Having left the church behind several years ago I have not wanted to get into another belief system. I'm not sure I believe in God - probably not. I know Grant Palmer believed in Jesus and I've listened to John Dehlin podcasts of ex-mormons or fringe-mormons who still believe. Is there any consensus on where ex-mormons end up?

They do whatever they want, without a bunch of old white guys in Salt Lake City telling them what to do any longer.

There is no "consensus."

Me, I reasoned my way out of mormonism -- by looking at evidence for/against the church's truth claims, and finding the evidence either showing them false, or there not being any supporting evidence.

That same reasoning process led me to the conclusion that there's no reason to believe in a 'god' thing -- 'cause evidence shows many 'god' claims false, and there's no supporting evidence for any of the others.

Your mileage may vary. If you want to believe, believe. Just don't be a dick about it, and demand other people believe the same way you do, and nobody will really care, they'll just care about whether or not you're a good, honest person.

"Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice. Shame on me."

My guess is more end up atheist than going to another religion, or, door number three-- just put the whole thing on hold--a non-Mormon shelf this time?

Done & Done Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice.
> Shame on me."
>
> My guess is more end up atheist than going to
> another religion, or, door number three-- just put
> the whole thing on hold--a non-Mormon shelf this
> time?


Is this because of TSCC's claim of the only true church - all-or-nothing thinking?

No. My knee-jerk reaction was still to believe in Jesus for a while. However all religions I looked at just seemed like Mormon-Lite to me at that point. I saw nothing new. I even took a long look at Buddhism for a while. Had a lot of friends for awhile who were Buddhists. The group I was with started to look like Mormons too to me. Suddenly the same light went off for me as seeing through Mormonism. Chanting. I learned that. Testimony meetings. Yes,really.


I could have gone on to examine any of the other thousands of Gods and their religions, but I finally got it. Religion was man made. Period. Looks like a rose, smells like a rose, pricks your skin with its thorns--it's most likely a rose.


If there were a God and he gave the world a religion, I would expect more from it than any religion on earth. I expect a lot from a God. I also expect humans to figure out on their own how to be kind, valuable members of society.

Deists are fond of saying, "God gave us reason, not religion."

Wow. That one is new to me. What a side-step of the issue that defense is. If someone said that to me I would have to question whether their God gave them any reason at all.

Also, look at the Mormon religions as an example. I don't see reason, I see agenda--a religious agenda from their God which of course is themselves.

Deists are a bit wishy-washy; like rejecting God and worshiping him, too.

They accept the notion of God, depending on how you define "God", but do not believe that he has an active interest in the universe he created. He just set things in motion and walked away, so to speak.

Thomas Paine, an early American deist, wrote the classic take-down of all revealed religions, "The Age of Reason". Both he, and modern deists, believe that if God (however you perceive him) truly wanted us to have religion, he would have revealed his intent to everybody, and not just some lone nut job or con man. And assuming there is an all-powerful, all-knowing God who created the universe, he is also responsible for our ability to reason. Revelation applies only to the person receiving the revelation; to everybody else, it is mere hearsay.

Since he has not revealed himself and his agenda to everybody universally, and with no doubt of his identity; deists, using there God-given reason, have concluded that no religion based on revelation can be valid without everybody receiving the same revelation. Short of that, anybody claiming to speak for God is just deluded or running a con.

I like your lay of the land. It seems there are as many ways to order your God as there are ways to order your coffee at Starbucks.

I'd like a decaf mocha vanilla chai lo-fat half milk/half soy venti God, please, with whipped cream and a caramel swirl! To go.

I like your comment it makes sense to me.

This is for done & done

Done & Done Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Fool me once. Shame on you. Fool me twice.
> Shame on me."
>
> My guess is more end up atheist than going to
> another religion, or, door number three-- just put
> the whole thing on hold--a non-Mormon shelf this
> time?


Yeah, that's pretty much what I was going to say. Having studied my way out of Mormonism, I couldn't just stop there. I turned my attention to all religions and found them all to be man-made.

I think if someone wanted to preach to me, I'd feel all creeped-out. "No thanks! Been there, done that. Not doing it again."

Now I'm content to just live my life in the here and now and worry about what may or may not be out there when I reach that point.

