More millennial Mormons are choosing a middle way

[Corsair]

More millennial Mormons are choosing a middle way - neither all-in nor all-out of the faith

This is more like the type of Mormon I would like to openly be. Ignore the cultural restrictions and concentrate on spirituality. I'm not sure this is quite the "Secular Mormon" or "Reform Mormonism" that I would prefer, but it looks close enough. Perhaps we will get some update counsel on this phenomena next weekend.

[Anon70]

I found it so interesting. This generation defines themselves and aren’t constrained by what others think. I loved this article. I want to be like them.

[Red Ryder]

Oh yes, I recognize thee now. Thou art the half assed Mormons!

[Brent]

The days of it's all true or all false are perhaps over? Gen Z kids won't admit to being LDS...

[alas]

Oh yes, I recognize thee now. Thou art the half assed Mormons!

Funny, but I remember reading something like this, only some 50 years ago about how the baby boomers were not being subject to the establishment because they recognized that a person’s spirituality did not depend on outward obedience, but on what is in the heart. So, some of the code words changed, but yes, same old person with doubts who is half in. I remember the article because it sounded like me. Those baby boomers are probably mostly out by now, because being half in gets harder socially as you get older. The leaders get less patient and less willing to give someone half in a calling because most of thos callings given to young people are an attempt to get them committed and all in. After someone has been a half assed Mormon for 30 years, leadership gives up on getting them fully activated and they go without any calling for 10 or so years and become invisible.

I get tired of people who stereotype whole generations. People are and always have been pretty much the same, with lots of variations within every age group. 2,000 years ago, people were writing about how the upcoming generation was lazy and disrespected their elders and failing to recognize that this is 100% normal for any 15-18 year old of every generation. The writer was most like that way when he was 15. Now, people are saying about milineals how they are lazy and don’t know how to work because everything has been given to them, and they said the same thing about boomers.

So, this article is talking about a percentage of the population and that percentage probably has not changed all that much. I notice how the people interviewed didn’t want to give out names and wanted to stay under the radar. So, how exactly are they different than NOMs of any age?

[Corsair]

Oh yes, I recognize thee now. Thou art the half assed Mormons!

You have some excellent T-Shirt ideas when you post after midnight

[2bizE]

If you look at world religions, there are many different ways to practice the faith. There are different orthodox practices of Judaism, Christianity, etc. Could this be Mormonism changing?

[Anon70]

We’ve looked for defining characteristics of generations over and over. I think the main difference between these groups and older groups is that they call themselves Mormon and are active. In previous generations I have seen that they would either hide where they didn’t believe or fully conform or label themselves inactive or jack Mormons. This group is defining Mormonism for themselves.

If you look at world religions, there are many different ways to practice the faith. There are different orthodox practices of Judaism, Christianity, etc. Could this be Mormonism changing?

Wouldn’t that be great?

[wtfluff]

Could this be Mormonism changing?

Maybe, but I think around 13 or 14 of the current Q15 board of directors need to die first.

Nope, I don't have much hope to see any real change in my lifetime.

[nibbler]

Oh yes, I recognize thee now. Thou art the half assed Mormons!

In the spirit of 73.6% of all statistics are made up...

90% of all Mormons are half-ass Mormons but the culture exerts enough pressure to make us all want to hide it. Imagine what it would be like if the 90% stopped caring about how they measured up to the cultural outward appearances hallmarks. It would be nice to mature as a faith to the point where we were more free from doing things only to keep up appearances... but human nature.

<ducks out after SM>
"But you need to be here for the entire 3 hours!"
"Need? Really? Nah, I'm good."
<leaves>

"You can't drink coffee."
<takes sip>

The culture needs more people that approach Mormonism their way, not simply the way that they are told they have to approach it.

[crossmyheart]

Oh yes, I recognize thee now. Thou art the half assed Mormons!

In the spirit of 73.6% of all statistics are made up...

90% of all Mormons are half-ass Mormons but the culture exerts enough pressure to make us all want to hide it. Imagine what it would be like if the 90% stopped caring about how they measured up to the cultural outward appearances hallmarks. It would be nice to mature as a faith to the point where we were more free from doing things only to keep up appearances... but human nature.

<ducks out after SM>
"But you need to be here for the entire 3 hours!"
"Need? Really? Nah, I'm good."
<leaves>

"You can't drink coffee."
<takes sip>

The culture needs more people that approach Mormonism their way, not simply the way that they are told they have to approach it.

I tend to agree with your 90% estimation- my evidence is the absolute frenzy that members have worked themselves into thinking church could actually be cut down to 2 hours. They are having a hard time hiding their glee, but would never come out and criticize the church for it because of appearances.

[nibbler]

I tend to agree with your 90% estimation- my evidence is the absolute frenzy that members have worked themselves into thinking church could actually be cut down to 2 hours. They are having a hard time hiding their glee, but would never come out and criticize the church for it because of appearances.

Or more to the point, if 2 hour church doesn't come to fruition just decide that they're only going to attend 2 hours of church, with or without it being made official.

Currently many people would love to see a 2 hour block but the expectation is 3 hours. If someone only attends 2 hours there's the general perception that they aren't as righteous as a person that attends the full 3 hour block, so some people attend the 3 hours to either keep up appearances or comply with what is expected of them.

What if more and more people developed the attitude of, "nuts to this, I'm going to do what I want, not what someone else wants" and just went ahead and made 2 hour church their reality.

[Red Ryder]

Nibbler, your describing the Catholicification of Mormonism. I'm betting the church and culture will get there in another 200 years.

Mormonism is still in its infancy where we still believe our leaders are infallible.

Time will dilute it eventually to where it's mainstream universal vanilla Christianity or shrink it down to an irrelevant Amish like community or small mormon fundamental offshoot similar to today's fundies.

[Red Ryder]

One more random comment.

Millennial's will Morm their own way until they have kids. Then the indoctrination and brainwashing will kick in and they'll get in line as they start to train their kids up in the gospel way of life.

That's when normal behavior gets tossed for indoctrination. Then you're locked in until you're in your early thirties, exhausted and burnt out, when you begin to wonder if there's anything more to your boring mormon life!

You teach what you know!

[1smartdodog]

I am not sure I buy this. Maybe wishful thinking. Mormonism functions on obeying the rules. There have always been less than active Mormons. We use to call them Jack Mormons. Perhaps there are more today than in the past, but I don’t think millennials are all that different when it comes to belief.

[alas]

I am not sure I buy this. Maybe wishful thinking. Mormonism functions on obeying the rules. There have always been less than active Mormons. We use to call them Jack Mormons. Perhaps there are more today than in the past, but I don’t think millennials are all that different when it comes to belief.

This is what I am saying. One generation is not that different than the one before it. It is just people at different life stages, and any time someone says “group A is more _______________ than group B” and you offer no statistical proof, that is engaging in stereotypes. So, this is just generational stereotyping and wishful thinking, in my humble worthless opinion. So, this article is looking at millennials in the 20’s life stage, and comparing them to Gen X in their life stage, and to boomers in their life stage, and duh, you find differences. But I saw people like she is talking about, and even read articles about boomers that said exactly what this article is saying about millennials. She has no statistical evidence that other generations were not just like this when they were young and idealistic. The church has always had those who have doubts or behavioral differences than the church. I could name many of previous generations who openly drank coffee, or didn’t wear garments, and yet were TR holding active members.