75% Of Millennials Are Leaving The Church

[Dr Exiled]

If you read Brown's article, she seems to argue that economic hardship has caused the membership decline—or maybe more precisely, lowered economic expectations. It's not that people are going hungry or can't afford shoes, the way hardship was accounted a hundred years ago. Instead it's that people can't afford to live in big houses in nice neighborhoods on single incomes any more, the way they apparently could a few decades ago.

One hears that other religious denominations are losing adherents, but I don't recall seeing the general decline in religiosity being connected to economic decline in particular. Is it, though, and I just haven't heard? I'm a bit surprised that a lifestyle drop would pull people out of a church. I'm used to thinking of wealth doing that. Religion is the opiate of the poor, and so on. If people are feeling their lives more precarious, I'd have expected them to hunker down in church communities for the support. So is leaving church because you can't get a big house a particularly Mormon thing?

Mormonism does seem pretty worldly and materialistic, to me, for a Christian sect. Mormonism seems to emphasize priesthood power and promised blessings, and personal covenants with God that are two-way deals under which you can check the behavioral boxes to make the Almighty deliver. So maybe falling economic expectations would discourage Mormons more than say, traditional Catholics who are just hoping to struggle through this vale of tears.

The Mormon church sells a history that isn't real, didn't happen. There's too much information on the internet showing as much and those who take a dive into it don't usually come out the other side as believers. Slowly, my family is leaving. Some of my friends whose family were in leadership have left. It doesn't have anything to do with economic station. It just isn't what it claims to be and the monotony that is church meetings probably wears to a point to where the former believer just fades away into other interests.

[Bond]

Cardin swallowed a lump the size of a seer stone.

[huckelberry]

Physics Guy, I do not know if the economic cause is as big as proposed. (I wonder if the big percent is more attention gathering than factual, but I do not know.)

Two considerations might support the economic observation. The LDS church is enough well to do that people struggling might feel a bit socially on the sideline. Perhaps more to the point, being expected to pay 10 percent of your income might be painful if you are struggling to get by. That pain could push people to reconsider how sure they are of the validity of the business.

[Moksha]

Cardin swallowed a lump the size of a seer stone.

SMAC over at the MAD board could parse a reply denying that any Mormons had left and asserting that they are growing at astronomical rates and that soon half the world's population will be LDS.

[malkie]

It's too bad, but it gets a lot better once one leaves the false narrative. Perhaps community needs to form around stuff that matters, instead of fake authority/religionists. I think she could find the group/community benefits getting involved with local causes or perhaps national causes.

It’s so easy to just walk into a Mormon chapel and have a ready-to-go community. I don’t blame the PIMO Mormons for staying in. Some of them can stomach paying 10 percent to a trillion dollar corporation, and can pretend to believe Hebrews sailed to America in submarines, and all the other blithering nonsense.

A couple of years ago my wife & I were considering reloating about 3000km away.

We talked about this exact idea of "landing" in a ready-made community until we found our feet. I think it would be fairly easy for a senior couple to be superficially involved in a ward for a few months without making any commitments. I could easily play the part of a bumbling old guy who can't even give a simple prayer - actually, some folks would say that I don't even need to pretend.

[Physics Guy]

Give ’em the old humble-bumble:

Humble-bumble ’em!

[Dr. Shades]

A couple of years ago my wife & I were considering relo[c]ating about 3000km away.

We talked about this exact idea of "landing" in a ready-made community until we found our feet.

Why even bother with a ready-made community? Why not just have you and your wife be the community?

[malkie]

A couple of years ago my wife & I were considering relo[c]ating about 3000km away.

We talked about this exact idea of "landing" in a ready-made community until we found our feet.

Why even bother with a ready-made community? Why not just have you and your wife be the community?

It may be helpful, especially for older folks like us, to have a bunch of friendly people who are likely to be willing to advise on some of the practicalities of settling in - doctors, dentists, shopping, etc.

[2bizE]

If you read Brown's article, she seems to argue that economic hardship has caused the membership decline—or maybe more precisely, lowered economic expectations. It's not that people are going hungry or can't afford shoes, the way hardship was accounted a hundred years ago. Instead it's that people can't afford to live in big houses in nice neighborhoods on single incomes any more, the way they apparently could a few decades ago.

One hears that other religious denominations are losing adherents, but I don't recall seeing the general decline in religiosity being connected to economic decline in particular. Is it, though, and I just haven't heard? I'm a bit surprised that a lifestyle drop would pull people out of a church. I'm used to thinking of wealth doing that. Religion is the opiate of the poor, and so on. If people are feeling their lives more precarious, I'd have expected them to hunker down in church communities for the support. So is leaving church because you can't get a big house a particularly Mormon thing?

Mormonism does seem pretty worldly and materialistic, to me, for a Christian sect. Mormonism seems to emphasize priesthood power and promised blessings, and personal covenants with God that are two-way deals under which you can check the behavioral boxes to make the Almighty deliver. So maybe falling economic expectations would discourage Mormons more than say, traditional Catholics who are just hoping to struggle through this vale of tears.

I have children in the Millennial generation and housing is so expensive today, it is not possible to live on a single income like I have been able to. The primary pressure the church applies is to pay tithing. Paying tithing is such a burden, many Millennials have simply left the church rather than pay money to a half-trillion dollar church. It is my belief for the church to survive, the commandment/expectation of tithing will need to be removed.

[Moksha]

It may be helpful, especially for older folks like us, to have a bunch of friendly people who are likely to be willing to advise on some of the practicalities of settling in - doctors, dentists, shopping, etc.

Knowing where to find honest auto repair and good Pad Thai is convenient.