Has Mormon church LOST Utah? ‘McDonaldization’ of religion has weakened its hold over Beehive State, where just 42% of residents consider themselves members – far lower than the 61% figure touted by elders

Nearly a century passes between the settlement of Mormon pioneers in Utah in 1847 and the opening of the first McDonald’s restaurant in California in 1940.

The two events seem otherworldly, but are somehow intertwined, bringing you a new 21st century phenomenon: McMormonism.

But it turns out the religion’s once devout followers don’t like it.

A striking new study shows that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), commonly called the Mormon Church, is losing its grip on power. seat of power.

Data published in the Journal of Religion and Demography (JRD) reveals that Mormons are no longer the majority in Utah.

In fact, they make up only 42 percent of the population, a significant drop from church figures, which previously stated that 60.7 percent of all Beehive State residents are believers.

And the decline could have something to do with the church’s growing corporate culture, or its “McDonaldization,” report co-author Ryan Cragun told DailyMail.com.

Cragun, a professor of sociology at the University of Tampa, believes the church’s efforts to streamline and standardize its operations as it expands around the world have diminished the unique experience of its believers in its home state, diminishing its appeal decreased.

He said the report’s findings reflected a “substantial decline in the influence of the church in the state of Utah” and that LDS leaders had enlisted social scientists, including himself, to address the crisis.

It comes at a troubling time for the religion that once dominated Utah’s cultural and political realm as it grapples with growing discontent among its followers over its handling of sex abuse and financial scandals.

The Rise of McMormonism

The Mormon Church has exerted a powerful hold on life in Utah since its pioneers established it as their home base after fleeing over the Rocky Mountains to escape persecution in what were then the more restricted borders of the United States.

Politicians, most notably Mitt Romney, tend to be of Mormon descent, while shunning the religion, alcohol and caffeine have influenced the state’s liquor laws and lack of coffeehouses.

But the JRD report found that the declining share of Mormons in the state had diluted the church’s influence on daily life.

The authors pointed to declining fertility rates and a more relaxed attitude toward alcohol, caffeine and life outside the church as evidence of its weakened state.

The report found that the primary reason behind the church’s declining influence in Utah was the migration of non-Mormons; the raw number of Mormons in the state has continued to grow.

But they said the second biggest factor was secularization, or dissatisfaction with faith.

Cragun said that while the survey did not provide specific data on why people were leaving the church, he suggested that the drive for business efficiency to facilitate expansion in the U.S. and developing countries has diminished the church’s unique appeal in Utah.

The term McDonaldization was first coined by sociologist George Ritzer in 1993 to describe how modern society had adopted some of the dominant features of the fast food chain, including the standardization of services in the name of efficiency and profitability.

Cragun said the term can be applied to the evolution of the Mormon church over the past decade.

He quoted Mormon roadshows and sermons once specific to Utah that have since disappeared.

“This was a very distinct and interesting part of Mormon culture, and now it’s gone,” he said.

‘Every Sunday in a rural province in Utah you get the same lesson as in Ghana. So if you’re a member of the LDS Church, you don’t really have to be in Utah anymore to get the Mormon experience.”

The church’s prioritization of financial success is reflected in its rapidly growing investment fund, estimated to be worth some $236 billion, and its growing real estate portfolio, which now spans 859,000 acres of farmland in the US.

But it may have come at the expense of its following.

Who are the true believers?

The discrepancy between the church’s figures and the JRD report is explained by the way the church counts its members.

To formally leave the church, a member must request that his or her information be deleted from the internal database.

But the majority simply leave informally and leave the church without enduring the bureaucratic hassle.

In the church’s membership count, these people are still members until their death, or until their 110th birthday if their death is not reported to the church.

Cragun’s team instead used self-reported religious identification surveys conducted in Utah to get a more representative picture of church membership.

Based on these studies, the researchers found that there were 1,424,094 self-identified Mormons in Utah in 2022.

While still a significant number, this represents a 34 percent decrease from the 2,173,560 on the LDS Church rolls by the end of 2021.

The report’s authors say this closely aligns with their finding that about a third of those born into Mormonism in Utah no longer identify with the faith.

Cragun, a sociologist at the University of Tampa, told DailyMail.com that while Mormons were no longer the majority in Utah, the share of active church members in the state could be as high as 30 percent.

The report shows that Mormons ceased to be the majority in the state in 2007 and have steadily declined as a percentage of the population since then.

Scandals shake the church

Cragun also pointed to previous reports and studies that have highlighted a number of reasons specific to Mormonism, including large numbers of women leaving the “patriarchal institution” because of the way it regulates their lives and relegates them to a “subordinate role’ in municipalities.

This appears to support claims by some former members that Mormons are leaving the church en masse after a series of controversies.

James Huntsman, a member of a powerful Mormon dynasty who is suing the church over the alleged misuse of its members’ money, told DailyMail.com last year that followers were “fleeing” the faith after leaders “lied” to them about how she spent her money. secret $175 billion investment fund.

The church is also reeling after dozens of current and former members accused it of “systematically” covering up decades of sexual abuse and incest within its ranks.

DailyMail.com last year revealed the devastating stories of Mormon women who claimed the church hierarchy has repeatedly protected perpetrators and punished those who spoke out.

They alleged that church leaders have repeatedly swept abuse cases under the rug to give young men the opportunity to complete missionary programs — a crucial “transitional journey” in which Mormons are sent out to spread the word of the gospel.

However, Cragun said that most people who leave religion do so simply because they “lose interest,” and not out of specific ethical concerns.

“They just have other things they’d rather do,” he said. ‘The cultural environment around the world makes it more acceptable to say, ‘You know what, I’d rather play golf on Sunday.’

The report also states that declining fertility rates among Utah’s Mormons — traditionally known for their large families — were also a factor behind the country’s declining influence.

It says this trend, which runs counter to leaders’ continued encouragement of large families, shows that “the church is losing its ability to influence behavior in neighborhoods, workplaces, and community organizations.”

Patrick Mason, a professor of Mormon history and culture at Utah State University, said the Mormon Church has become less influential in state politics in recent years.

“It recognizes that now that the cultural winds have changed, it is not effective for the church to be directly involved in most political matters,” he told DailyMail.com.

“It’s just not good public relations to try to exploit Utah as a theocracy.”