Lemmie wrote:The indoctrination from birth into a mindset of assumed belief was overwhelming
This is the primary reason for success. It's a little more interesting once to get to adults who have never been Mormon and join.
Exactly. Bringing in adults is far more difficult than keeping cult members in from birth, but even the latter seems to be failing, as is evidenced by the lds yearly stat of new BIC children. It is much lower than it should be relative to the adult population and the relevant birth rates, so even the strategy of indoctrination from birth seems on shaky ground.
The Joseph Smith Papers Project site is another great resource.
The JSP are not apologists.
Riding on a speeding train; trapped inside a revolving door; Lost in the riddle of a quatrain; Stuck in an elevator between floors. One focal point in a random world can change your direction: One step where events converge may alter your perception.
He is a rabid apologist and his site is about as disingenuous as you can get.
Riding on a speeding train; trapped inside a revolving door; Lost in the riddle of a quatrain; Stuck in an elevator between floors. One focal point in a random world can change your direction: One step where events converge may alter your perception.
Lemmie wrote:The indoctrination from birth into a mindset of assumed belief was overwhelming
This is the primary reason for success. It's a little more interesting once to get to adults who have never been Mormon and join.
I was indoctrinated from birth. So moving countries several times probably helped me format my roots more independently in a way that eventually prepared me for disaffection.
My husband converted at 20. His father was always very detached, probably a victim of PTSD from Indochine, so the church became jis second family. And this was 1990 when he didn't speak English. He actually specifically asked the missionaries if Joseph was a polygamist. They told him it started with BY. That made a difference to him. (The origin story of the church is essential for some people, which is why the FV versionS are so important. )
