Disputing recent Salt Lake Tribune allegations of declining Mormon population percentage in Utah, Elder Merrill J. Bateman announced the new doctrine of "in-transit". Evidently, the newspaper did not count "in-transit" Mormons in its calculations, and therefore total Mormon percentages are much higher than previously reported. Bateman also stated that lower missionary totals are due to "in-transit" demographics of young men of missionary age. He also stated that current missionaries suck, and that the "raise the bar" standards take time to impliment, but that better missionaries were "in transit". Inactivity rates in third world countries were also admitted to be "in-transit" towards higher numbers as the members become more settled.
(Bateman privately worried that the "in-transit" doctrine would be applied "in-appropriately" to other gospel applications. Tithing cannot be considered to be "in-transit" to the Church coffers but should be paid currently. Driving towards a temple but not going in cannot be considered "in-transit" temple attendance. Drunks and cigarette fiends trying to cut down cannot be considered "in-transit" towards obeying the word of wisdom.)
When questioned further, Elder Bateman admitted that "in-transit" members, in addition to new move ins, include men, women, and children over and under 8 years of age that are traveling to and from work, preschool, school, or church functions. Also included are people moving from the kitchen to the tv room, or people moving from the bathroom to the garage. Bateman put the total of in-transit members at roughly 500,000 people and said the revised statistics show that Utah is actually 110% Mormon.
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