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by sevensor 3620 days ago
I think you can take consolation in the fact that it's going to be very hard to convince 20,000 people to pull up stakes and move to the middle of nowhere to tend crops and extract mineral resources. Or even to convince the church hierarchy to dispatch 20,000 Mormons to the middle of nowhere, assuming they could do that. (I don't know enough about Mormons to say whether this is possible.)
3 comments
calebhicks 3620 days ago
This venture has nothing to do with the Mormon (LDS) Church other than the fact this guy is a member.

The leadership of the Church will not acknowledge or encourage the project in any official capacity, and will definitely not 'dispatch' members to live there.

The only exception being if there are actually 20k people, there may be a single pair of missionaries assigned to visit every now and then.

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clavalle 3620 days ago
>This venture has nothing to do with the Mormon (LDS) Church other than the fact this guy is a member.

That's the story, but in the same breath he says:

'A plat, says Hall, will be subject to state and regional laws, but will also be overseen by a board and heirachries of leaders with, it appears, strong Mormon Family values.'

That's not exactly nothing.

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closed 3620 days ago
> convince the church hierarchy to dispatch 20,000 Mormons to the middle of nowhere, assuming they could do that.

It's interesting, Mormonism originally encouraged its members to move to a central place, but around 1950 then prophet (i.e. leader) David O. McKay told people it was fine to remain at home [1]. There are some interesting pockets out there as a result of this "gathering attitude", though, like (AFAIK) a fairly substantial group of Polynesian Mormons in and around Independence, Missouri (a key area in Mormon theology)[2].

[1] https://www.lds.org/manual/presidents-of-the-church-student-...

(search the term "where they live" in the article)

[2] https://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/06/saints-in-independence?la...

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brianbarker 3620 days ago
It may not be that hard. Mormons believe jesus is coming again and will arrive at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam-ondi-Ahman. Some people have been buying land there for this reason.

Joseph's Smith's communal utopia, finally realized? Oh yeah, there are people who will go for this.

Edit: As for farming, yes mormons will be fine with it. Google "mormon food storage" and you'll be amazed. They are taught to be ready for disasters at all times.

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