To Lutherans Good Friday is the most important day of the year. I always regretted that Mormons do not properly celebrate Easter. Thank heavens for Johann Sebastian Bach whose Passions relate God’s suffering like no other. Good Friday is the day that God died and if there is a redeeming…
Author: Hellmut
Mormon Replacement Rate Negative in United States
According to the Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey the replacement rate of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has dropped to 80%. That means that for every five members who leave Mormonism behind four new converts join the Church. In 2001, the CUNY Religious Identification Survey had found…
That’s It! I’m Going Back!
I just finished scrolling through the reader responses to the Danzig affair in the Trib. Granted, it’s the Salt Lake Tribune and not the Deseret News but I have to admit that I am shocked. May be, it’s just me but the tone of the discussion seems to have changed….
Pew Religion Survey
The Pew Forum on Religion and Society has just published the results of a poll with 35,000 American respondents. That’s a lot of respondents and will be a treasure trove of information. Such a large sample size will allow analysts to study various religious subgroups with reasonable sample size. Here…
The Lack of Fellowship
I am sure that some of you have seen Peggy Fletcher Stack’s report about Peter and Mary Danzig who felt that they had to resign from the LDS Church to follow their conscience. Those of you who know a little bit about me, will not be surprised to learn that…
Vote!
Today, half the nation will select our presidential candidates. Voting in primaries is more important than in the general election because primary results determine the available options. Alternatives, in turn, sometimes determine the outcome. Remember Spencer Kimball’s motto? Do it. Do it right. Do it right now. After two decades…
The Anthem
Changing America by respecting everyone’s humanity, getting real, and by bringing people together. Awesome.
Reasons
There is a reason why retention approaches zero. There is a reason why people can study their way out of the Church. There is a reason why a large percentage of non-American return missionaries seem to leave Mormonism. There is a reason why the United States remains the only western…
Bruce McConkie Was Right!
Even when I was a happy trooper for Mormonism, Bruce McConkie tended to amuse me. Apostle or not, in light of his statements about evolution and the virgin birth I always viewed him as somebody who had never quite matured to adulthood, a living proof that one can graduate from…