Mormons... What are the three biggest threats to the church today?

Answer 1

Well, according to everyone's favorite Apostle, "Acting President" Boyd K. Packer, it's the following:

1. Gays
2. Feminists
3. Scholars/Intellectuals

"There are three areas where members of the Church, influenced by social and political unrest, are being caught up and led away. I chose these three because they have made major invasions into the membership of the Church. In each, the temptation is for us to turn about and face the wrong way, and it is hard to resist, for doing it seems so reasonable and right.

The dangers I speak of come from the gay-lesbian movement, the feminist movement (both of which are relatively new), and the ever-present challenge from the so-called scholars or intellectuals. Our local leaders must deal with all three of them with ever-increasing frequency."

Answer 2

I believe the following quote:

“The Standard of Truth has been erected. No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing. Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame. But the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, until the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the Great Jehovah will say, ‘The work is done.'”
-Joseph Smith

In other words, I don't think there are any real threats to the church as a whole speaking on a large scale.

However, individual members, and pockets of areas, have serious threats to their faith all the time - What the biggest threats are are completely different based on the individual. Satan knows our weakness on a very individual level; he knows that what can make one person fall, will not make another flinch.

Answer 3

In their day to day operation, I would have to say:
1. The threat of modern day sciences not being compatible with their teachings. Two areas that come to mind are lack of archaeological correlation to Mormon history in the Americas and genetic mapping that proves that indigenous peoples who lived in the Americas are completely unrelated to Israelites. Their ancestry is from Asia.
2. The threat of having to disclose the monetary wealth of the church. Recently, a legal case was brought against the church by a member who was abused by someone who held a church office. Rather than disclose the amount, the case was settled out of court. I think people would be shocked if they knew how much the church was worth.
3. The third threat is lack of respect because of past and current practices. Although the church promotes many good attributes, outsiders often cannot see past it's prejudices against women and homosexuals. Many people are offended by the intolerance and arrogance propogated in church dogma. Although Mormonism has grown tremendously through an aggressive missionary program, it struggles with acceptance by other "mainstream" christian religions.

Answer 4

Pride is always one it threatens more then just members.
Truth in th sense of all the rumors and lies people spread about the church. Just look at the answers there are already untruths and half truths people have posted.
Of course the biggest threat is Satan he is the one influencing people to spread and tell lies about the church.

Answer 5

1. Mormons from Utah who take their religion for granted.
2. Mormons who think they know more than everyone else and look down upon them.
3. Mormons from Utah who go on missions because they think they have to, not because they want to.
*In response to what Boyd K. Packer said let me say this. The LDS church believes in a nuclear family with a mom and a dad and that is why they don't believe in homosexuality. Feminists in the extreme demean women who want to be stay at home moms, and lots of mormon women want to be moms. The church actually tells women to get an education though, and not just in home ec. In whatever they want. Third in Proverbs it says to trust in the Lord and lean not to your own understanding, when he was talking about intellectuals he was talking about people who when they are learned they think they are wiser than everyone else. Most mormons I know are going to college, have graduated, or have graduate degrees. Those in the hierarchy of the church are lawyers, doctors, one is a ground breaking heart surgeon.*
Sorry for the rant... :)

Answer 6

Pride

Pride

Pride

Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion -- Pres. Benson 1989

Answer 7

1.Lack of morals in the world today.
2. Lack of family values portrayed in the media.
3. Lack of the members to follow their leaders advise.
However I feel that the church on the whole is making progress and the members are gaining strength by the knowledge that these things like following the prophets advise on things like no gambling and no viewing porn are truly the right things to do. True happiness is not hard to see in the members who follow the churches teachings.

Answer 8

1. Pride
2. Complacency
3. Air-Conditioning

Answer 9

Chicken

Shredded Carrots

Postum

Answer 10

To be honest, I don't know what "threats" there are. I believe in the LDS church, and I also think people are going to believe what they want to believe. It's not a "threat" to me if someone believes something different.

I think it's a little offensive that people say logic is a "threat" to the church. I guess people can't accept the fact that LDS think for themselves, just like anyone else. I don't see why it's necessary to question other people's intelligence, but that's just my two cents.

I'm not the smartest fella in the world. But just because I am LDS doesn't make me dumber than a bag of rocks.