Mormons Weigh In On Beliefs, Presidential Race In Pew Survey

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, arguably the nation's best-known Mormon, once was a Mormon missionary. He drinks neither coffee nor tea. His wife, according to Mormon tradition, keeps months' worth of food storage for emergencies.

The presidential campaign, along with TV shows and a hit Broadway musical, have propelled the religion into the spotlight, shaping perceptions and subjecting Mormonism to repeated dissection by pastors and pundits.

A survey released Thursday that asks Mormons what they think of themselves sheds new light on how accurate America's picture of one of the religion may be. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life's extensive study, conducted in the fall, asked Mormons questions on issues ranging from how they interpret their religion to their views on homosexuality, marriage, politics and Mormons' place in America.

Fewer than half of Mormons, it turns out, say avoiding caffeine is essential to being a good member of the church. Latter-Day Saints church guidelines recommend Mormons keep three months' food in case of emergency, but only 23 percent of Mormons keep that much. When it comes to the missionaries who knock on neighborhood doors, just over one in four church members have done a full time mission.

"Six in 10 Mormons say they think Americans know little or nothing about their religion," said Gregory Smith, a senior researcher at Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life whose team that surveyed 1,019 Mormons. "Yet, there's a dichotomy in the way Mormons think they are perceived in American society, compared to the direction of where things may be headed."

With two Mormons -- Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman -- vying for the Republican presidential nomination, 56 percent of Mormons said they believe the country is ready for a president who shares their faith, the survey said.

Two-thirds of Mormons describe themselves as politically conservative, while three out of four lean toward the Republican Party. Mormons overwhelmingly said they have favorable views of Romney and Huntsman, but did not take well to President Barack Obama.

Mormonism has been a hot-button issue among some evangelical pastors in presidential primary election states. Many of those pastors have said they disagree with Mormon beliefs on issues that include the nature of the Trinity and scripture. The critics include a prominent Texas minister who made headlines in October for calling Mormonism a "cult."

According to the Pew survey, nine in 10 Mormons believe that the Latter-day Saints church president is a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets. Similarly large percentages say their families can be bound together for eternity through temple ceremonies and that God the Father and Jesus Christ are separate, physical beings, while the Holy Ghost is a "personage of spirit." Each is "one in mind and purpose." Despite differences from most Christian religions, 97 percent of Mormons see themselves as Christian.

Still, the same number of Mormons and evangelical Protestants -- 74 percent -- say that abortion is morally wrong and 79 percent of Mormons believe sex outside marriage is wrong, compared with 61 percent of evangelical Protestants. More than half of Mormons say drinking alcohol is morally wrong, compared with less than a fourth of evangelical Protestants.

Two-thirds of Mormons say homosexuality should be discouraged, but more than a fourth say it should be accepted. More Mormons think there is discrimination against gay people (59 percent) and Muslims (55 percent) than against themselves (46 percent).

While many members of the Latter-day Saints church, including Romney and Huntsman, can trace themselves to long lineages of Mormons, one in four Mormons say they converted. Of those, over half say they joined for the religion's beliefs.

"A lot of people said to us things such as, 'It was true,' or, 'I found the truth,'" Smith said. Other converts, he said, told surveyers "'the religion makes sense to me.'"

CORRECTION: This article has been changed to reflect data on the growth of the country's Mormon population.

Earlier on HuffPost:

Comments

[Lostprophet]

12:56 AM on 01/24/2012

This whole mormon thing is going to fizzle out here soon enough because im going to.......find some gold plates in the walls of my apartment, read them out of an old popcorn tin with "magic rocks" i found whilst out frisbee golfing and turn that into christianty to the 3rd power! No lame tie and slacks get up though, im going door to door in hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts spewing tales of pot and jet skis, beers and masterbation! Guys are going to be all like...... I can have fun sometimes and not be nagged by like 6 chicks on there period??? Hell yeah!!!

