The Washington Post reports GOP front-runner Mitt Romney‘s Mormon faith will be examined as part of his attempt to become the Republican nominee for president to face President Barack Obama in the November general election.
Here’s a look at the Mormon faith, by the numbers.
14,131,467: The total number of worldwide members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints . The term “Mormon” refers to the Book of Mormon, the main religious text for followers. The church is called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or LDS for short.
117: The number of years it took the LDS Church to grow from its original six members to 1 million. That milestone was reached in 1947.
52,483: The number of missionaries affiliated with the church. Members are serving in more than 350 areas of the world to preach the Gospel and to convert people to the message of Jesus Christ. Usually, missionaries are younger than 25.
152: The number of temples around the world affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Only members in good standing with the church may enter a temple. The main temple is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Temple buildings are much larger and more ornate than normal LDS Church buildings. The number of temples includes those already constructed, in the process of being built, and those that are planned.
1,019: The number of Mormons surveyed by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey entitled “Mormons in America” was conducted from Oct. 25 to Nov. 16, 2011.
97: The number of Mormons, as a percentage, who believe their religion is a Christian-based group. Three-fourths of the respondents said they attend church regularly.
32: The number of non-Mormon adults in America, as a percentage, who feel Mormonism is not a Christian faith. A Pew survey conducted in November 2011 found 51 percent of 2,001 non-Mormon adults surveyed felt Mormons are Christians.
47: Evangelical Protestants, as a percentage, who believe Mormons are not Christians. South Carolina was listed as the third-most religious state in the union, according to a Gallup poll taken in 2009. About half of the respondents in the non-Mormon Pew study felt they knew a “great deal” about the Mormon religion. About half were also aware that Romney is a practicing Mormon.
Related articles
- A third of Mormons say Mitt Romney’s religion will count against him – The Guardian (guardian.co.uk)
- Survey: US Mormons feel discrimination, hope – CNN (blog) (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
- Mormons: Defending Faith in White House Race (maboulette.wordpress.com)
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