So, as everyone already knows, the Mormons are the new target for everything, and its more than annoying. But, I am wondering what the immediate effect of this media blitz has been and what are the long term effects from what you know about the Mormons. I know that RPackham has some information about Mormon growth rates on his web site, but I am wondering about information within the last few weeks or so, or perhaps a time in the past when Mormons were in the media as much as they are now. The reason I am interested in this is becausae I am scared for the fuutre of America if people start believing that Mormonism is really sent from God. I guess my questions can be phrased simply as the following:

1. In the places where you live, are people converting to Mormonism?

2. How many people are being baptized in the USA and in other westernized countries becuase of this media blitz?

3. How long do you think the trend from questions 1 and 2 will last?

4. What do you think the future of Mormonism will be? Will it be like the Evangelicals? the CAtholics? Hated like the the Jews and Muslims? Where do you think its headed?

5. What should/could we do in order to stop the threat of Mormonism?

Where I live Mormonism is struggling. The growth rate is about zero. There will always be weak-minded people who say "Mitt is Mormon, so I should be too." I don't think Mitt's presence will be of any lasting benefit to the Morg. The publicity will ultimately be detrimental.

I see the Morg continuing to dwindle as new generations catch on to the fraud. They will continue to change the doctrine, mainstream the practices, and lie/deny in order to survive.
They are now forced to seek out uneducated, impoverished and disadvantaged people to convert. Not what they had planned.

In a world that has information at its fingertips, the glory days of the cojcolds are over.

That's my two cents.

I'm sure that was probably tongue-in-cheek, because there is little evidence of expansion and a lot of evidence to suggest shrinkage (hah!).

For example, my TBM mother recently told me that the profile pages at mormon.org have resulted in, "eighty-thousand" baptisms. To which I stupidly replied, "That's amazing! Do you know any of them?" Of course she didn't actually know anyone, but she knows it's true because someone said something like that once.

So to answer your questions...

1. No converts anywhere I have lived. In fact, I have never in my life seen someone convert, though I have known a few converts who converted 30-some years ago.

2. I can't name one, but of my seven total mission companions only one is still a member and I can name about twenty deconverts (If that is a word).

3. I don't think there is a trend.

4. It seems to be headed for a mainstream whatever people want thing. The sort of anything goes churches we grew up making fun of. In the future the only thing that will matter I think will be tithing. I see a relaxation on gay issues and other "sins" as long as tithing is still paid, so temples will probably always be important, likely they will become even more emphasized.

5. Sit back and watch. They are doing it without our help. Also, post to RFM. I hear it's deconverted eighty thousand.

1. In the places where you live, are people converting to Mormonism?

Not that I know of. Though I did meet an adult convert a few days ago, I have no idea how recently she had converted.

2. How many people are being baptized in the USA and in other westernized countries becuase of this media blitz?

No doubt at least a few are being baptized LDS because of all the media attention. After the September 11th attacks, of all things, conversions to Islam in this country actually increased. Probably some people who had never heard of Islam prior to the attacks, or who had never thought about the religion, suddenly took an interest; I wouldn't be surprised if there are people who do something similar with regards to Mormonism.

I do think one thing that will discourage potential converts to Mormonism is the economy, though...pretty hard to convince people not born and raised in a faith to cough up ten percent of nothing, I'd imagine.

3. How long do you think the trend from questions 1 and 2 will last?

No idea.

4. What do you think the future of Mormonism will be? Will it be like the Evangelicals? the CAtholics? Hated like the the Jews and Muslims? Where do you think its headed?

I doubt Mormons, or Mormonism, will become hated by anyone new. No doubt many fundamentalist Christians will continue to hate or strongly dislike Mormonism, but they always have. If anything, I see that the media seems to be trying to portray Mormons sympathetically, for the most part, so I don't think any existing negative feelings toward Mormonism are going to expand out of the usual circles.

5. What should/could we do in order to stop the threat of Mormonism?

From what I read on this board, RFM appears to do a great job in this regard, but you will always have a few converts to any faith, no matter what, no matter how odd the religion.

Just listened to BBC interviewing missionaries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00t0q1t

They're "really excited" because the church is growing so fast -- in Mongolia.

I have no idea. From anecdotal evidence I've seen, the church is struggling to gain converts in parts of the world where Internet use is widespread.