REALITY By their fruit you will recognize them. ...(E)very good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit... Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Matt.7: 16-20
The Mormon church portrays an image of idyllic family life. Through its
media campaigns it paints a picture of truthfulness and integrity. The officials of the church give the impression that the vast majority of its members are not
only hard working, fiscally responsible and successful, but productive and stable members of society. In fact, official documents of the Mormon church make the following claims:
1) "We are, notwithstanding our weaknesses, the best people in the world...
We are morally clean in every way equal and in many ways superior to any
other people."
(Joseph Fielding Smith "Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1 p. 236)
2) "Those who are converted follow a pattern of virtue which exceeds the
pattern followed by many outside the church"
(Book of Mormon Student Manuel, 1981 edition by the Corporation of the First Presidency, p. 221)
3) "There are no better people in all the world (Ensign May 88, p. 85)
4) "... on the average (Mormons) are ... just a little better in these respects (virtues) than most other communities or individuals"
(Gospel Doctrine, p. 413) (parenthesis added)
5) "(T)he Latter Day Saints have stricter notions of virtue, and consider
themselves under greater obligations to refrain, not only from unvirtuous acts, but from unvirtuious thoughts than any other people under Heaven."
(The Seer, p.29)
6) "The best people are in this territory (ie. Utah)"
(Birgham Journal of Discourses, Vol. 9. p. 154 - parenthesis added)
We are also encouraged to believe that almost all Mormon youth are so deeply committed to their beliefs that they willingly spend two years on the mission field. Remember, according to Brigham Young, the Mormons who live in Utah, are living in Zion and have, since 1847 been the dominant force behind everything which transpires there.
Let us examine the facts from 'A' to 'Z'
A) Utah has a population of 1.7 million people, 68% of which are or claim to be Mormon (conservative estimate). Ninety-five percent (95%) of the members of the state legislature claim to be Mormon. (Las Vegas Review Journal, 3/6/88 p. 6c)
B) 1. Utah has a bankruptcy rate 3 times higher than the national average.(Deseret News, 4/3/88, p.A5 also The Salt Lake Tribune 7/19/90, Sec.B p.3)
2. As of 2001 things had ‘improved’ to the extent that Utah had a bankruptcy rate of only TWICE the national average. As of August 2002 though, the slide continued, for an 8/13/02 article in the Deseret News stated that a recent month’s filings represented a 22% increase over the same period from 01. And it’s filing rate is still the highest in the nation. (Deseret News, 7/2/02).
3. According to a report dated 3/26/04 in The Deseret News, Utah's current banckruptcy rate is 1 for ever 36.6 of it's citizens, making it the highest in the country.
C) Utah has a home foreclosure rate 4 times higher than the national average -
4.35% compared to 1.03 percent. (Deseret News, 3/24 & 25/87)
D) Utah leads the nation in the number of mothers who work outside of the home. (Salt Lake Tribune, 8/13/89, p. B1)
E) Utah ranks 48th out of 50 states with per capita income of $10,743 in 1986. (Idaho State Journal, July 19, 1987)
F) The amount of tax money spent per child for public education by the State of Utah is lowest in the nation. (NEA Today, p.8, Nov. 1990)
G) Child murder rate in Utah is 5 times higher than the national average. (The
Denver Post, Empire Magazine, 11/21/82, p.30)
H) The incidence of sexual child abuse in Utah is 33% higher than national
average. (National Association for the Protection of Children, ibid.)
I).1 Child abuse investigations have doubled in only one year in Utah. (The Salt Lake Tribune, April 16, 1990, p. 1B)
.2 Child abuse increased in Utah 170% between 1982 & 1990 (Utah Division of Family services)
.3 Reported incidents of child abuse rose an additional 20% in 1991 (Utah
Division of Family Services - Salt Lake Tribune May 7, 1992, p.A 14)
J) The incidence of rape has increased by 50% in Salt Lake City between 1988 and 1989. (The Daily Herald {a Provo Utah paper}, April 10, 1990, p. B3)
K) 1. The indicence of reported rape in the State of Utah itself has increased 30% between 1989 and 1990, giving it the 3rd highest increase in the nation (The Washington Post, March 22, 1991, p. A3)
2. According to a newspaper article in Utah "Sexual harassment in Utah is high for its population when compared to other states." (Vernal Express, Nov. 13, 1991)
L) Teen suicide rate in Utah is 3.5% higher than national average, second
to that of Minnesota. (ibid)
M) The elderly (age 75+) suicide rate for the nation is 19.2 per 100,000. For
Utah it is 57 per 100,000 which is surpassed only by that of Nevada.
