Ex-Mormon or post-Mormon refers to a
disaffiliate of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church). Ex-Mormons—sometimes referred to as exmo or postmo—may neither believe in nor affiliate with the LDS Church. In contrast,
Jack Mormons may believe but do not affiliate; and
cultural Mormons may or may not affiliate but do not believe in certain doctrines or practices of the LDS Church. The distinction is important to a large segment of ex-Mormons, many of whom consider their decision to leave as morally compelling and socially risky. According to 2014
Pew data, around 1/3 of adults raised LDS no longer adhere to the faith (up from around 10% in the 1970s and 1980s) and in 2008 only 25% of LDS young adults were actively involved. Two surveys taken across the state of Utah between 1980 and 1981, showed that for every five converts into Mormonism, there were two converts out. Many ex-Mormons experience troubles with family members who still follow Mormon teachings.
Aggregations of ex-Mormons may comprise a
social movement
A social movement is either a loosely or carefully organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a Social issue, social or Political movement, political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to re ...
.
Reasons for leaving
The foremost reasons are disbelief both in
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...
as a prophet and in 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 ...
as a religious and historical document.
Reasons for this disbelief include perceived issues with anthropological,
linguistic
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
,
archaeological
Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
, and
genetic evidence against the Book of Mormon in the New World. In addition to rejecting the Book of Mormon for such reasons, the
Book of Abraham
The Book of Abraham is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1842 by Joseph Smith. Smith said the book was a translation from several Egyptian scrolls discovered in the early 19th century during an archeologic ...
and other Mormon religious texts are rejected on similar grounds. A study of 3000 people who were formerly affiliated with the LDS Church recorded that 74 percent of respondents cited a disbelief in church doctrine or theology as major reason for leaving the church, but only 4 percent of respondents cited conflict with other church members as a large factor in their decision to leave. Also, just 4 percent claimed that a significant reason for apostasy was dissatisfaction with the rules of conduct professed by the LDS Church. This corroborates the assertion that many Mormons are satisfied with the communal aspect and attributes of LDS Church life. A 2023 survey of over 1,000 former church members in the
Mormon corridor
The Mormon corridor are the areas of western North America that were settled between 1850 and approximately 1890 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), who are commonly called "Mormons".
In academic literatu ...
found the following top three reported reasons for disaffiliation: 1. History related to Joseph Smith; 2. The Book of Mormon; and 3. Race issues in the church.
Individuals leave Mormonism for a variety of reasons, although "single reason disaffiliates are rare among former Mormons."
Research shows that 43 percent of ex-Mormon left due to unmet spiritual needs.
Other reasons for leaving may include a belief that they are in a cult, logical or intellectual appraisal, belief changes or differences, spiritual conversion to another faith, life crises, and poor or hurtful responsiveness by Mormon leaders or congregations.
Of former Mormons surveyed, 58 percent switched to other faiths or practices.
A common pattern among those who leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been identified as the "Perpetual Cycle of Disaffection," described in the 2013 ''LDS Personal Faith Crisis Report''. The cycle begins when a member encounters troubling historical or doctrinal information—often through personal study or online sources—that contradicts official church narratives. This discovery triggers
cognitive dissonance
In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is described as a mental phenomenon in which people unknowingly hold fundamentally conflicting cognitions. Being confronted by situations that challenge this dissonance may ultimately result in some ...
, emotional distress, and a deep yearning to reconcile newly found facts with prior beliefs. As individuals seek answers, they may experience a lack of support or even ostracism from their faith community, leading to increased feelings of isolation and betrayal. The cycle often continues as members move from doubt to private study, to disengagement, and full disaffiliation. The report emphasized that these crises of faith are rarely driven by a desire to sin, but rather by a commitment to truth, integrity, and spiritual authenticity.
Those who adopt
humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...
or
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
perspectives may view certain Mormon doctrines (including past teachings on the
spiritual status of black people,
polygamy
Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...
, and the
role of women in society) as
racist
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
or
sexist
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
.
A minority of ex-Mormons cite their personal incompatibility with Mormon beliefs or culture. A 2003
Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981, and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...
publication quoted a student at church-owned
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
as stating, "the nonconformist will find a dull social life with difficulty finding someone that will be their friend, regardless of who they are or what they believe."
Liberal views and political attitudes that challenge this
conformity
Conformity or conformism is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to social group, group norms, politics or being like-minded. Social norm, Norms are implicit, specific rules, guidance shared by a group of individuals, that guide t ...
, and occasionally
sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...
, are cited as reasons for leaving Mormonism.
In recent years, the LDS Church has become more politically active, particularly with regard to legislation barring civil marriage for same-sex couples. Official church involvement in the
California Proposition 8 campaign was highly controversial, causing some Mormons to stop attending church.
Post-disaffiliation issues
After their decision to leave Mormonism and the LDS Church, ex-Mormons typically go through an adjustment period as they re-orient their lives religiously, socially, and psychologically.