[Tea4one]

01:48 AM on 01/26/2012

Good grief, and the Huffington Post speech nazi's eliminate most of my posts, while posting this tripe.

One up for the godless in this toilet bowl.

[COPESTIR3]

11:34 AM on 01/29/2012

Good Grief? You don't think these kind of statement might be a git alienating? There are lots of LDS blogs and web pages that are more church based. Go there if you find political discourse too difficult.

[molly2shoes]

02:07 PM on 01/22/2012

I am old enough to have seen this same behavior gone thru by the voters of this country in 1958-59 during the idea of the candidacy for President of the United States by a Catholic... named John F. Kennedy. The southern conservative states, Evangical religions and WASPs thru out the US were ALL against the idea of any Catholic to be elected President as it would then make the USA subject to the strong influences of Rome. But Rome did not take control when President Kennedy took office. I don't see any Organized Religion taking control of the office of President of the United States... I like what one Huffington Post Users said ...don't forget the law of separation of church and state... Time will tell if the voters can rise above prejudice once again.

[meposting5]

08:29 PM on 01/22/2012

What you're saying does make sense on some levels. But I have to question if you've considered the context of the article here --- that Mormons perceive this election as a kind of victory for themselves and their religion. The Mormon Church as a political body CLEARLY DOES.
The context of this article isn't one of electing an independent political figure who has principled practices that are separated from the Mormon Church --- at least the Mormons in Utah do not claim that is the case. The greater public here views it as a clear victory for the RELIGION. That is what is scary about this article, the recent perceptions of the LDS people in Utah, and the implications of what one religion's "victory" means for our country. Mormons political policies win? What exactly does this entire article imply? If it was really only about one man, the public would approach it as such and this article wouldn't even exist.

[molly2shoes]

09:49 PM on 01/22/2012

Thanks for your comment BUT what you imply is exactly the same implications voters had about Kennedy. The fear was that Kennedy's victory would not keep the Catholic Church's out of the USA's politics with the USA government an extension of the Catholic Church. Fear was...it would be the Pope who set presidenal policy here in the USA. THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME fear and situation you are speaking about with Romney and the LDS church. The Evangicals said the same things then. Fear was that Kennedy's election would be a "clear vistory for the Roman Catholic Church" not for the man! IT IS THE SAME...I was a reporter at the time of Kennedy's election... I KNOW! Kennedy was the 1st Catholic elected and it took a huge budget (with much of it coming out of Kennedy's father's private pockets) Before Kennedy's victory any time a Catholic was suggested as a high political candidate... both political parties knew the "writing on the wall and would NOT EVEN consider a catholic candidate. It was not due to the person it was due to the religious affiliation and the power of the Catholic Church and its threat to its potential of invading the US government. Believe me... it is the SAME! FYI... Kennedy's election was REALLY CLOSE... the victory was questioned by many and implications were made that there was secret conspiracy that caused the Kennedy win... It truly was a CLOSE victory.

[Tea4one]

02:07 AM on 01/26/2012

meposting: If it was really only about one man, the public would approach it as such and this article wouldn't even exist."

The fact is, is that it is people of your persuasion and like-minded hedonists who wish to make "Mormonism" an issue, when people like Mitt Romney, Harry Reid, John Huntsman, Jeff Flake, Wally Herger, Mike Simpson, Buck Mckeon, Orrin Hatch, Dean Heller, Tom Udall, etc...have never made it an issue. And all you present is nothing but baseless fear tactics. I am sure you would have the same unfounded anxiety during the time of JFK's campaign.

just another bandwagon technique of religious bigotry from short-sighted evangelicals and christian-hating atheists.

[molly2shoes]

09:55 PM on 01/22/2012

Addemdum ...to meposting5... Romney held office in Massachusetts as Governor and I don't see an increase of the Massachusetts' population joining the LDS Church. I don't think Gov. Romney set about trying to convert the people of Massachusetts. He just preformed his duties as Governor.