(Deseret News, 12/29-30/86, p.2B)
N) Adult abuse has escalated 51% in Utah in the past four years says the state coordinator for Aging and Adult Services. (Salt Lake Tribune, July 20, 1992
p. B 2 )
O) One third (1/3rd) of all Mormon marriages end in divorce. (Latter Day
Sentinel, 3/5/88, p.24) Twenty percent (20%) of Mormon women marry non-
Mormon men. Together, these two figures represent 50% of all Mormon
marriages. This is in spite of the fact that Mormon doctrine states that
"temple marriage is essential to your salvation." (Deseret News, 4/13/88,
p.A7)
P) 1. Salt Lake County's divorce rate is 50% higher than the national average.
(The Salt Lake Tribune, Jan 11, 1990, Sect. E, p.1, see also Provo Daily
Hearld, 5/25/94).
2. The increase in martial instability among Mormons is higher than for most
other religious groups (Dialogue, Fall 1992, p. 26-27 - note, this is a Mormon publication)
Q) 1. 70% of Salt Lake County's high school seniors and 35% of the 5th and 6th graders have used alcohol, and 4% of the 5th and 6th graders have used
heroin and cocaine. (The Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 21, 1990, p.B9)
2. 1/5 of Utah women under 18 are addicted to alcohol and other drugs. (Deseret News February 19, 2002)
R) A 400% increase in job related accidents has been directly attributed to the use of illegal drugs among Utah's citizens. (Ibid)
S) According to the chief of police in Salt Lake City, there are 400 locations
in Salt Lake County alone where illegal drugs are sold openly. (Ibid)
T) The American Medical Association reported in 1986 that Utah ranked 3rd in the nation in the use of Amphetamines and jumped to 2nd place in 1988. (Salt Lake Tribune, 8/31/89, p.B1)
U) 1. The children of Utah are given more of the drug Ritalin than are those of any other state. "Utah uses more Ritalin per capita than any place on Earth." (The Denver Post wire service, 8/88, The Spotlight, 3/6/89)
2. Antidepresent drugs are prescribed in Utah more often than in any other state,at a rate nearly twice the national average. Findings of an impartial national study conducted by Express Scripts Inc, of St. Louis which tracked perscriptions of 24 drug types amoung 2 million people throughout the country.
(Los Angeles Times, 2/20/02 as found at: http://latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-022002depress.story?coll =la%2Dhome%2Dtodays%2Dtimes)
3. Utah leads the nation in the use of narcotic painkillers such as codine and morphine-based drugs. (ibid)
V) 50% of all births in Utah are to teenage girls. 7 out of 10 of these are
illegitimate. (Dallas Morning News, 7/26/83, Salt Lake Tribune, 11/20/81,
p.B9, Ogden Standard Examiner, 12/15/79)
W).1 Coed pregnancy rate at BYU is among the highest of major Colleges and Universities in the U.S. (ibid)
.2 "...the increase in premarital sex has been greater among Mormon women than any other religious group." (Provo Hearld, 8/9/91, p.B3)
X) BYU is proudly proclaimed to be the largest privately owned university in
the nation (owned by Mormon church). Yet, what does it offer its students?
BYU student/faculty ration is 21:1; whereas, the better universities throughout the nation have a ratio of 16:1, and schools like Stanford are 10:1. Most major universities in the U.S. spend approximately $20,000 per student per year for educational expenses. BYU spends $8,000. (Salt Lake Tribune, August 29, 1990)
Y) 1. Utah's prison population increased by 21.3% in 1989; whereas, the national average was 12.1%. Utah now ranks fourth in the nation in prison population increase. (Provo Herald, May 24, 1990)
2. According to the Utah Department of Corrections, Utah has the 2nd highest rate of parole violations which result in return to prison in the United States. (The Deseret News, 11/28/01)
Z) 68% of all Mormon young people do NOT go out on the mission field. LDS by 28% Church News, 5/10/87, p.3)