Various spectrums of beliefs or practice within Mormonism account for categories of

Mormons Mormons are a Religious denomination, religious and ethnocultural group, cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's d ...

possessing

faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

or skepticism regarding various doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the mainstream

LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded during ...

), or pertaining to issues of

orthopraxy In the study of religion, orthopraxy is correct conduct, both ethical and liturgical, as opposed to faith or grace. Orthopraxy is in contrast with orthodoxy, which emphasizes correct belief. The word is a neoclassical compound— () meaning ...

/heteropraxy, among those identifying as

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

. People may also partake of

Mormon culture The basic beliefs and traditions of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) have a cultural impact that distinguishes church members, practices and activities. The culture is geographically concentrated in the Mormon Co ...

to some degree as a result of having been raised in the LDS Church or else having converted and spent a large portion of their life as an active member of the LDS Church. Such "cultural" Mormons may or may not be actively involved with the church. In some cases they may not even be, or have ever been, official members of the church. Many cultural Mormons possess a strongly Mormon identity and abide with an appreciation for the lessons and the love they have received in the course of long church membership. Cultural Mormons do not necessarily hold anti-Mormon sentiments and often support the goals of the church. Many retain a sense of Mormon identity for life. Both secular Mormons and progressive Mormons are sometimes referred to as on the left side of the religious spectrums; the more typical mainstream Mormons, in the center; and religious Mormon dissidents who disagree with certain changes to "original teachings" within Mormonism, on the right. Segments of the right include both fundamentalist Mormons and dissidents who participate in the Remnant movement.

Overview

The LDS Church tolerates a certain amount of disbelief in its doctrines and practices; but, in certain instances it might consider them grounds for disciplinary action. LDS Church leaders teach that certain doubts can be resolved by "instruction, study, and prayer, which result in increased testimony, which drives out further doubts." However, disbelief in certain core doctrines (e.g., the role of Jesus as savior and redeemer, sustaining the leaders of the church as fulfilling their roles as prophets, seers, and revelators, etc.) can prevent a Mormon from participating in certain activities, such as priesthood ordinances and

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

worship. Some Mormons keep doubts secret in order to participate in such activities or avoid conflict with family and friends. Disciplinary action on the grounds of

apostasy Apostasy (; ) is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous re ...

may result when a member of the LDS Church publicly opposes church doctrines.

Internet communities

Fearing that divulging any

heterodoxy In religion, heterodoxy (from Ancient Greek: , + , ) means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". ''Heterodoxy'' is also an ecclesiastical jargon term, defined in various ways by different religions and ...

may result in stigmatization by mainstream LDS, some Mormons prefer anonymity. Many participate in Internet communities, where they can discuss their issues anonymously.

New Order Mormons

One such group refers to itself as the New Order Mormons, a name patterned on the term New Order Amish (Amish who maintain cultural ties to their religion while not accepting some of its core tenets). This is a group of Mormons and former Mormons who no longer believe at least some of the tenets of the LDS Church, but because of family or cultural ties do not choose to completely separate themselves from the faith.

Humanistic Mormonism

Humanistic MormonismMormon Theologian Sterling M. McMurrin and humanistic Mormonism:
/ref> is a movement of

freethinkers Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an unorthodox attitude or belief. A freethinker holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or ...

, cultural Mormons, disfellowshipped or independents related to LDS Church and other Latter Day Saint groups that emphasize

culture and history, but do not demand belief in a supernatural god, or the

historicity of the Bible The historicity of the Bible is the question of the Bible's relationship to history—covering not just the Bible's acceptability as history but also the ability to understand the literary forms of biblical narrative. Questions on biblical histor ...

or the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''. The book is one of ...

References

External links

New Order Mormons
– A website for members of the LDS Church who no longer believe some (or many) of the doctrines of the LDS church, but who want to maintain membership for cultural and social reasons.
New Order Mormon Discussion Forum
– "A forum for those who have chosen to remain connected with the LDS church for personal reasons and in spite of church history or present practices."
Society for Humanistic Mormonism
– The official webpage for the Society for Humanistic Mormonism.
The Post-Mormon Community
– An organization for those who have left the LDS Church and no longer believe in it. {{Latter-day Saints Christian secularism Latter Day Saint terms

Overview

Internet communities

New Order Mormons

Humanistic Mormonism

See also

References

External links