[meposting5]

08:32 AM on 01/23/2012

Again, a valid point. But consider:
1-We are dealing with a presidential candidate, and the American public has lost faith that candidates do what they say they will. How can I trust that any candidate is his own person when he has been planning for a very long time to run for president?
2-More importantly, the Mormons as a whole subjugate people here in Utah. This is "their home", "their rules". If a Mormon president is elected, even if he does do a good job in office, the minority in Utah will still feel the increased power and pressure from the Mormon Church as a result of this election. What this means for us is more subjugation, greater power for the LDS church as a political body. Is that not a good enough reason to question the ethics of the person who is running?

[molly2shoes]

04:24 PM on 01/23/2012

Ya! I can understand your concern... living in Utah and NOT being a member of the LDS church. I spent 25 years in New Mexico... in a residential neighborhood of LDS members. I can understand your opinion... but I must say... after I turned down the invitation to join the LDS church they never came back to push it... and when my 20 year old son died while in the USAF from a flying crash... my LDS neighbors were VERY CONSIDERATE... they came with prepared meals... and later did mechanical work on my car to help with my financial situation. They donated canned foods for my pantry on occasion... they were wonderfully giving when even years after my son died... their sense of helping... in yard work.. house upkeep... I can't list them all... their services of charity did not stop... and they NEVER retried to make me a member of their church... So... you can see what shadows my opinions... I don't fear Romney or the LDS church. And FYI... there were enough LDS members in my comminity to have over 6 wards, and 2 stakes... and eventually one of their Temples was built there too... So I lived among them too... I am sorry you feel threatened by them and their church. Wish you had my experiences with the LDS members... Blessings mepostings5 from molly2shoes

[Bob Kellerman]

07:53 PM on 01/18/2012

As we have discovered, those of us who have felt we were wronged by mormons, or testify to mormons restricting the rights of some people....

WELL, WE MADE IT ALL UP, HA HA!

You see, we came down from Kolub 2 with tin plates and a guy who plays a saxophone -- and we discriminated against others after we had been driven out of our homes because of our sexual wants (we were driven in a Buick, by the way)

NOW THE DEVIL HAS SENT US FOR ETERNITY
TO LIE ABOUT THE MORMONS, WHO ARE MORE PERFECT THAN JESUS

[Lucy0808]

03:19 AM on 01/18/2012

Post from Tea4One: ".....It is not extreme to un-mask the folly of the ERA, when behind it, is nothing but exploitati­on by liberalism­.”

Thank you for educating everyone on this thread about your Mormon viewpoints against the ERA and support of war, and your multiple statements about our President being an atheist. I learned a great deal. From my own personal experience with my daughter living in Southern Utah through high school and early college, she had an unfortunate experience with the Mormon teachers and administrators and their families. My visits showed the same. So I was inclined to not be that positive about the religion and the general restrictive and limited society in that area of Utah. The treatment of women, especially married women was untenable, in my opinion.
Your posts here have reinforced those experiences and opinions. I do think there are Mormons that are nice and polite, but the lack of free thinking is a sad thing in todays world. The lack of freedom for women and hostility to the ERA was unexpected, but I didn't know how deep for some that hostility and narrowness went. I will be asking more questions now than not.

[COPESTIR3]

05:53 PM on 01/28/2012

fanned and faved. These kind of posting from tea4one are arguements I heard a lot in Southern Utah. We are supposed to be move and change our thinking. It never occurs to these types that these kind of statements are offensive and alienating. And when attempting to engage in dsicouse, they tend to claima they are persecuted. Your comment is greatly appreciated.

[meposting5]

10:45 PM on 01/17/2012

Wow, elect a Mormon President? Ask someone about this idea who lives in Utah but is not a Mormon. They will respond with a profound, DON"T DO IT, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO. Mormons disapprove of, or outright hate, most of American culture including many facets of science, education, the arts, and half the cities in the United States.
Bottom line about living in Utah and not being "one of the club" is that everybody has to be one of the club to belong. That is the way Mormons like to work. It is the way their social system works, and if you are not one of them, you are evil. They do believe that, and are taught to on every level. Nonmembers are factioned to be "fixed" or "ignored".
Bottom line is, if a Mormon President is ever elected, the Mormon Church will have more power over the West than they already do. To those who live in Utah and are not part of the "Matrix", this is a very scary idea. Believe me, I know -- half my family are Mormons and I have an outside POV.

