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75 years ago
Youth of the Church were true to the faith even as other Christian youth were faltering, according to an article in the Sept. 17, 1932, Church News.
The article stated that "the Church has made remarkable strides in the holding of its young people ... despite the cry throughout the Christian world that the youth ... are losing their faith in Christ and His teachings and in increasing numbers are falling away from their churches."
The activity of youth in the Church was determined by measuring membership in youth auxiliary organizations over a period of years against the membership growth of the Church. The comparison showed "the percentage of increase in membership of children and young men and young women in these organizations exceeds the percentage of increase in Church membership for the same years."
According to the article, "It has been said that unless the (Church) changes its belief in Joseph Smith, as a true prophet of God and exchanges many of its teachings and accepted principles for more modern versions of the scriptures, it would not be able to hold its youth and its membership would decrease."
Yet, "the Church can not only show a satisfactory and remarkable gain in actual membership, but a substantial increase in the acceptance of its program for the youth of the Church."
