The Rise of the Mormons: Latter-day Saint Growth in the 21st Century

The Latter-day Saints (LDS/'Mormons') will become a global religion with hundreds of millions, or even billions, of followers--within a century. In this book, written for the general public, award-winning social scientist Mark Koltko-Rivera, Ph.D., explains:

• how the Mormons grew from a tiny group in 1830s New York to being the fourth-largest church in America as of 2012;


• why Mormon growth slowed after 1990--and why it will soon explode, both in the United States and throughout the world;


• why Mormon beliefs resonate with society's hopes, fears, aspirations--even obsessions--in ways that can make the LDS faith especially attractive to many people in today's world;


• how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will become the second-largest--or even the largest--church in the United States by 2120;


• how this church could become the second-largest religious body in the entire world, with over two billion members, by 2120.

Dr. Koltko-Rivera describes what a 'more Mormon' world would look like, and how this faith could fuel a global Renaissance of cultural creativity. He also explains the implications of Mormon growth for the great majority of people who walk other paths.

Includes references, index. 5 illustrations, 29 figures, 22 tables, 2 charts.

Chapters

1. Intro.: Who the Mormons Are.
2. Mormon Growth & Why It Happened, 1830-2011:
• Why the dramatic rise in LDS converts after 1973?
• Why the slowing of growth after 1990?
3. The Matrix of Future Mormon Growth: The Mormon World in 2012.
4. Future Mormon Growth Worldwide through 2120.
5. Future Mormon Growth in the U.S. through 2120.
6. Objections & Responses:
• "How valid can projections be, so far into the future?"
• "All sorts of things could upset your projections!"
• "The pitfalls of straight-line projections" and the effects of organized opposition to Mormonism.
• "How could the LDS grow so large so quickly?"
• Modernization & Secularization.
• "An American church like the LDS will be less appealing in a post-American world."
• "The Mormons will run out of money first."
• "The Pentecostals will outgrow the Mormons."
• "There won't be enough people on the Earth to accommodate these projections."
• "There won't be enough people in America."
• "So many Mormons--in Protestant America?"
• "But more Mormons than Catholics?
• "The Mormons are falling away in droves."
• "But the LDS scriptures say the future Church will be 'few' and its dominions 'small'!"
7. Why Religions Grow: A Model.
8. Exterior Forces "Pulling" for Mormon Growth:
• Central & South America and sub-Saharan Africa
• The United States
• Europe
• Mainland China
• India
• The lands of Islam
9. Interior Forces "Pushing" for Mormon Growth:
• The power of science and technology.
• The struggle to survive the end of civilization.
• The ambition to transform beyond the human.
• The discovery of extraterrestrial (intelligent) life.
10. Knowledge Forces and Mormon Growth.
11. The Potential Impact of High Mormon Growth: A 'More Mormon' World:
• more physically and mentally healthy
• better educated
• foundation for a new Renaissance
• and much more!
12. Afterword: The Meaning of Mormon Growth.
13. Appendix A: Sources of Statistical Data & Methods of Projections.
14. Appendix B: The Slowing of Mormon Growth Post-1990: A Statistical Analysis.
15. Appendix C: Why Do People Convert to Mormonism?
16. Appendix D: Tracking Charts: Projected vs. Actual Mormon Growth, 2012-2040.