[rhondarenee]

11:31 AM on 01/18/2012

I am a Mormon and have been for over 30 years. I go to church every Sunday and I have never heard any of the bile you are spewing taught in any of the meetings. As a matter of fact, tolerance, love and friendliness are often taught from the pulpit and in classes. Sounds like you've had your feelings hurt. For that, I'm sorry.

[meposting5]

12:34 PM on 01/18/2012

It's fine for you to be proud of who you are. I expect the same courtesy. I have as much right to my feelings and beliefs as you do.

[Lucy0808]

12:58 AM on 01/19/2012

That may be taught in many of the churches or meetings, but the experience my daughter had by going to high school and early college in Southern Utah was one of intolerance and constant pressure to conform. Constant. Yes, people would be nice but that was just a smile and calm language. What they said was intolerant, ignorant, and pushy. I'd visit her every two weeks and meet with the kids, parents, teacher and administrators and their families. I saw less than she, but I saw it and heard it. The treatment of married women shocked me. They were treated as administrative assistants from the 1950s. It was embarrassing. For my daughter she couldn't stand it and had to leave. After her early college she transferred to Portland, Oregon. She is happy there. Of course, as most know, Portland is one of the most tolerant cities in our nation. She's learned to be a person who looks into things far deeper and looks for the complexity because of her experience of persecution and social pressure in Utah.

[Bob Kellerman]

09:41 PM on 01/17/2012

oooops -- "under 50" not "over, in my recent post -- sorry

[Lucy0808]

07:25 PM on 01/17/2012

Tea4one's post against the ERA: "Indeed your post stands...i­n much intended want of ignorance. The facts are the facts, and I know that disturbs the liberal elites who wish not only to highjack humane issues and defintions in order to distort it with their demented policies, but they wish to re-write history in order to prove their objectives­...and you are proof of that. I am afraid that if you are supposed to be the standard of "moving on to the 21st century", then there really isn't much hope for fixing your erroneous views on or such matters. ""

No matter what you post, having yourself and other Mormons being against the ERA is not justified. The ERA is for equal rights for women citizens. This was not written into our Constitution due to prejudices of men at the time (although discussed by Abigail Adams) as well as against black slaves. The Constitution was amended to get rid of slavery and provide equality at least in amendment to all men. We need the same to be added for all women. Calling that a liberal conspiracy is absurd and worse, coming from a Mormon perspective pretty sad. What in the world are you afraid of by letting women have the ERA in our amended Constitution? The only thing I see is your specific religous belief that holds it back. "Liberal conspiracy" is a hoot.

[Bob Kellerman]

07:57 PM on 01/17/2012

Don't try to "open the door to thought" with most of these folks

-- when you finally pry it open, snakes tend to come out, bite you, and then whine that folks hate them for no reason

And there is the genius of the closed temples, the closed society, the closed family, and the "missions" (which are about immersing young folks in mormonity and having doors slammed in their face, at the age where most folks question their background and form their identities)
They get so immersed and inundated that the church community and the promise of sainthood via conformity leaves no room in their heads for you or me to be heard.

When George Romney talked about "brainwashing", he spoke exactly about what being mormon does to folks. Only one point of view is possible
--- judging by nearly all those I run into on HP

[Eleventh Hour]

09:49 PM on 01/17/2012

Off topic, Bob. Badly, too.

[Lucy0808]

11:22 PM on 01/17/2012

Thank you.

[COPESTIR3]

06:23 PM on 01/28/2012

excellent post.

