Book of Mormon Evidences

[po18guy]

The Book of Mormon has been documented to have been changed (information added, and information removed) many many times. God’s word, The Holy Bible has remained unchanged for over two thousand years.
Mormons deny the deity of Christ. They think that Jesus and lucifer were spirit brothers. They also believe that Jesus was Michael the Archangel. Who would follow as their prophet, an individual like Joseph Smith (poligamist and liar) ?
If you go to Barnes and Noble book store and go to the section on cults, you will find books on Mormonism. That’s what they are, a cult!
Pray for them, that God would remove the “scales” from their eyes.

Robert

Amen, Robert! Would they deny Christ’s prophecy of false prophets? Both Christ and Joseph Smith cannot be telling the truth. Choose wisely.

 

[Mannyfit75]

Amen, Robert! Would they deny Christ’s prophecy of false prophets? Both Christ and Joseph Smith cannot be telling the truth. Choose wisely.

One of them have to telling the truth.

Either Jesus promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, or that Joseph who claimed that the Church fall into apostacy as he claimed.

I’ll take my chances with Jesus over Joseph Smith anyday.

 

[po18guy]

One of them have to telling the truth.

Either Jesus promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, or that Joseph who claimed that the Church fall into apostacy as he claimed.

I’ll take my chances with Jesus over Joseph Smith anyday.

Are you still in country? Prayers for you.

Christ’s peace be always with you.

 

[Mannyfit75]

Are you still in country? Prayers for you.

Christ’s peace be always with you.

I am.

 

[wademann]

What types of people are getting baptized? Are they mainly Hispanic and other immigrant populations? Are there a lot of missionaries assigned to non-English populations?

Why? What are you trying to say about those types of people? If you don’t want those people in your church send them our way, we love everybody. Actually, I live in Placer county, which has the highest income per capita in the area, and we are busting at the seams. We have missionaries everywhere. We don’t discriminate!!!

 

[saintom]

Actually, Sacramento area is #1 in new baptisms in the country. We just built a new temple in Sacramento!!! I attend church in the Roseville area and it is difficult to schedule a room in the church building, because we have so many wards sharing the building.

I doubt much of the growth is coming from convert baptisms…show some statistics.

This study shows US growth pretty much flat (I trust self reporting more than LDS reporting):

gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_studies/aris.pdf

This article supports the assertion that growth is slowing:

sltrib.com/ci_2890645

LDS Almanac from 2004 shows decline in membership in CA from 2003?

How many new Stakes have been created in Sac area since 2000?

 

[RebeccaJ]

I doubt much of the growth is coming from convert baptisms…show some statistics.

This study shows US growth pretty much flat (I trust self reporting more than LDS reporting):

gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_studies/aris.pdf

This article supports the assertion that growth is slowing:

sltrib.com/ci_2890645

LDS Almanac from 2004 shows decline in membership in CA from 2003?

How many new Stakes have been created in Sac area since 2000?

And how much is from migration? Is this particular suburb a heavy draw for mormons coming in from other areas?

 

[RebeccaJ]

Why? What are you trying to say about those types of people?

There was an earlier thread where the discussion was on mormons and other heavy proselytizing church’s finding “easy” conversions in Mexico, Central and South America. People who are traditionally Catholic. That is the concern.

 

[BartBurk]

Why? What are you trying to say about those types of people? If you don’t want those people in your church send them our way, we love everybody. Actually, I live in Placer county, which has the highest income per capita in the area, and we are busting at the seams. We have missionaries everywhere. We don’t discriminate!!!

How many baptisms do you really have? Isn’t most of the growth from people moving into Sacramento? I’d be surprised if it is from convert baptisms. In my area about the only people being baptized are people who don’t understand enough English to know what the missionaries are really saying. Once they get baptized and figure it out they tend to go inactive.

 

[BartBurk]

I doubt much of the growth is coming from convert baptisms…show some statistics.

This study shows US growth pretty much flat (I trust self reporting more than LDS reporting):

gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_studies/aris.pdf

This article supports the assertion that growth is slowing:

sltrib.com/ci_2890645

LDS Almanac from 2004 shows decline in membership in CA from 2003?

How many new Stakes have been created in Sac area since 2000?

It is interesting that in 2001 only about 2.7 million self-identified as Mormon/Latter-day Saint. I assume that figure included all of the Mormon related groups like the Community of Christ for example. I seem to remember the LDS Church claiming more than 10 million people back then. I don’t know how much of that 10 million were claimed to have lived in the U.S.

 

[saintom]

It is interesting that in 2001 only about 2.7 million self-identified as Mormon/Latter-day Saint. I assume that figure included all of the Mormon related groups like the Community of Christ for example. I seem to remember the LDS Church claiming more than 10 million people back then. I don’t know how much of that 10 million were claimed to have lived in the U.S.

I believe the LDS church claims around $5M in the US and the 2.7M is for US only. What is interesting is the small growth in over a decade.

I read somewhere else that the average size of a ward has grown from 400 to 600 in the last few years (while attendance is observably the same)…meaning that there is a high drop put rate. I think that the information age is severely stunting LDS growth…there is too much information out there and today virtual communities of ex-LDS can come together through the internet.

 

[RebeccaJ]

I believe the LDS church claims around $5M in the US and the 2.7M is for US only. What is interesting is the small growth in over a decade.

I read somewhere else that the average size of a ward has grown from 400 to 600 in the last few years (while attendance is observably the same)…meaning that there is a high drop put rate. I think that the information age is severely stunting LDS growth…there is too much information out there and today virtual communities of ex-LDS can come together through the internet.

Another aspect is the population in the US is declining. In the sociology course I recently had the statistics were pretty astounding.

When I was growing up everyone had large families. Six or more children was not that uncommon. Today, everyone likes to stick with two children, which statistically speaking doesn’t replace the existing population. Because of natural mortality and fertility rates, the average family size needs to be slightly above two just to keep the population count at an even level. Right now it is below two.

This affects a lot of social issues, but for growth within mormonism itself, it has a great affect on their own growth numbers. The membership numbers are low not only because of fewer converts, but also less people being born into the religion. If this trend continues as the baby boom generation ages and dies, their membership numbers will start to decline significantly. (Along with the population of the US, unless immigration laws change, but that’s a different subject. )

I think the leadership realizes this, as in their last conference young mormons were told that they should not delay marriage or having children, for any reason.