What proportion of Members get as far as the Temple?

[YoungMormonRoyalist]

We must not be an average ward then...seeing as how there were 20 of us in the last session I went to...

[FlaviusHambonius]

Anyone that has see Ed Deckers 'The Godmakers' will know that it was made by a disgruntled ex-Mormon who was quite bitter after being excommunicated (IMO)

I did some reading about his personal life years ago and he seemed like quite the character.

The movie has some truths and half-truths and some outright BS if I can remember right--it has been some years ago.

I went to a collage campus years ago to hear him speak--I believe he was coming out with Godmakers part II--this would have been around 1988-89 if I remember right.

He proceeded to attack Gorden B. Hinkley and I wont even repeat what he was accusing him of and that the local government was covering it up.

Suffice it to say Ed Decker is a joke and some anti-mormons don't want anything to do with him.

[Dravin]

Unfortunately, I doubt this is true. Worldwide Church membership is very different from worldwide Church activity. There may be over 13 million members of the Church, but consider that only half or so of them are even active.

And then don't forget how many of them are under 12 and thus can only enter for sealing to parents. Though I suppose technically anyone under 8 isn't a member.

[Traveler]

This kind of reminds me of a place I once worked. In a socal setting someone asked me where I worked and when I told them they asked me how many people worked there. I thought about the question for a while and responded -- About half of them.

The Traveler

[Generally_Me]

I wish I lived within an hour of a temple

[Faded]

I find it very interesting that Ed Decker was so off-the-charts with his exaggerated criticisms of the LDS Church that several anti-Mormon sources berate him for it.

If I didn't know better, I would think that the average ward could have no more than 2 or 3 Temple-worthy members at most. Yet people posting on this site, as well as those I've spoken to in chat, quite often talk about their visits to the Temple (though obviously not about what goes on inside).

I believe it was last Saturday. A new-ish couple in the ward was going to go to the temple for the first time. In addition, it was Ward Temple Night. The Endowment room was filled to capacity, and several people were left standing throughout. I think it was 59 people in attendance for that session? The temple workers verified that everyone was there from that couple's ward (they wanted to shift anyone they could to a different session so the room wasn't over-full.)

Now take into account that my wife and I weren't there. I work evenings, Tuesday through Saturday, so there was no way for us to make it. No doubt, there are a number of other folks in our Ward who were in the same boat: Wanted to be there but couldn't.

To break it down a bit: 200-ish active members in the ward. At least half are either children or othewise not old enough to go to the temple yet. Comes out to 90-100 folks that are active and old enough. That's a pretty high percentage of the group that attended, considering.

So no, it's not one or two members per ward. It's a good majority of actively attending adults that CAN go whenever they like. Just like most religious congregations, there's a lot of people who don't show up very often for services. The same is often true of the temple. Human nature I guess.

Ed Decker is a sensationalist tard. The garbage he created and creates are the same sort of thing we saw with Farenheit 9/11.

But if you're into that sort of media, here you go:

http://covers.magazine-agent.com/images/image.aspx?i=748.jpg&h=650

[bytebear]

If you want to talk about youth and temples, when I was a teen, I did baptisms for the dead twice. There simply weren't enough temples to accommodate all the kids in the area. The temple was fully booked, and if you figure I was of age for 6 years, the waiting list to do baptism was 3 years. Of course that was in Utah, and the Jordan River Temple had just been completed, but still the waiting list with an additional 3 or 4 temples in the area is still years. There just aren't enough temples in some areas.

Now, here in California, my nephew just turned 12, and his ward does youth baptism night about once every two months.

[Jamie123]

But if you're into that sort of media, here you go:

Abe Lincoln was a woman? WOW! If it's in the newspaper then it MUST be true!

[KatieO]

In my ward, we have a temple night every month. I'm not sure how full it is, but I know a lot of people go.

My husband and I are getting ready to go to the temple for the 1st time in the next couple weeks. I'm a convert and he's been a member all his life but became active again when I joined in Nov. 08. It's a pretty neat thing for us and I know a lot of our member friends and family in the area will be there. We're fortunate enough to live around 20 min from the Seattle Temple.

[Superbaldguy]

I think I have heard that maybe 50% of the active membership pay a full tithe, meaning the best most units can do is have 50% of the congregation being able to attend the temple and 25% of all members hold recommends, assuming the usual 50% or so activity rate.

In our ward, I am happy to say that about 85-90% of all endowed members have recommends, myself included.