[Bob Kellerman]

06:08 PM on 01/17/2012

OK, after much back and forth --

MAIN REASON WHY AMERICANS ARE UNEASY ABOUT A MORMON PRESIDENT--
Judging by the interchange, below, with mggwa, and with prior attempts on my part to find common ground --- I can have no trust that mormons are interested in compromise, nor in acknowledging that anything the church or its organizations do may be wrong

If I write "I feel like you stabbed me in the heart, and I still bleed", it seems that I get back justification, obfuscation, and denial, followed by lumping me in with folks who actually hate the religion for its tenets.

NOT EVEN ONE reply of "I guess from your point of view, that is really tough, and I feel for you"

LIVING TOGETHER IN A DIVERSE COUNTRY MEANS
ALLOWING THAT THE PAIN OF OTHERS IS REAL TO THEM,
CHECKING MYSELF TO SEE IF I CONTRIBUTE TO IT,
AND MODIFYING MY BEHAVIOR IF I NEED TO

--- this is not similar to "we never said we were perfect", which is ARROGANCE

[COPESTIR3]

05:03 PM on 01/29/2012

escelent post. What is interesting about your post is the responses to them from the Mormons. They tend to lack empathy. Which is a concern of mine about a Mormon president. Will he be able to demonstrate empathy if he came from a religious tradition that discourages empathy.

[susankhbelen]

03:47 PM on 01/17/2012

Mormonism subjugates women more than many man other right-wingos Christian religions.
A vote for a Mormon is a vote to make women second class citizens.
They paint their subjugation as quite pretty (remember only the fringe have multiple marriages anymore) but women are NOT as good as men.
Mormon men, if they get to Mormon heaven get their own planet and are a God.
Women? Women get to live on the now God/man's planet and serve him.

[Bob Kellerman]

06:34 PM on 01/17/2012

Honey, you can just go ahead and die if you need an abortion, and kids are going to be abstinent because we tell them to.
Let's not forget the children who won't get adopted by "those people"
--- or the folks who actually are "those people" and think that, since they are Americans,
they have the same rights to happiness as us, and are none of our business

[rhondarenee]

11:36 AM on 01/18/2012

I don't know where you are getting your information. Come to church with me any Sunday and you will learn how wrong you are.

[susankhbelen]

01:23 PM on 01/18/2012

Are you a female Bishop?
(nope, women are NOT good enough)
Can you go into the most holiest of places in the Mormon Temples?
(nopel, women are not clean/good enough)
Do YOU a woman get your own planet when you die and become a God?
(bawahahahahaha)
My information is from reality.
Worked for an ALL Mormon Company (they needed me because I had a certification.)
Actually SAW Mormon protective underware, witnessed a young woman who was NOT allowed to go to college because she was a woman. Also, saw a funeral where they hired a sin eater to eat at the funeral and eat the sins of the person.....but that is another thing called superstition.....

[susankhbelen]

01:38 PM on 01/18/2012

Are you a female Bishop?
(nope, women are NOT good enough)
Can you go into the most holiest of places in the Mormon Temples?
(nope, women are not clean/good enough)
Do YOU a woman get your own planet when you die and become a God?
(bawahahah­ahaha)
My informatio­n is from reality.
Worked for an ALL Mormon Company (they needed me because I had a certificat­ion.)
Actually SAW Mormon protective/holy underwear worn at the pool by women OVER their bathing suits, witnessed a young woman who was NOT allowed to go to college because she was only a woman.
This from over TWENTY years of being amongst and observing Mormons...in an urban area where they are said to be more progressive/liberal etc.

[been2there]

11:16 AM on 01/17/2012

I have no problem with a president who is a Mormon, just one who tries to force me into the mold--the very restrictive mold--of a Mormon woman. Mitt Romney would commit just that sin, and I don't want him anywhere near any seat of power.

[FreeThinker in AZ]

10:56 AM on 01/17/2012

Mitt Romney is a lot like Joseph Smith's Childhood:­..JOSEPH;..Maw says I have a fertile imagination which must be cultivated...

