Globalization and the Church

                In a time where the world is becoming further and further globalized politically, economically, and culturally, institutions across society have been forced to adapt and change to stay viable. One such institution is the LDS church. Since its establishment by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ has grown to have a membership of over 14 million in at least 162 countries (Facts. As global society becomes increasingly globalized, the LDS Church has been affected positively.

                Globalization can be defined as “the spread of political, economic, and cultural dynamics among governments, groups, and individuals beyond the borders of any one particular country.” (Samuels) Out of the three categories of globalization – political, economic, and cultural – cultural is most applicable to the effects of globalization on religion. Cultural globalization is defined by the McWorld trend – “the idea that globalization homogenizes and Americanizes different cultures.” (Samuels) The effects of globalization on the LDS church extend into the areas of media-technology and missionary work.

                As new technologies, including the internet and satellite television, have spread across the world, so has the extent of church news and broadcasts into members’ homes. Church buildings all over the world can view General Conference, a semiannual broadcast in which the leaders of the church speak to the members, via modern technologies. With the internet widely available, investigators can visit websites such as lds.org or Mormon.org to find answers to questions they may have. The church has surely taken advantage of technological globalization within culture.

                With cultural globalization, growing acceptance of different religions has allowed missionary work to become more accepted by both governments and societies of foreign countries. Because the LDS Church doesn’t send missionaries into countries that don’t formally permit missionaries within their borders, religious acceptance due to globalization is a key part of spreading missionary work. As the government of a country becomes more globalized, they become more accepting of other cultures and religions, which leads to missionaries being permitted within the country. However, the effects of globalization on missionary work don’t end there; as societies and cultures become globalized, they become increasingly ready to accept missionaries from other countries that don’t share their culture or history, but have brought the gospel message to share. The statistics show this: in 1950, 90% of LDS Church members lived within the United States; by 1997, in a far more globalized world, over half of all Mormons lived outside of the US and Canada (Global).

                As the world has become increasingly globalized, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has indeed benefited. With technologies available throughout the world and various societies warming up to foreign religions and cultures, the LDS church has been able to enhance communications, teaching, and missionary work.

SOURCES CITED

"Facts and Statistics." Www.mormonnewsroom.org. Web. 04 Dec. 2012. 

Samuels, David. Comparative Politics. New York: Pearson Education, 2012. Print.

"Global Mormonism." Global Mormonism. Web. 04 Dec. 2012.