Just by the eyeball test I can see gobs and gobs of young members leaving the church (or going less active), but I'm surprised it is that high. I'm having a difficult time keeping one of my three kids interested in the church at all, and the other two are marginally interested. Just doesn't seem as relevant to them, and the most recent policy announcement is a dagger in the heart. Makes my job really difficult.
“Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman
"You never soar so high as when you stoop down to help a child or an animal." -- Jewish Proverb
"Three-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle the most versatile, and maybe most intelligent, safety in the game." -- SI, 9/7/15, p. 107.
We went to the Garden Park building when we first married. Great building. We had priesthood meeting in a cottage that was next to the main building.
The recent M.S. interview with Greg Prince is very interesting. He's had discussions with LDS officials and officials in other churches about the youth problem. It's not just a Mormon problem. His comment was that the younger generation don't feel the duty to carry on traditions, and if something doesn't work for them, they will move on to something that does. I've heard others speculate that younger people want to make a difference, and sitting in a building and listening doesn't seem like making a difference.
Highly recommend the recent Greg Prince interview.
"Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum
"And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla
http://www.mormonstories.org/greg-pr...and-historian/
epsiodes 2 and 3 are the best.
episode 1 is interesting, but it's about his career.
It seems like you have a good attitude about service. Kudos to you, Sancho.
Too often, LDS "service" is just Mormons helping other Mormons plan/perform Mormon activities.
I bumped into a friend today who is a Branch President. He told me that he spends a lot of Fast Offerings on his little branch. It made me happy to think that he's helping people in my town.
σοφῷ ἀνδρὶ Ἑλλὰς πάντα.
-- Flavius Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 1.35.2.
Temple service seems to have replaced good old fashioned serving the needy which was a staple for me as a youth.
Some of you may know the name of Lowell Bennion. He was my Bishop as a youth and, if you know anything about Lowell, he had us all out serving once a month. The projects were never even in our stake boundaries. Most projects ended at a park having some completely unhealthy food. Great memories.
I don't mean to demean temple service. I certainly view it as service but I'm plagued frequently by the definition of pure religion in James chapter one. At a personal level I'm no where near it and my ward and stake are doing almost nothing outside of providing financial support. I realize that is a significant thing but the scripture seems to require personal involvement to be truly religious.
Just thinking out loud.
I used to know a guy who said "service hides a multitude of sins..." I still haven't been able to find the scripture for that but I think there is some truth there. I like service but that is just because I'm not great at very many things and I have a short attention span so it is easier for me to go and rake leaves for someone than sit through some meeting.
I used to work from home when I first started my business. When the weather was good I would sit out in my yard and work and I could see down my street. It was kind of amazing to see, but there were a bunch of people on my street and one neighbor in particular who were sneaking around non-stop doing little things for people. I'd see her walk out with some meal she'd cooked for someone. Later I'd see her go in someone's yard and pull some weeds. Then she'd be taking some vegetables to someone else. It was non-stop and every day.
I finally yelled at her one day from my work spot that kind of kept me in hiding, "I see what you are doing all the time in this neighborhood and I can't say I approve! You are making us all look bad!" She scampered off and then the next day came by semi in tears, "Please don't tell people what I'm doing..." She really loved just serving without credit and was afraid I'd ruin it.
But aside from her, there were just a lot of people doing cool stuff anonymously for others. Fun to see that from my vantage point.
My mom is disabled and particularly in the winter home bound. Temple work and indexing gives her a big sense of purpose. I guess to your point above, if you are doing the least amount of service just so you can check off a box (like substituting temple service with other service) then you are missing the point.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
As long as we are thinking out loud, let me add that it just occurred to me that J. Holland's GC talk on home teaching this last time around, if truly applied in the spirit he suggests, would be very Bennionesque. Service doesn't have to be organized. (I was named after Lowell Bennion, BTW.)
During my term as Scoutmaster one thing I noticed was that when we did real service projects that affected real people in visible ways -- like taking Christmas trees to families that didn't have them -- the scouts were always very happy. Every time we did them one or two of the boys would say to me, "This is fun."
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Now I know why I think so much of you Lowell - your namesake. Cool story.
HT'ing is easily the best church program to date, (although I'll entertain arguments on the youth seminary program), but, am a huge fan of home teaching.
I only have 2 families in Salt Lake, and they're both practicing members within walking distance. Feels like a cakewalk. Back east I had between 7-9 families, most were not practicing, and they were spread out over a 45 minute drive end-to-end. Even if I was fortunate to get an appointment, half the time they wouldn't answer when I showed up. I'd be lucky to get 2 visits each month, and was burnt out in no time. The visiting teachers had the same problem but they resorted to writing letters for majority of the ladies. Still love the program but was a failure in that ward. 30% activity rate, and not everyone was willing to be a home teacher. I think they've culled it down to about 3 families now by cutting out the "fat" -- i.e. those that would never let the home teachers into the home even if they secured an appt....which was almost all of the inactive members.
Scouting OTOH -- horrible, wretched program.
“Children and dogs are as necessary to the welfare of the country as Wall Street and the railroads.” -- Harry S. Truman
"You never soar so high as when you stoop down to help a child or an animal." -- Jewish Proverb
"Three-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle the most versatile, and maybe most intelligent, safety in the game." -- SI, 9/7/15, p. 107.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Easy answer for a Christian. Bit if matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transformed, where do atheists suggest everything came from?
There was a nice quote to go with my cup of tea tonight:
I'm sure the irony is lost on most people, but I enjoyed it immensely.
I knew Lowell Bennion. I spent a couple summers at his boy's ranch in Victor, Idaho when I was 12-ish. That was a great experience. He was a peer of my grandfather. I think that's where the initial connection came from. I think that place changed a lot of lives for the better.
Fascinating Terry Gross interview with Laurel Thatcher Ulrich about Ulrich's NW book on 19th century Mormon polygamy:
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcr...ml&f=510246850
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
--Yeats
“True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”
--John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell
Looks like an interesting book. Laurel Thatcher-Ulrich has fantastic insight and is an engaging author.