.MITT;...Obama started with a bad economy and he made it worse ...(not true)

He saw his father march with Martin Luther King (didn't happen).

He claimed he marched with MLK (didn't happen).

He said he'd been a lifelong hunter (he hunted twice).

He said he owned a gun (turns out his son owns a gun).

He whined that he'd never called himself "pro-choic­­­e" (the record shows he did... proudly).

He said his mother ran as a pro-choice candidate in 1970 (the record shows she didn't).

He claimed to have had the endorsemen­­­t of the National Rifle Associatio­­­n (he didn't, of course).

[FreeThinker in AZ]

10:25 AM on 01/17/2012

Mitt Romney is a lot like Joseph Smith's Childhood:...I got me this F-ing rock and I can find treasure were other people can't...after I get me some treasure I'm going to sell hope..and really strike it rich..

[eilish]

11:06 PM on 01/16/2012

My folks were Mormon, their folks were Mormon, I was a Mormon and then I started getting called into Bishops' offices to talk about my 'attitude' towards (pick one) blacks, homosexuality, what difference did my underwear make, polygamy, and that Utah should have cleaned up their mess and we wouldn't have all those miserable women & kids today.

There's a ton of opportunities for service, but I didn't care for those who said "We'll help them for so long and then if they don't want to have the lessons......".

Some wonderful people in the church, but they are categorically unable to handle discourse that counters or questions their dogma and people like me threaten them. I don't intend to do that, but I question everything as my Irish grandfather taught me to do. If the answers don't make some semblance of sense (say that 5 times fast) then I move on.

[Bob Kellerman]

02:56 AM on 01/17/2012

It seems to work well for those who are comfortable with the conformity
--- but some of us are questioners and free thinkers, which I do not see so much in the mormons who post here

[CoastalNC]

03:34 PM on 01/17/2012

most of us questioners and free thinkers leave the church

[COPESTIR3]

06:29 PM on 01/28/2012

I got called into the Bishop's office once. I reminded him of my Constitutional rights to my own opinion on Civil Rights matters. And he was to back off. I was 14.

[mggwa]

09:17 PM on 01/16/2012

Readers will observe intense hatred for Mormons and wildly varying stories. Some of them are true. The topic is whether this nation is ready for a Mormon president, and that's hard to say -- what is clear is that many citizens are NOT ready.

But in a democracy, all it takes is for 51 percent to be ready. I have a doubt this nation has reached the 51 percent mark.

I've had grown men ask to see my horns. Really, I kid you not. It's just a religion. Open a book, pray to God, it doesn't produce horns, not even warts. Might be blisters if you do enough service for your neighbors.

[Bob Kellerman]

04:27 PM on 01/17/2012

I suggest you separate the folks who are religious right nuts and actually care about the peculiarities or quirks of other religions from the folks who are angry at you for good reason.

MOST REASONABLE AMERICANS are fine with differing religious beliefs of others

MOST ARE NOT FINE with the pushyness (knocking on doors, baptising non mormon dead)and the acting entitled to run the lives of others, as illustrated by the Prop 8 and NOM stuff

What you call "hatred" is better termed "righteous indignation" on MY part

So I ask you:

1-- Will you consider that some of the bad reputation is due what seems pushy and intrusive to outsiders?

2-- PLEASE EXPLAIN why you should be allowed to invade the private lives of non-mormons in terms of the US Constitution, not by religious mission

3-- PLEASE THINK ABOUT the high youth suicide rate in Utah, and (in my view) many suicides caused by kids, parents, and peers being exposed to lying slams like the Prop 8 commercials I saw in 2008 and what NOM continues to do

4-- NOTICE that DADT repeal is working fine, no hitches -- maybe other policies that interfere with the rights of Gay folks might also be wrong in God's eyes, misinterpreted by church members who need to keep everyone in line.

YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO FEEL HATED -- no one does

BUT MAYBE YOUR SIDE OF THE STREET NEEDS CLEANING

[Bob Kellerman]

05:18 PM on 01/17/2012

Re the teen bullying and suicide issue: current HP posts

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-anson/gay-teen-suicide_b_1204852.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/fighting-back-against-bul_b_1210277.html

Utah Dept of Health article which criminally omits mentioning that Gay kids are especially at risk, although other risks are given
http://health.utah.gov/vipp/suicide/youthSuicide.html

[mggwa]

05:20 PM on 01/17/2012

"What you call "hatred" is better termed "righteous indignatio­n" on MY part"

That's good; I like it. When someone accuses me of "hating" I'll just call it "righteous indignation".

"2-- PLEASE EXPLAIN why you should be allowed to invade the private lives of non-mormon­s in terms of the US Constituti­on, not by religious mission"

There is no mandate to do this.

"3-- PLEASE THINK ABOUT the high youth suicide rate in Utah"

I have no information on the youth suicide rate in Utah.

"4-- NOTICE that DADT repeal is working fine, no hitches"

I have not noticed that it is working fine. It is not clear to me what the indications would be of "fine" versus "not fine".

DADT repeal simply means the situation returns to what it was before DADT; when you could tell anyone, but sodomy was illegal. Apparently it is still illegal and you can still foolishly tell anyone.

[COPESTIR3]

05:06 PM on 01/29/2012

I could go for a religion if it functioned like you describe. It is the involvement in re-writing the constitution here in California I dislike very much.

[mggwa]

07:45 PM on 01/16/2012

"According to the Pew survey, nine in 10 Mormons believe that the Latter-day Saints church president is a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets."

Makes me wonder about that 1 in 10 that is a Mormon and does NOT believe in these two fundamentals.

[Bob Kellerman]

08:24 PM on 01/16/2012

Those are the ones who are just there because it's a great prosperity scheme

[mggwa]

09:33 PM on 01/17/2012

"Those are the ones who are just there because it's a great prosperity scheme "

I doubt it is a prosperity scheme, but you are doubtless on the right track insofar that "church welfare" is a magnet for some just as government welfare is a magnet for some, and if you can get both, so much the better.

[CoastalNC]

03:40 PM on 01/17/2012

Hi mggwa,

One possibility could be those of us who have left the church but our names are still in the records....mine is in the dead file because I refused to sit and talk with the Bishop so he could excomunicate me.

I don't understand why they can't excommunicate me without me having to go to the church and sit in a room with them.

But I was thinking the same thing....if they are active members why be a member if they don't believe in those two basic fundamentals.

I left because I don't believe those two and all the rest.

[mggwa]

09:32 PM on 01/17/2012

"mine is in the dead file because I refused to sit and talk with the Bishop so he could excomunica­te me. I don't understand why they can't excommunic­ate me without me having to go to the church and sit in a room with them."

They can. Back in the early 1980's I remember a housecleaning where bishops were invited to remove names from rolls that were in a similar situation as you. But it did not last long as it creates some confusion when a person comes back to church, baptism certificate in hand and there's no record of that person.

So I suppose with computers having lots of cheap storage, keeping a few million names in the "dead file" as you put it is easy.

[meposting5]

12:20 PM on 01/24/2012

I also left, though was never really "in". My mother wanted me to be accepted by our community and so had me baptised even though I was never a Mormon. My father was agnostic. My husband was in the same position, not a member but on the church's records anyway, never having gone to church at all. His mother had him baptized out of fear and peer pressure. We wrote the LDS Church and asked to be removed from their records, and they said we had to track down our neighborhood bishop who we have never even met or spoke to. It was important to me to have my name removed because the church was sending us propaganda and home teachers and I had just had enough. There are Mormons I respect, but I wanted to be recognized as myself and see if they could handle the idea that I'm a good person. Most people are. The bishop removed our names and told me we need to understand this removes any protection we might have from being damned. Basically, we are no longer baptized so we are "exposed to hellfire". The same has been said to me about my children and my father after he died. I was told "You are all in danger. If you care about your kids, join the Church."