tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post1047392604783954580..comments2023-12-26T10:22:04.630-05:00Comments on Things of My Soul: Why Do So Many Young People Leave the LDS Church?Papa Dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-20073288532933930932012-09-30T15:58:41.883-04:002012-09-30T15:58:41.883-04:00Thankyou Paul, I'm sure you know how comfortin...Thankyou Paul, I'm sure you know how comforting it is to realise that others have been there before us.<br /><br />My daughter married an atheist last month in the anglican church. Go figure. I'm a little astounded at how difficult I have found this, where is my inner liberal when I need her?<br /><br />For her, it was a combination of factors, not least that returned missionaries withoutAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-75999761909315532642012-09-26T15:57:34.347-04:002012-09-26T15:57:34.347-04:00I had an awesome teacher when I was in that age. ...I had an awesome teacher when I was in that age. She was a return missionary who had been recently divorced (almost unheard of in the 1970s in our part of the world), and she taught a challenging and somewhat free-wheeling class (very faithful, but challenging). You've got a smart bishop.Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11294214866282354575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-60767349417194079502012-09-26T15:49:57.514-04:002012-09-26T15:49:57.514-04:00Thanks, everyone, for the input.
One more thing ...Thanks, everyone, for the input. <br /><br />One more thing that I did't mention in the post: <br /><br />By the time most teenagers reach Seminary age, they've heard the same topics and basic lessons multiple times - and, too often, Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting are repeats of stuff they know by heart. They tend not to be challenged to think deeply about things - and that leades Papa Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-57524325385759908562012-09-26T15:18:19.602-04:002012-09-26T15:18:19.602-04:00This is a real problem and I don't have a grea...This is a real problem and I don't have a great answer.<br /><br />I do think that as a Church, we need to at least meet the youth partway. It seems our natural reaction to this is to make things more strict and worry about even more minutiae (ie. whether an unendowed girls's shoulders are covered, etc.)<br /><br />Perhaps instead of making things more authoritarian, we should pull back Mike Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-17492700966557402042012-09-26T14:40:14.243-04:002012-09-26T14:40:14.243-04:00Youth can definitely use more authentic and worthw...Youth can definitely use more authentic and worthwhile opportunities to serve. However, is it possible the the Church simply doesn't meet their needs in a meaningful way? One other thought--I believe this Digital/Internet Revolution we are going through is completely transforming societies, and perhaps the way that religion must evolve. When historians look back 300 years from now, they will Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-36466134348162873672012-09-26T14:28:05.045-04:002012-09-26T14:28:05.045-04:00Richard, this is no theoretical construct for me, ...Richard, this is no theoretical construct for me, either -- my three oldest sons have each left the church, and each around age 16. Son #4 (child #6) is now 16 and teeters at the brink.<br /><br />I also teetered a bit, but I had had enough personal spiritual experiences to keep me from leaping away. <br /><br />I wish I knew the secret answers...Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11294214866282354575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-40663403839951259842012-09-26T14:24:09.995-04:002012-09-26T14:24:09.995-04:00It is something close to my heart and in my head a...It is something close to my heart and in my head as my son has been inactive since his ordination as a teacher. He still relates to being a Mormon but not to church. I have no answer but the disconnect between his identity as a baptized member of the church and his not wanting to associate with going to church is interesting.Richardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-86142145565658198252012-09-26T12:44:12.217-04:002012-09-26T12:44:12.217-04:00Richard, that understanding is a big part of why I...Richard, that understanding is a big part of why I can be relatively calm when talking about this issue. I know it's not unique in any way to the LDS Church. <br /><br />Anonymous, I also think that phrase is very difficult - not because I don't believe it, but because I interpret it very differently than many young kids are taught. I know quite a few faithful, dedicated adults who Papa Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06704974609266088416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-57813600540803098542012-09-26T10:49:16.399-04:002012-09-26T10:49:16.399-04:00Yes! Our young men and women need real experience...Yes! Our young men and women need real experiences with adults, and meaningful experiences in serving and planning during their adolescence.<br /><br />Mutual must be meaningful. A tenure as a teacher quorum president or a laurels class president must be meaningful. Otherwise, it's just babysitting.<br /><br />Every ward and branch in the church has to figure this out for itself, over and jinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-32905890662684292872012-09-26T10:41:33.454-04:002012-09-26T10:41:33.454-04:00I was fortunate as a young man to have a bishop wh...I was fortunate as a young man to have a bishop who took your suggestion to heart -- he gave real planning and execution responsibility to the young men and young women rather than their leaders, and I grew because of it.<br /><br />I remember sitting in a stake PH leadership meeting a decade ago. We were talking bout the drop-off from deacon to priest. The member of our stake presidency in ourPaulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11294214866282354575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-41346119686237506982012-09-26T08:33:53.959-04:002012-09-26T08:33:53.959-04:00Good post, challenging. I suspect, as you suggest,...Good post, challenging. I suspect, as you suggest, there are as many reasons why young people leave as there are young people who leave. One thing, however, has caught my attention lately. Young people today find it increasingly difficult to say over and over that ours is the only true church. It's not that they don't accept that as a matter of faith, just that we do not need to keep Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3199387660357003170.post-25433555584072074912012-09-26T07:36:03.573-04:002012-09-26T07:36:03.573-04:00It is happening across the board. If you talked to...It is happening across the board. If you talked to my youth pastor friend at a Pentecostal church, they are worried about the same thing. The United Methodist Church is scrambling for the last three years trying to reclaim their lost youth. I guess this would speak to a larger cultural and spiritual dilemma. To a lesser degree, adults are leaving church too. Most churches don't have a net Richardnoreply@blogger.com