The Next Mormons — Part 7

One member is examining the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective view .1 Mormonism sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect. And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism welcome to this additional viewpoint on Mormonism on your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM we continue looking at a book titled the next Mormons held millennial's are changing the LDS church. It was written by Janet Reese came out in the spring of 2019 and as we mentioned before, the reason why we feel this should be looked at is because we can certainly glean a lot from the statistics that Janet Reese has gathered from a survey that she put out that was titled next Mormons survey or in her book. She merely refers to it as an M.

S we been talking about some of the things she includes that the survey seems to show keeps Mormons in the church. Even though many of them don't seem to really believe a lot of the basics of the faith. Yesterday we talked about missionary service and how that seems to solidify the faith of many young Mormons who serve on a mission either two years for the males or year and 1/2 of the females. Today we want to talk about the temple experience and how it connects with the marriage ceremony in such and she offers some interesting citations and some stories that show that if a latter-day St. does attend the temple. That certainly does have an effect on keeping them in the church, but I was just not totally shocked to find out that many of the millennial's the younger age group in the Mormon church, though they may have received a temple recommend. At some point in their life they don't seem to renew it every other year like they're supposed to. What is she have to say about that. The survey said that millennial's are the least likely to hold the current temple recommend compared to the boomers and the Gen X we should explain the recommend is the little card that's necessary to get into a temple to participate in what's known as the endowment ceremony. Mormons must be interviewed by their ecclesiastical leaders and if they answer all the questions correctly. Then they get this card which allows them to go inside, but the same time. She says that they are more likely to have had a recommend as compared to the other age groups and this is what she writes on pages 54 and 55.

She says a related area of concern for church leaders is how few millennial's hold a current temple recommend.

In fact, they are the only generation a Mormons for whom fewer than half, 47% are fully qualified to enter the temple. It's not just because they're young either. Given that 4/583% say they've held a temple recommend.

At some point in their lives. That's actually higher than Gen X 79% or the boomers silent group at 75% but millennial's are more likely to allow that temple credential to lapse that I can understand that the reason why she says 83% claim that they at least had a temple recommend, because she also points out that about 55% of millennial's go on a mission. And of course you have to go through your endowment ceremony prior to going on a mission which means you would've had to have qualified for the recommend and then once they get off the mission which for males. As I said is two years. It seems that many of them don't feel inclined to go back. Another could be in the number of reasons for that they could be because they found the temple experience to not be exactly what the church said it was going to be. I I've talked to a lot of latter-day Saints who found the temple ceremony quite disappointing and even disgusting in some of its aspects.

I'm sure most Mormons were faithful to the cause would disagree with that conclusion, but that's just the experiences I've had in talking with Mormons who have gone no longer go. She also writes this on page 54 to try to explain why many millennial's have their temple recommend that one time and let it lapse, and they aren't going back if they do have it to do work for the dead.

This is what she writes, whereas almost 9 and 10 boomers silent responders at 87% had returned to the temple on behalf of the deceased. Just over half of millennial's 56% had and six in 10 Gen Xers at 59% for the boomers, silent respondents temple attendance appears to be more of a priority.

It seems that a number of Mormons under 52 have attended the temple once for their own ordinances, possibly to get married but have not returned. That would make sense because again to be sealed for time and eternity that has to be done in the temple, and of course you have to have the temple recommend. If you hope to be married for time and eternity, but you raise an interesting point. You and I have both done evangelism work down around temple square and we will often see people going into the temple grounds where they are going to be changing their clothes into their temple garments and then going through the endowment ceremony and you can recognize these people by the little suitcases that they carry their usually dressed up and they had the school suitcase because in suitcases are there temple garments. Most of the people we see. At least it could be were not there on the right night I'll I'll give you that. But in our experience, it seems like the older ones are doing that were not seen a lot of young couples or even young single people going into the temple with those little suitcases, which tells me that that statistic might just be accurate that it's mostly among the older members of the church that are taking temple participation much more seriously than the younger millennial's within the church, though there was a decision that was made by the church policy change in April 2019 where they would allow those who get married outside the temple, such as a chapel before 2019. They had to wait a year to go to the temple to be married for eternity but they change the rules so that now you don't have to wait the year. Do you think that might have something to do with many latter-day St. millennial's not going to the temple regularly. I think it could have a lot to do with that, but I've always thought that the one reason why they made that change is having me with the call was civil ceremony in the chapel is the parents who may be nonmembers are allowed to participate in that ceremony. Whereas if the couple was getting married in the temple. Those nonmember parents would not be allowed inside and that cause a lot of hate and discontent among nonmember parents. Personally I thought it was kinda brilliant that they made that change because one, it does allow the parents who were not members to witness the marriage ceremony of their children and thus alleviate the potential accusation of being in a cult because parents are allowed to watch their child's marriage, which is really strange, but then it also allows that couple to go to the temple.

Not long after words and to get that ceiling done that, whether they go back that's a whole another issue, but at least they got them to participate in the in the ceremony that first time because if we are looking at the stats correctly 47% of the millennial's hold a current temple recommend and only a few percentages more have actually participated in work for the dead. They're not going back to the temple after their marriage if they even get married in the temple there is a story that she gives on page 54. Reese writes about Marie and I want to give this because I think it's a very applicable story based on what were talking about here. Marie 24 years old got married in the temple last year and has gone back wants since then, that's not because she had a negative experience.

She seems a bit sheepish, as she tries to explain why she stayed away, especially considering there's a temple right in her Utah town. Quote it's something that I want to do, but I just have not created the time for it.

Unfortunately, but I'll probably go this week."

That's interesting, that sounds like the promise of the procrastinator. Yeah, this is what she says. Marie says that millennial's are busier with careers in school than any generation before them. So time is definitely a factor on that bill. Aren't we all busy. Everybody's got busyness and so millennial certainly are busy to. I understand that but that didn't stop people who are busy in their 20s. 50 years ago from going the temple, or even 20 years ago, but she continues on and says that Marie ventures to say that the temple might feel a bit remote to her faith. Quote I think that especially people who've grown up in the church value the temple and we think it's an important step to get through but it doesn't really hold a lot of water for religion and spirituality in our everyday lives that we talked a little bit about temple marriage but let's talk about marriage in particular because Jenna Reese does include this topic in her book that she makes the comment having to do with how the marriages in Mormonism are starting to shift where they used to be more traditional complementarity and it seems like feminism is starting to creep in and no more of these younger Mormons that are getting married are having more of what we would call an egalitarian type of relationship once you talk about page 78. She writes while a majority of Mormons prefer a traditional marriage. It's more popular among men 65% then among women at 58% generationally. There is a change of foot nearly half or 48% of millennial women want the egalitarian marriage and we see movement toward the nontraditional, even within that generation of women for younger millennial women who are 18 to 26 egalitarian marriage carries the majority at 54% but six and 10 younger millennial men prefer the traditional arrangement creating a gap between what young Mormon women want from their perspective. Marriage partner