Gray Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 Cause for concern, perhaps, but not hand wringing. Agreed Slowing of growth in the Church reflects current societal trends in general in which younger people are rejecting religion generally and standards of decency are being eschewed. I don't think that's so much a result of what the Church of Jesus Christ is or isn't doing. It's just reflective of the general spread of wickedness in the last days. I don't know about general wickedness spreading, but it's certainly a trend that is affecting Christianity in general. And let's bear in mind what has been prophesied: So the prophecy beheld in vision by Nephi is that the church of the Lamb of God would be "upon all the face of the earth" but that its numbers would be few "because of the great whore whom I saw," meaning the devil and his followers collectively. We need not lose courage when we see that happening, knowing that it has been prophesied. Rather, we can have hope in being "armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory" as we prepare for the coming of Christ and the millennium when His gospel truly will fill the earth as symbolized by Nebuchadnezzer's dream of the stone cut out of the mountain without hands. Well, you can interpret prophesy in a number of ways. It's a bit of a rorschach test. The church tends to interpret the church of the lamb and the church of the devil not as actual denominations, but as general tendencies toward wickedness or goodness. Maybe it's the same thing with the stone cut out of the mountain without hands. Maybe it's goodness that will grow exponentially, not any particular expression of goodness.
ttribe Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 Yeah. Meeting people face to face is so overrated. The LDS Church should move toward internet meetings. Google could reveal in fractions of a second how many members are streaming each meeting. The ward clerk wouldn't have to walk up and down each aisle to get a count. Yeah, pretty much. As I said, I get emails from people all the time who say they are relieved to have found my blog because they see in me someone who has been where they are and can sympathize. But you're right that I don't advertise, I don't hold mass meetings, and I don't call newspapers (well, I was interviewed by a few news agencies a while back, but they came to me). I guess I prefer to keep my we-hate-Mormonism show fairly low-key. A lot depends on what sort of community you live in and how closely your everyday life is tied to your participation in Mormonism. In some places, leaving can seem an extremely lonely path, and people who find themselves in that position are often relieved to know they aren't alone. Bottom line for me: I don't know these people, and I can't say what motivates them or anyone else. Sometimes it doesn't matter how many people you find on the internet who feel the same as you. They are on the internet. They aren't in your family or neighborhood--people who one might see and associate with all the time. I think you have a point, for sure, but it's also true that people want more connection than with random people on the internet.I know for me, no matter how much I read and reach out on the internet, I still feel alone at Church sometimes. I should clarify - I don't have a problem, at all, with people in a similar situation meeting together for support. I just don't see the need to turn it into a demonstration; that's all.
jkwilliams Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 You mean more than in your current advisory capacity? If someone leaves the church because of me, there is something seriously wrong with them.
KevinG Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 If someone leaves the church because of me, there is something seriously wrong with them. I didn't imply you were taking people out of the church, just that you seem to enjoy advising us on the interwebz even though you are no longer a chapel member. That is your right, and I was really just poking the bear in jest.
jkwilliams Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 I didn't imply you were taking people out of the church, just that you seem to enjoy advising us on the interwebz even though you are no longer a chapel member. That is your right, and I was really just poking the bear in jest. Hell, I'm not advising the church in anything. If they took my advice, that would be proof positive the church isn't true. I just find the whole thing fascinating. It's sort of like when I go to sacrament meeting with my wife. I sometimes think I'm the only one paying attention because everyone else is dealing with kids, playing with their phones, or sleeping. Me, I'm fascinated, and I tend to pay attention.
KevinG Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 Hell, I'm not advising the church in anything. If they took my advice, that would be proof positive the church isn't true. I just find the whole thing fascinating. It's sort of like when I go to sacrament meeting with my wife. I sometimes think I'm the only one paying attention because everyone else is dealing with kids, playing with their phones, or sleeping. Me, I'm fascinated, and I tend to pay attention. I had 7 children. Its a wonder I ever learned past my first year of church membership. I do enjoy the primary songbook however!
Scott Lloyd Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 I should clarify - I don't have a problem, at all, with people in a similar situation meeting together for support. I just don't see the need to turn it into a demonstration; that's all.And anyone who says that's all this "mass resignation" was intended to be is kidding himself. 1
KevinG Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 And anyone who says that's all this "mass resignation" was intended to be is kidding himself. How heavy were the demonstrators? If our High Priest group decided to demonstrate, even though only 15 or so of us meet each week, it would be a massive demonstration. I blame the sisters good cooking.
jkwilliams Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 And anyone who says that's all this "mass resignation" was intended to be is kidding himself. Obviously, they did it for attention. Is anyone disputing that? Not me.
Guest Posted July 28, 2015 Posted July 28, 2015 (edited) If someone no longer believes and wishes to resign membership quietly...so be it. But for someone wanting to make their leaving the Church a cheap media event...good riddance. These are people who care more for themselves than any other. In fact, they are anti-Mormons we will one day do battle or debate on the Internet. Edited July 28, 2015 by Pa Pa
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