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Latino LDS: MormonNewsroom response to NBC News


Calm

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Because "In the News" needs more new threads, I give you this to inform you (I am assuming this forum isn't required to discuss things if sharing news items, will be happy to take correction on that though).

The original article:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/future-mormon-church-it-s-latino-n570621

Quote

 

The face of the Mormon church is changing. 

On a soggy afternoon in Harlem, in New York City, a group of Latinos gather for their weekly church service. As the rain streams down outside, the mood inside the meeting house is cozy and welcoming. An elderly woman waves to a little girl seated nearby, saying "Hola chiquitita!" There is an abundance of small children, as well as a few Caucasians listening to the Spanish-language service with audio translation headphones. 

The first hymn, Creo en Cristo (I believe in Christ) is followed by a series of testimonios (testimonies). One woman exclaims to her rapt audience, "Yo sé que este libro es un libro milagroso!" (I know that this book is a miraculous book!) 

While many Americans associate Mormons with Mitt Romney, Donny & Marie Osmond and the missionaries depicted in Broadway's Book of Mormon, it is a religion that is becoming increasingly Hispanic. Not only are Latinos fueling the growth of this religion, they stand poised to play a significant role in shaping its future...

Professor Ignacio Garcia of Brigham Young University told NBC News that the Mormon Church is not growing in Europe or among white Americans as it once did. 

"The growth of the LDS church, other than from natural births, comes from people of color: Asians, Africans, and Latinos," said Garcia. "One day, this will be a church for people of color. And once the tipping point arrives, it will be a freefall."...

"The white population around the world is not converting - so the LDS Church, like other churches, is counting on immigrants to fill the pews," he said. "I don't think there is anyone in the church hierarchy - who can see anything but a church of color in the next 25 years." 

Garcia believes that the customs and leadership of the church will eventually have to reflect this reality. He terms the number of Latino baptisms "staggering."...

MormonNewsroom's response:

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/mormonism-news-getting-it-right-august-25-2016

I think the next 20 years are going to be very interesting for a variety of reasons.  Very excited about it.

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And this article is referenced in the NBC one:

http://www.ldsliving.com/My-Story-as-an-LDS-Latina/s/62408

Quote

 

I am LDS. I am also Latina. I am proud of both these “features” of mine, and I think they work very well together.  

I am also proud to say that over five million of the church’s 15 million members speak Spanish and that the number of Spanish-speaking LDS congregations nationwide have grown at impressive rates in the past decade. These Saints represent so many different heritages and cultures which enrich the Church and strengthen everyone around them.  

Still, gaps exist. There are two types of people in the world—those whom we love and those whom we do not understand. How can you love someone you don’t understand? It can be very difficult. I hope my words can help to promote a better understanding of our Hispanic brothers and sisters. 

It wouldn’t be fair to group these Hispanic Saints into one area, since they come from so many different countries, but I am going to go over some unique traits and traditions that seem to ring true about Hispanic members no matter if you are in Paraguay, Panama, or any lands around and in between. 

Qué  es este Jell-O? 

The first time I realized I was truly a Latin-American Latter-day Saint was when the Relief Society president in our ward asked my mom to bring Jell-O to the Thanksgiving ward party. I was about 10 years old. My mom said, “Jell-O? Qué es este Jell-O? What a horrible dessert. I’ll just bring some graham crackers instead.”  

But when my mom brought graham crackers to the party, the Relief Society president looked exasperated. She said to my mom, “But Jell-O was going to be the side for the turkey.” My mom gave her a blank look. I, of course like any 10-year-old, was very embarrassed...

 

 

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16 minutes ago, Calm said:

 

I think the next 20 years are going to be very interesting for a variety of reasons.  Very excited about it.

I'm with you, Cal.  The makeup of the membership of the Church is changing, and the next 20 years will be very interesting and very exciting.

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