Vox LDS growth article

[Anonymous]

Old Timer wrote:

All churches report membership numbers as broadly as possible

I agree, but I have to think that most are not as aggressive as LDS – keeping people on the roles until they are 100…

That is why I think it is best to go with more unbiased surveys such as Pew and especially Jana Reiss’ “The Next Mormons”. But those are agreeing that compared to most religions, the Mormon church is doing better than most – even if that “better” is “on the same path as others, but about a decade or more behind them.”

[Anonymous]

I feel like we’re comparing apples to oranges here. Partly because of size. According to the article, protestantism has dropped from 25% of the adult US population to 15%, while LDS has maintained its 2%. That’s a pretty big decrease for protestantism at -40% (how are they definiting protestantism, BTW?), but there is a huge difference between 15% and 2%. Depending on how they are rounding, a -40% hit to 2% can still give you 2% (2.4% x 60% = 1.6%. Rounding, both equal 2%).

Also, reporting on the statistics seems like it could be very different between Protestants and LDS. “Protestant” is very loosly defined. It can be as broad as “anyone belonging to any Christian Church, besides Roman Catholic”. Getting a definite number, even with a more defined subset (Lutherans, Baptists, and Presbyterians only), would be tricky. I wouldn’t be suprised if it was done through a random-sampled religious servey (personally, I’d mark down athiest). The LDS Church on the other hand, can give you an exact number, as they do, twice a year. And I am in that figure count.

[Anonymous]

dande48 wrote:

Also, reporting on the statistics seems like it could be very different between Protestants and LDS. “Protestant” is very loosly defined. It can be as broad as “anyone belonging to any Christian Church, besides Roman Catholic”.

Don’t forget Orthodoxy! There is a significant Orthodox minority in parts of the states – famously portrayed in films like Big Far Greek Wedding, The Deer Hunter (?either Russian or Ukrainian) or even Sideways (Armenian). Throw in a few of the smaller west Asian and African churches like the Copts and Ethiopians too, they get classed as Orthodox too. None of these are classed as Protestant.

But what about Pentecostals and the like? Are they Protestant? Yes and no. Some people see them as a new outgrowth, a second reformation beyond Protestantism… But they are also an area of Protestantism seen a huge increase.

[Author]

Posts