But as a series of stories in The Tribune over the past weekend reported, that is what the population numbers, based in part on LDS Church membership records, show. The crux of these stories is that statewide, Mormons of record probably are about 62 percent of Utah's population, and church-going, active members probably comprise at most 42 percent of all Utahns.

So what does this mean?

From our vantage, nothing earth-shattering. For one thing, the decline of LDS people as a percentage of the state's population undoubtedly has been occurring for some time, and no one has noticed major shifts in Utah's political or religious landscape.

Of course, the changes in local communities can be more obvious than in the state as a whole. For example, the rebirth of Park City as a resort community of primarily non-Mormons has caused a seismic shift in Summit County. To cite another example, the changing demographics of Salt Lake City undoubtedly have contributed to the fact that it has had a Democratic mayor and a Democratic delegation in the Legislature for a couple of decades.

But in Utah, where religious and political affiliations are tightly intertwined (a national trend, by the way), the Legislature still remains a Republican and LDS bastion. That is unlikely to change anytime soon, barring some political cataclysm in the nation as a whole.

The reason, again, is numbers. Even if active Mormons account for just 40 percent or less of the population, that plurality remains the dominant political force, the largest bloc in the body politic. What's more, it is a cohesive minority because of the LDS Church's tight social network, a powerful organizing force in politics.

Besides, Salt Lake City is the LDS Church headquarters, where it is the largest landowner, largest non-government employer, and where it owns major outlets in all news media. Those factors amplify power.

If we were to wish for a change in Utah due to greater religious diversity, it would be that all Utahns, Mormon and otherwise, would outgrow the psychology in which religious affiliation is the most important defining characteristic of a person. But that is unlikely to change anytime soon, either.