However. I do think that if Monson and Packer died and Perry was in charge and given a few more years...
Him and Nelson would make some slight changes. I'm not saying it would be anything big, but maybe a little more transparency. Ha call me a stupid optimist.
They know they are losing members (not just failing to retain converts). The last time I met with my bishop he said he was just there to "plug the dike until the next man was called to take his place".
The elderly are finding out the hardway that the church is fake... I imagine the scene plays out like this... god: "what is that?" recently deceased: "It's the..." god: "No, really, what the hell is that? You had 80 years and that's all you bothered to learn?"
The younger generations are finding out the easy way. google/bing, wikipedia, various websites and countless personal accounts from people that left from forums like this.
I noticed you put down wikipedia. It is interesting that a quick search on wikipedia could send a TBM's head spinning easily! If you go to fairlds they have a link that defends the church against wikipedia or something. It's ridiculous.
1) Look up the census numbers for countries where they ask what religion you are. In Chile for example the chuch claims over 500,000 members but only a little more than 100K told a census taker they were mormon. Accordingly, oVer 350k have left in Chile.
2) several people have made US estimates based on a) religious surveys in which the data indicates and perhaps 1/3 of the US "official" numbers are actually ex-mormons (not inactive -exmo) and b) insider reports from the COB.
The LDS church is growing very slightly - but at a slower rate than the US or world population as a whole.
Well, if they are spending some of their precious, precious money hiring PR firms to film and air painfully lame "I'm a Mormon" ads, then that is their response.
They are obviously trying to create a "buzz" with the young people about being "cool" and "hip". You bet, Daddy-O.