An LDS response to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has published "A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S." After studying some of the responses, I thought a response from a Mormon perspective would be appropriate. The current study is based on interviews with more than 35,000 American adults. As the introduction states the Survey "details the religious makeup, religious beliefs and practices as well as social and political attitudes of the American public." I had previously presented some of the findings of the Survey in another blog.

Statement:
"Today, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Mormon groups make up 58% of Utah's population and 1.7% of the total U.S. adult population..."

Response:
From the perspective of a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) I feel it is confusing to refer to "other Mormon groups." The detail of the Survey shows less that .1% members of the Community of Christ (the former Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and "Mormon" not further specified. There is no church called the "Mormon Church." The name comes from The Book of Mormon. One of Church's official Websites explains that the Mormon Church is "A commonly used term to describe Christ's restored church, however the official name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Statement:
"This report analyzes Mormons as a whole."

Response:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in no way affiliated with or part of any other church organization. The Community of Christ is not part of or affiliated with the LDS Church at all. There are other organizations that use names similar to or derived from the LDS Church but they are not part of the LDS Church.

Statement:
"Mormons make up 1.7% of the American adult population, a proportion that is comparable in size to the U.S. Jewish population. By contrast, members of evangelical Protestant churches and Catholics each make up roughly a quarter of the adult population (26.3% and 23.9%, respectively), and 16.1% of Americans say they are unaffiliated with any particular religion."

Response:
This is an unfair and misleading comparison. The Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches lists 224 national church bodies. Members of the LDS Church belong to that specific Church. They are not members of a vague group called "evangelical Protestant churches." Many studies show the LDS Church as the fourth largest denomination in the U.S. See also Christian Church Membership. In the top 25 largest churches in the U.S. only the Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church are larger than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

To be continued.