Religious
An
online poll
An open-access poll is a type of opinion poll in which a nonprobability sample of participants self-select into participation. The term includes call-in, mail-in, and some online polls.
The most common examples of open-access polls ask people to ...
of ex-Mormons found that a majority of ex-Mormons do not self-identify as a member of another faith tradition, choosing to describe themselves as
agnostic
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...
,
atheist
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
or simply ex-Mormon. Some can also become
apatheist. A Pew Research report corroborated this, finding in 2015 that 36% of those born Mormon left the religion, with 21% of born Mormons (58% of ex-Mormons) now unaffiliated, 6% evangelical Protestant, and 9% converting to other Protestant, Catholic, or a non-Christian faith. Others either retained belief in God but not in organized religion or became adherents of other faiths.
Among ex-Mormons with no current religious preference, 36 percent continued the practice of
prayer
File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''
rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
often or daily.
Ex-Mormon attitudes toward Mormons and Mormonism vary widely. Some ex-Mormons actively proselytize against Mormonism, while some provide only support to others leaving the religion. Other ex-Mormons prefer to avoid the subject entirely, while still others may try to encourage healthy dialogue between adherents of their new faiths and active Mormons. Attitudes of ex-Mormons also differ regarding their church membership. Some formally resign by mailing resignation letters to request the removal of their church membership records, which the LDS Church refers to as "name removal", while others simply
stop attending church services.
Social
Ex-Mormons who publicly leave Mormonism often face social stigmatization. Although many leave to be true to themselves or to a new belief structure, they leave at a cost;
many leave feeling ostracized and pressured and miss out on major family events such as
temple weddings. Family members of some may express only disappointment and sorrow and try to reach out in understanding to their new belief system or lack thereof. Some stay under threat of divorce from spouses who still believe. Still, many ex-Mormons have given up spouses, children, and the ability to enter Mormon temples to witness important life events of family members. Ex-Mormons in geographic locations away from major
enclaves 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 ...
such as Utah may experience less stigmatization, however.
Psychological
Many ex-Mormons go through a psychological process as they leave Mormonism. Former Mormon Bob McCue described his disaffiliation as recovery from
cognitive dissonance
In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is described as a mental phenomenon in which people unknowingly hold fundamentally conflicting cognitions. Being confronted by situations that challenge this dissonance may ultimately result in some ...
. Reynolds reports that leaving involves a period of intense self-doubt and
depression as disaffiliates confront feelings of betrayal and loneliness, followed by self-discovery, belief exploration, spiritual guidance and connection as they leave Mormonism.
[ He argues that leaving may provide a renewed sense of self, confidence and peace.][ One ex-Mormon compared his disaffiliation experience to leaving a ]cult
Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...
, while others called it close to overcoming mind control Mind control may refer to:
Psychology and neurology
* Brainwashing, the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques
* Brain–computer interface
* Hypnosis
* Neuroprosthetics, the technology of cont ...
or adjusting to life outside of religious fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguis ...
. Still others compare their symptoms to divorce from marriage. Ex-Mormons may also have to cope with the pain of ostracism by Mormon employers, friends, spouses, and family members.
Ex-Mormon organizations
Many formerly LDS individuals seek community and discussion about their former beliefs in online and in-person groups. Some of these international groups include the ex-Mormon page on Reddit
Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
(with over 300,000 subscribers) as well as various group listings on the Mormon Spectrum website. Localized groups include the SLC Postmos meetup and Facebook group (with over 2,000 members) and Utah Valley Postmos meetup and Facebook group (over 900 members). The ex-Mormon subreddit gained publicity with its involvement leaking LDS documents.
Demographics
According to a ''BYU Studies'' article, as of 2014, about one-third of those with a Latter-day Saint background have left the Church. Of those who leave the Church, about 58% switch to no religion or unaffiliated; 18% switch to evangelical Protestant groups; 8% went to Mainline Protestant denominations; 10% went to generic Christianity; and 6% went to "other". The Community of Christ appeals to some disaffiliates from the LDS Church given their related but distinctive histories.
See also
*Religious disaffiliation
Religious disaffiliation is the act of leaving a faith, or a religion, religious group or community. It is in many respects the reverse of religious conversion. Several other terms are used for this process, though each of these terms may have slig ...
* Exmormon Foundation
* Exvangelical
* Lost boys (Mormon fundamentalism)
* Lapsed Catholic
*List of former or dissident LDS
This is a list of well-known Mormon dissidents or other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who have either been excommunicated or have resigned from the church – as well as of individuals no longer se ...
* Stay LDS
* Blogs about Mormonism or Mormons
* :People excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* Ed Decker
References
Further reading
*
External links
The Exmormon Foundation
- an organization dedicated to supporting those in transition from Mormonism
Recovery from Mormonism
- the most prominent ex-Mormon community on the web
Utah Lighthouse Ministry
- Founded by ex-Mormons Jerald and Sandra Tanner
{{Latter-day Saints
Disengagement from religion
Latter Day Saint terms
Mormon, Ex