But I'm just one ex-Mormon. Every one will have their own story.

2nd vote for atheist, one reason being exmormons love the extra cash and Sunday's off.

Exmoron Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...exmormons love the extra cash and Sunday's off.


No small thing. How many Mormon families could use an extra ten percent of their own hard earned money? Some? Many?

All. All Mormons.

Human

I have been running this site for 22 years now. I believe, and it is entirely anecdotal, that 50% become agnostic (or atheist) and 50% seek some spiritual path that may include Christianity. There are a few of the latter group that turn to yet another high demand group like the JW's, but that percentage is probably less than 3%.

My advice, which has been unchanged for many years now, is for those newly out of Mormonism to take 1-2 years off from religion entirely. This may not be always possible due to family or work reasons. It is best to clear the mind and take the time to study science, the arts, music, family activities etc. After 1-2 years review any religious inclinations and determine then what path, if any, to take.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2017 12:10PM by Eric K.

Thanks Eric. That's the information I was looking for. I've been out for over three years and am still on the fence about religion . . . with my legs hanging on the side of atheism.

Have you found any correlation between whether the exmo was a convert or raised Mormon and whether they end up atheist or go to another church?

Someone above mentioned the Mormon all-or-nothing approach, and for me, my belief in God and my belief in the LDS church were one and the same, so when the latter was destroyed, the former went as well. I'd be curious to know if there is a pattern with that.

"As an atheist, you get your choice of callings, there are no deadlines and no one ever checks up on you. But when you're released, there is no show of hands by way of appreciation. 'Lonely, but satisfying', is the remark most often heard by those serving."
- -Judic West, Pastor, West Nile Virus Church of the Churchless (rt)

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "As an atheist, you get your choice of callings,
> there are no deadlines and no one ever checks up
> on you. But when you're released, there is no
> show of hands by way of appreciation. 'Lonely,
> but satisfying', is the remark most often heard by
> those serving."
> - -Judic West, Pastor, West Nile Virus Church of
> the Churchless (rt)


Que funny ... Brother Judic West was my pastor at the West Nile virus.. he had no sense of humor though so I didn't stay long.

I've been out since the late 90's. I have never had ANY desire to check out any other religion, visit other churches or even think about doing so. I guess I am apathetic about the whole thing.

I let go of SO much guilt when I left mormonism, I am loathe to join up with any organization that uses sin and guilt as a tool.

If there is a god and a judgment day, I will just have to deal with it.

I joined another church AND became a secular humanist.

I dont have any statistics, but I am aware of a number of ex Mormons who have joined other churches.There are a number who.attend Catholic and Episcopal churches.Two Catholic deacons in SLC are ex Mormons, as is the retired Episcopal bishop, Carolyn Tanner Irish. It would be nice to see a real study on this as opposed to anecdotal evidence.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2017 05:31PM by bona dea.

Any indication in the stats that you've kept whether these are BIC exmos, or converts who were previously 'religious'?

The ones I know were born Mormon, but, as I said, it is anecdotal evidence and may or may not be representative of ex mos as a whole. Same for the ex Mo atheists.I would like to see a scientific study on this.

As far as just the statistics, I think it would be a boring study, but if they delve into what types of personalities did one thing or the other, I think it would be interesting.

Naturally, it's hard for me to understand the need, desire or interest that another human being has that results in a belief in ghawd, just as any such person would be perplexed by my seeming indifference.

The fact that one has tolerance for the other, that's where the rubber meets the road.

elderolddog Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As far as just the statistics, I think it would be
> a boring study, but if they delve into what types
> of personalities did one thing or the other, I
> think it would be interesting.
>
> Naturally, it's hard for me to understand the
> need, desire or interest that another human being
> has that results in a belief in ghawd, just as any
> such person would be perplexed by my seeming
> indifference.
>
> The fact that one has tolerance for the other,
> that's where the rubber meets the road.

The study of personalities, background information, and desire to believe would be very interesting. I agree that statistics are boring. I feel my eyes glazing over already.

I would find the numbers per se interesting, but knowing why e. Mos made the choices they did would be better

realized that I had become religiously indifferent.

