Why are so many young people leaving the church these days? At first it seems like a simple question, but if you think about it, it's not. the question started on the LDS blogs, but they didn't have the stomach to see it through to the end, so, naturally, we've picked up the slack at Main Street Plaza. :D
Molly made a good point about young women: http://mollymuses.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/why-young-women-are-walking-away/
But seriously, the internet. Archaic teachings on sexual morality. False claims about sexual orientation. It's all only too easy to prove false, whether in a Google search or a college class on sexuality, psychology, biology, etc. I'm guessing easier means of testing the claims of their leaders against facts accepted by people who are not Mormon.
Sexuality is one aspect, but a bigger one is simply that the church doesn't provide meaning. It simply recites empty cliches couple with hefty judgmental and rather superficial attitudes. The earring nonsense being one of the most obvious manifestations of this. It creates a self-selecting environment for the self-righteous and a very oppressive environment for anyone not in lockstep. Why put up with that? Why go some place you're not welcome and made to feel like dirt just by being yourself? Again, I'm not talking about people being "sexually immoral", but those simply listening to the "wrong" music or wearing the "wrong" clothes or asking the "wrong" questions in church.
I don't know how anyone puts up with it.
One other point my youngest brother makes: where we grew up in the 70s and early 80s, church was the only place young people could socialize. Today, every community has extensive youth programs for all types of kids, not just the jocks.
I know that fundamentalist churches in general typically have high turn-over rates. What allows them to grow is not their ability to retain members, but their extremely high recruitment levels. Fundamentalist churches simply add more members each year than the massive numbers they loose.
Is the Mormon Church like the typical fundamentalist church in that a high turn-over is normal?
I second Carla - the Internet has made it really hard for Mormons to intellectually segregate themselves from the world.
When you're living in the woods with your tribe and your dad tells you it's normal to have 5 wives, you don't question it b/c all the other tribal dads do, too.
When you're living in a world connected through the Internet, but still in the woods with your tribe, you can fact-check their assertions about what is normal and find out that, hey, Mormons are hilariously crazy!
I agree that the CoJCoL-dS has traditionally used information control extensively, and is just not equipped to handle the information explosion on the Internet.
Hey Paul!!!
I think the CoJCoL-dS has a high convert turnover. That is, people get baptized Mormon, participate for a bit, and then wander away. But the mishies are out there finding more converts!
5 comments:
Molly made a good point about young women: http://mollymuses.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/why-young-women-are-walking-away/
But seriously, the internet. Archaic teachings on sexual morality. False claims about sexual orientation. It's all only too easy to prove false, whether in a Google search or a college class on sexuality, psychology, biology, etc. I'm guessing easier means of testing the claims of their leaders against facts accepted by people who are not Mormon.
Sexuality is one aspect, but a bigger one is simply that the church doesn't provide meaning. It simply recites empty cliches couple with hefty judgmental and rather superficial attitudes. The earring nonsense being one of the most obvious manifestations of this. It creates a self-selecting environment for the self-righteous and a very oppressive environment for anyone not in lockstep. Why put up with that? Why go some place you're not welcome and made to feel like dirt just by being yourself? Again, I'm not talking about people being "sexually immoral", but those simply listening to the "wrong" music or wearing the "wrong" clothes or asking the "wrong" questions in church.
I don't know how anyone puts up with it.
One other point my youngest brother makes: where we grew up in the 70s and early 80s, church was the only place young people could socialize. Today, every community has extensive youth programs for all types of kids, not just the jocks.
I know that fundamentalist churches in general typically have high turn-over rates. What allows them to grow is not their ability to retain members, but their extremely high recruitment levels. Fundamentalist churches simply add more members each year than the massive numbers they loose.
Is the Mormon Church like the typical fundamentalist church in that a high turn-over is normal?
I second Carla - the Internet has made it really hard for Mormons to intellectually segregate themselves from the world.
When you're living in the woods with your tribe and your dad tells you it's normal to have 5 wives, you don't question it b/c all the other tribal dads do, too.
When you're living in a world connected through the Internet, but still in the woods with your tribe, you can fact-check their assertions about what is normal and find out that, hey, Mormons are hilariously crazy!
Great points!!!
I agree that the CoJCoL-dS has traditionally used information control extensively, and is just not equipped to handle the information explosion on the Internet.
Hey Paul!!!
I think the CoJCoL-dS has a high convert turnover. That is, people get baptized Mormon, participate for a bit, and then wander away. But the mishies are out there finding more converts!
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