[Maya]

In Finland we have only some 4500 members and there were some 60.000 in line, in rain, to get in the Temple of Helsinki to see it! And only a few of them had come from Russia, Estonia; and elswhere from the countries that belong to Helsinki Temple area.

Those anti films adn claims are redicilous.

[Maya]

I think I have heard that maybe 50% of the active membership pay a full tithe, meaning the best most units can do is have 50% of the congregation being able to attend the temple and 25% of all members hold recommends, assuming the usual 50% or so activity rate.

In our ward, I am happy to say that about 85-90% of all endowed members have recommends, myself included.

Ops I have forgotten ... my recoment is mising one autograf...

[havejoy]

What proportion of Members get as far as the Temple?

I think the answer is 100% of the ones who really want to.

[EQ_Guy]

If you want to talk about youth and temples, when I was a teen, I did baptisms for the dead twice. There simply weren't enough temples to accommodate all the kids in the area. The temple was fully booked, and if you figure I was of age for 6 years, the waiting list to do baptism was 3 years. Of course that was in Utah, and the Jordan River Temple had just been completed, but still the waiting list with an additional 3 or 4 temples in the area is still years. There just aren't enough temples in some areas.

Now, here in California, my nephew just turned 12, and his ward does youth baptism night about once every two months.

3 YEAR wait to do baptisms???

[EQ_Guy]

I think I have heard that maybe 50% of the active membership pay a full tithe, meaning the best most units can do is have 50% of the congregation being able to attend the temple and 25% of all members hold recommends, assuming the usual 50% or so activity rate.

In our ward, I am happy to say that about 85-90% of all endowed members have recommends, myself included.

So to help me understand, what percent then of active members do you think have a current recommend?

[Guest mysticmorini]

my ward has a temple trip that has been tentative for almost 2 years (keeps getting pushed back ) we have about 30-40 members saying they are going in a ward of 80-100 active members. as far as youth trips they average about twice a year.

[Moksha]

that the Temples are for the benefit of a tiny minority of "super saints", ...

Seems to be some confusion here. The large red "S" stands for saint and does not imply superpowers. Any connection on this point is merely coincidental and should not be tried at home.

[Mute]

This is something I've been wondering about for some time:

According to some anti-Mormons, only a very small number of Mormon members actually manage to go to the Temple. One well-known film (*) showed thousands of people lining up in the rain for a Temple open-house; the voiceover said words to the effect that "this is the only time many of these Mormons will ever go inside a Temple".

If I didn't know better, I would think that the average ward could have no more than 2 or 3 Temple-worthy members at most. Yet people posting on this site, as well as those I've spoken to in chat, quite often talk about their visits to the Temple (though obviously not about what goes on inside).

Now I know what you're going to tell me: Any member who obeys the commandments, keeps his covenants...etc...etc....will get to the Temple. I know this and it's not what I'm asking. What I'm interested to know is how many of the people admitted to the Church actually reach these Temple-worthy standards, and hence how accurate are the comments in Mr. D****r's movie.

(I suspect not very: Like many other antis, he presents the the "Joe-became-God" idea as though it were generally accepted by all Mormons, and I've learned quite recently from this board that it's not.)

(*) I shan't anger the mods by naming the movie, but the producer's surname rhymes with that of the German tennis player who won Wimbledon in 1985.

I don't remember if there is a temple recommend requirement for people under a certain age. I know I did baptisms for the dead twice around the age of 11 or 12 and my family was sealed when I was younger than that. All of the young people in the ward all went to do baptisms for the dead when I went. I remember the bishop yelling at his son for not knowing how to tie his tie on the way there. The reason this bothered me was because I didn't know how to tie my time either lol. Lucky for me after I did the baptisms a nice lady in the temple helped me tie it again. I don't ever remember there being many people that weren't able to go in my ward back then though. I'm sure it's different for each ward though.

[Guest mysticmorini]

I don't remember if there is a temple recommend requirement for people under a certain age. I know I did baptisms for the dead twice around the age of 11 or 12 and my family was sealed when I was younger than that. All of the young people in the ward all went to do baptisms for the dead when I went. I remember the bishop yelling at his son for not knowing how to tie his tie on the way there. The reason this bothered me was because I didn't know how to tie my time either lol. Lucky for me after I did the baptisms a nice lady in the temple helped me tie it again. I don't ever remember there being many people that weren't able to go in my ward back then though. I'm sure it's different for each ward though.

you must be at least twelve and hold the priesthood (if male) in order to preform proxy baptisms and conformations. you may be sealed to your parents at any age and if you are 21 or older must be endowed in order to be sealed to your parents.