον) of the church which was at Philippi." ~ John Chrysostom, Homilies on Philippians 13
A little more than 1% of the US population is Mormon. 3.2 million isn't much more than the population of Utah. The church missionary program has a long way to go.
"We have taken up arms in defense of our liberty, our property, our wives, and our children; we are determined to preserve them, or die." - Captain Moroni - 'Address to the Inhabitants of Canada' 1775
It was a "survey" people..... Hardly 100% accurate. It's not that they interviewed every single Mormon or inactive Mormon and asked them what they were. They didn't.
Although, to be fair, it's likely close to accurate. The Church has always known that 30-40% of the Church is inactive or have left the Church. It's always been that way.... Nothing new here. Move on.
"Socialism is Rape and Capitalism is consensual sex" - Ben Shapiro
So, ldsfaqs, if "[t]he Church has always known that 30-40% of the Church is inactive or have left the Church," was it misleading for the Church to use this title for an official church press release ahead of the April 2005 LDS General Conference: "Over 12 Million Worldwide United in a Single Purpose."
Or could one be both "inactive or have left the Church" and still be "united in a single purpose"?
If it was misleading, why do you think the Church chose to mislead this way?
Last edited by Guest on Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ldsfaqs wrote:It was a "survey" people..... Hardly 100% accurate. It's not that they interviewed every single Mormon or inactive Mormon and asked them what they were. They didn't.
Although, to be fair, it's likely close to accurate. The Church has always known that 30-40% of the Church is inactive or have left the Church. It's always been that way.... Nothing new here. Move on.
It was accurate to .5% margin of error. That's pretty accurate. Take a statistics course.
Parley P. Pratt wrote:We must lie to support brother Joseph, it is our duty to do so.
mms wrote:So, ldsfaqs, if "[t]he Church has always known that 30-40% of the Church is inactive or have left the Church," was it misleading for the Church to use this title for an official church press release ahead of the April 2005 LDS General Conference: "Over 12 Million Worldwide United in a Single Purpose."
Or could one be both "inactive or have left the Church" and still be "united in a single purpose"?
If it was misleading, why do you think the Church chose to mislead this way?