Posted by:
staind
(
)
Date: June 06, 2013 03:15AM
There's no questions that there is concern amongst the brass of the tscc regarding the numbers of members leaving/going inactive.
We are fully aware of Jensen's admission and some interpret that as the church has sprung a leak that is beyond repair.
Simply not the case. It's not going away. I live in the heart of Idaho Zion and it is absolutely thriving hear. I've been involved in two ward splits in the last 3 years in my Stake. The new temple will open 5 minutes from my house in a couple of years and my community will flock to it.
At it's core it is still thriving. Families are so invested and so comfortable in their mindset that it simply doesn't matter what material is placed in front of them.
I was breaking it down recently with my brother regarding the ward we grew up in. The "power" families twenty years have roughly a 60/'40 ratio for peers of ours who stayed in the church. Some have left and returned. Some have left and stayed out.
In the heart of "zion" there is enough staying power to sustain the church forever.
The "daughters" of zion are the churches most valuable asset bar none. As long as there are beautiful mormon girls (and there's plenty) the bretheren will tow the line.
It is simply less taxing to leave for some than is worth it. Understandably so in my opinion. A great deal of my friends are "fence sitter" types who love their wives and kids. Bottom line (as is often evidenced here) if one spouse takes a stand against tssc, the other bolts with the kids.
Some are so principled in their stand against the church that that is a price they will pay. The majority however will simply grin and bear the part of mormonism that bothers them in the name of saving their marriage and keeping their family intact.
People can bash them all they want but I don't. I get it completely. "How can you supports an institution that is so evil, discriminatory, destructive, etc."?" It's a "buffet" mentality and ALL of us employ in one way or another.
For example our country's closet (USA) is so filled with filthy baggage that anyone objective person would be disgusted. Pick a scandal. Pick an injustice. Pick a form of absolute corruption. It doesn't matter. The closet is full. Yet most of us acknowledge that it is an imperfect institution and move on without giving up our citizenship or burning our flags or revolting against our government (other than through proper political processes).
And that's the mormon mindset. A LARGE percentage (who knows what it is exactly) have numberous misgivings about tscc. It simply is not enough to force them out for some. They compartmentalize it as "something to be understood later" and move on.
That is why it will never ultimately fail. It is elastic enough to bear some uncomfortable history. The leaders are masters at the art of spinning things in a way that most of the true tbm masses accept it and not begrudgingly but admiringly.
It's truly a fascinating thing to watch now that I have both perspectives.