Jana Riess
SUNDAY | JUNE 3, 2018 | 7:00-9:00 pm
A conversation about where Mormons are now and where they are headed.
GATHERING AT:
Home of Ed and Kristen Iversen
3582 Oak Rim Way Salt Lake City, UT 84109
If there is no parking to be found near the home you can also park in the “park & ride” lot on the NW corner of 3900 South and Wasatch Blvd. Oak Rim Way is just east of the intersection on the north side.
You’re invited to bring some finger food to share
THE DISCUSSION:
Are more young adult Mormons in their 20s and 30s leaving the LDS Church? If so, why?
For several years now Jana Riess has been conducting research to plumb these questions and more. Specifically, she wanted to know more about Mormon Millennials (ages 18-35)—and especially how they differ from three older generations in religious beliefs and habits, politics, family size, education, and more. And how they differ from their peers who are not LDS.
Jana will share some of her research that is the basis for her soon to be published book—The Next Mormons. We will address up to five of the following topics covered in her research:
- How many people are leaving the Church, and why? (National trends with Millennials and the rise of the Nones; LDS retention declining over time)
- Strong Mormon belief (belief in God, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, etc.; incidence of doubters who still affiliate as Mormon)
Less uniformly strong Mormon behavior (Word of Wisdom, church attendance, tattoos, etc.) - Missionary service (how many Millennials are serving compared to earlier generations; its effect on their retention; how positively they view the experience in hindsight; how many are coming home early)
- Political views of four generations (changing party affiliation among current Mormons; views on issues such as abortion, immigration, and terrorism; former Mormons)
- Authority (Millennials and the erosion of institutional authority/obedience; how many would privilege priesthood authority or their own revelation; Millennials’ reaction to conformity; comfort in turning down callings; patriarchal blessings and authority)
- LGBT issues (How many Mormons & former Mormons are LGBT, how Mormons feel about homosexuality and same-sex marriage, how LGBT issues may contribute to disaffiliation)
- Women’s issues (priesthood & women’s leadership, egalitarian vs. traditional marriage, women and religious orthodoxy; women who leave)
- Temple attitudes and experiences (how many of each generation hold a temple recommend; how many had a positive experience at the temple; how prepared people felt for their first temple experience; the top methods of preparation, by generation)
- Racial diversity (How many Mormons are people of color; how Mormons of different races feel about politics and religious beliefs; how Mormons feel about the priesthood/temple ban 40 years later)
- Single Mormons (are Millennials delaying marriage?; how single Mormons’ activity rates differ from married Mormons’
- Declining family size among Mormons (fertility tracked over four generations; correlation between fertility and church activity)
We will also do some small group conversations regarding some of these topics.
ABOUT JANA:
Jana Riess is the author of numerous books about religion, including Flunking Sainthood, The Twible, and What Would Buffy Do? Her forthcoming book, The Next Mormons, uses survey data to compare four generations of current and former Latter-day Saints. She is a senior columnist for Religion News Service and previously worked at Publishers Weekly and Westminster John Knox Press.
