I found this on the Trib as a reply to a reply to a comment:
"Chad Baron Actually Matt, you're wrong in your information. Up until 3 weeks ago I was employed by the LDS Church in the membership department. I'm sorry to burst your bubble and speak the truth to you but it was a common practice to lie about the numbers. In fact it was a common practice to lie about most things when it came to informing the public about anything and everything. Millions have literally fled the church. You can continue fibbing to yourself or you can face the reality of the situation and move on. Best of luck to ya, Matt. Sounds like you'll need it."
Information worth holding on to.
It was ollowed, of course, by this stupid reply (not from Matt):
I don't really care how many leave-- I will not, and they are free to do so. We mourn their loss, but not even God can force man to heaven!
It's hard to make sense out of a reply to a comment without knowing what the comment was. Specifically, what information was Matt supposedly wrong about?
"Matt: You three above on your comments must be using common core math. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is next to the fastest growing church in the world. (Muslims being the first) Those few that jump ship are free to do so. It is those few that rant and rave about how bad things were for them in the church. Sorry, but I know this, and that is Satan is gaining more and more souls and it shows by the way the world is falling apart. I wish you the best and hope you find happiness in what you say and do in this life. You can thank God for giving you your free agency."
Matt is an idiot to claim that the LDS Church is "the second fastest growing religion on Earth" next to Islaam. Pure BUNK.
American churches that grow much faster than the LDS Church, and always have:
Assemblies of God...founded eighty years AFTER the LDS Church, now has sixty million worldwide.
Seventh-day Adventist Church...founded twenty years after the LDS Church, now has twenty-five million worldwide. Mind you, the SDA Church only counts ACTIVE ADULTS.
Jehovah Witnesses...founded thirty years after the LDS Church, hard to judge growth since they ONLY COUNT active Publishers...JWs who successfully complete their "home teaching" each month. Estimates that about thirty million people attend a Kingdom Hall every month.
This is NOT counting non-American churches such as the Brazilian Universal Church of the Assemblies of God, and many, many, many others who are growing MUCH faster than the LDS Church every did.
The Church claims fourteen or fifteen millions. BOGUS. Probably there are no more than five million ACTIVE Mormons in the world, even if you count "children of record"...under eight. The LDS Church NEVER WAS the fastest growing anything, not in the U.S., and not in the world. It is an OLD MYTH AND LIE that many Mormons, including Mormon leaders, foolishly fall for.
I doubt that "millions" have officially resigned, but since the church claims about fifteen million members and only about a third of those attend, I would say it's fair to surmise that millions of those who never attend would no longer consider themselves members.
But it IS millions if he's counting the 5 million gone inactive and the 5 million or so who have walked away never to return. There are, after all, fewer than 5 million or so who are considered "active."
Ah, see here's the magic numbers game. It has been stated by TBM members and leaders (see PBS Exmormon thread) that approx. 50K leave annually. There was a larger amount between 2008-2012 estimated approx. 70k left during 2012. So if we take the last ten years that's still only about half a million who have resigned.
Now comes the numbers magic. It has been found that most of the Millennials and foreign members that are leaving (they're the biggest group) aren't bothering to officially resign. Even the pro-Mormon sites like cumorah.com have stated that for every 1 person who officially resigns 10 more just walk away and never have contact with the church again. How many times are converts just baptized and are never seen or heard from again?
I personally baptized 30 on my mission in a western U.S. State. All but one of those fell under the category of walked away and never returned. Most didn't even come back once after I had transferred. This was very common in my mission.
I myself, a born in the church member, walked away prior to my thirtieth birthday "never to return". I remained a member of record for another twenty years not wanting the stigma of excommunication and I would still be on the rolls if the courts had not forced TSCC to allow resignation.
If Chad is for real, It would be fabulous if he showed up here. It would be great to have someone who really know what they're talking about when it comes to the real numbers.
Whether people take the time to officially resign, or simply vote with their feet out the door, I think it is reasonable to assume they are no longer making financial contributions to LDS Inc.
It could very well be true that the church is cooking the books on the numbers if there are millions who've left. And this Chad person, may be an excellent first hand source of information because the church is not going to be forthcoming on how many are actually leaving, especially if it's in droves.
Just like its finances. If it can hide the numbers from the membership, it most certainly will. Why play around with faith? People can be manipulated so much easier when they aren't staring facts and numbers square in the face.
Its also possible that Chad doesn't wirk for the church and just made up his post. Its a well deserved observation about church membership that exmos would gravitate too.
Maybe "Chad" would make an appearance on rfm. Maybe not. Yet his story could be as made up as the bom BUT describes membership as we understand it without the real numbers.
Yes, Chad could be doing what Mark Hofmann did to the the top 15.
You put just enough truth and facts into the story, tailor it to make it attractive to the intended audience, then the final bit of info is simply incorrect, but by then you are already sold on the idea and the narrative.
We don't have any evidence that this person worked at the CoB, and that he isn't just stating what he hopes is true.
In my personal life I know of many people who do not consider themselves "Mormons" and yet their names are still on the records. I have three sons and a daughter none of whom have had anything to do with the church nor will they ever have anything to do with it and they and their families are absolutely not morgbots and do not contribute to its piles of money.
My best friend is the same and his children are as well so that is another 5 families whose names are still on the records and who do not attend or contribute to the coffers of the morg.
My sister is a recovered meth adict and has had nothing to do with the church for many many years but her name and all her kids names are still on the church records so this is another 5 families.
All in all this accounts for more than 40 people whose names are still counted but who are no more a mormon than I am and I had my name removed.
I am sure that for every one person who leaves and has their name removed there are at least 10 who just walk away and never return without going through the process of havning their names removed.
Whether or not Chad actually exists is less important than the idea of how much damage one LDS "Edward Snowden" could do to LDS Inc.
I am certain there are some very strict protocols followed so LDS corporate information is contained, such as recordings of copies and logs of who viewed what information and when.
However, photos taken by a iPhone of documents are nearly impossible to contain, and these images may be hosted in many locations viewable by the world.
Interoffice memos from the top 15, meeting notes, and most importantly, financial info are the most important. It is important to contain LDS letterhead in the photo, and anything with a top 15 signature or name is valuable.
We need an insider to blow this thing wide open.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/2015 02:20PM by deco.
Yeah I remember reading that comment a couple of days ago. I pasted it into one of my files for reference as it caught my eye as well. I copied this from the comments. For the life of me I can't find the article!
"chad baron Matt • 5 hours ago
Actually Matt, you're wrong in your information. Up until 3 weeks ago I was employed by the LDS Church in the membership department. I'm sorry to burst your bubble and speak the truth to you but it was a common practice to lie about the numbers. In fact it was a common practice to lie about most things when it came to informing the public about anything and everything. Millions have literally fled the church. You can continue fibbing to yourself or you can face the reality of the situation and move on. Best of luck to ya, Matt. Sounds like you'll need it.
if you ever read the 1830 book of mormon which is on line it reads like jed clampett wrote it. Its a mix of backwoods English and King James English . The 1830 Book of Mormon is before the 4,000 corrections that have been done to it. The church now admits that Joseph Smith put a seer stone into a hat and that the words appeared in English and it would not go to the next word unless it was correct . 4,000 corrections. Words deleted, passages added some within the last 20 years."