I neither know, wonder, nor even care if there is a deity on duty in the cosmos.

My sweet TBM DH would be appalled if I ever told him this, but it's the truth.

I do hope that there is an afterlife, because I would like very much to see my best friend of 55 years again. But then, if there isn't one, I won't be around to care.

I don't consider myself atheist. I don't really worry about my beliefs as there is no way to know anything. I don't worry about it. If there is an afterlife, I'm not concerned in the least about what will happen to me. I feel strongly if there is an afterlife, I will be with those I love.

how special or blessed or lucky they were. That didn't leave many options. I am happy being me.

They can join a church or not. They can believe in God or not. They can change their minds every other day if it seems right to them. Exmormons are free!

I tried. During my transition out of TSCC, I brought an "Un-Mormonfied" bible and started by studying that. I would listen to Charles Stanley on Sundays. I considered going Non-Denominational. But then I grabbed a hold of some science books, and remembered quite a few things that reminded me that the Earth is much older than 6000 years ago. Also catching up on my readings about pre-historic times (dinosaurs and such) and the ice age plus some serious critical thinking made me come to my conclusions about the bible and jesus' existance.
I'm now in Agnostic territory. I do believe in an existance of a deity, but that is as far as it goes. No religion, no bible, no jesus.
Not to knock those that believe in it. If it makes them happy, then I'm happy for them.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2017 06:04PM by severedpuppetstrings.

For a few years after I left Mormonism, I still considered myself Christian. But now, ultimately, I am Atheist. I never joined another church. Sundays feel so much better now. It's like they feel sacred again. Nothing about church made Sundays feel good. I am happy and enjoying life and my freedom from religion.

My answer is probably the most cliche one - I don't believe in any organized religion. I believe there's something else - if you want to call it God, sure we can call it God.I also believe that after this life there will be something else.

But no, I don't believe God wants to be worshiped the way Mormons or other religions do. I don't think God is mean. My main problem with any organized religion is the fact that it's all about observing rules.

I was an atheist and after about five years of that, joined the Catholic Church.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2017 08:20PM by liberalbutteffer.

At home it was a 50%-50%, I became an agnostic, but mom is still a JC believer.

Just a small point - being "Christian" doesn't necessarily mean one must join an organised church - I'm perfectly happy getting my inspiration from the The Lutheran Hour and other similar programs - I'm not a big "people-person" so that works out great.

Good point, I forgot to say that My mom didn't join any organised church, but still read the bible and make her prayers.

Nope, Not here. Won't fall for any part of organized religion.

I left the church in 1983 and was a cofounder of one of the earliest exmormon group.

This is my observation: most people who choose truth over comfort find the idea of keeping Christian comforting. Remember that discovering you were sold a bill of goods re Joseph Smith is a trauma. But you still have Jesus, right?

Thing is, once you start researching and studying religious claims, it's hard to just stop. Just reading some mythology makes it crystal clear that the Jesus story can't possibly be literally true. And that's the rub.

People have children to consider. And spouses. And parents. Bad enough to be an apostate (but at least you're still a Christian....) So the person may feel they've dealt enough pain to their loved ones by leaving the Morg.

And they may end up faking it in some Christian denomination. Which is fine -- at least the tithing is actually voluntary! LOL!

Those who are able to take the next step become agnostics or atheists, or like me, become practitioners of Buddhist psychology and avoiding the religion.

Your mileage may vary, as they say, but all my lifelong exmormon friends are atheists.

Kathleen

Sorry, you can't categorize ex-Mormons. We aren't all men. We vary in age. We are all different races. Some of us leave quietly and quickly. Some have more baggage than others. We don't all have college degrees. We come from every socioeconomic level. We aren't all Americans.

Anyway--the OP is still thinking like a Mormon--always trying to put people in tidy little boxes.

If you were to pin down and define this ex-Mormon, I change from day to day, moment to moment. Sometime's I'm an Atheist, sometimes agnostic, sometimes Christian, Methodist on Christmas Eve, Lutheran with my kids.

Most of the time, I don't care. Most of Christ's teachings are good rules to live by, in contemporary American society. It's OK if he isn't really the Son of God. It doesn't matter where we go when we die, because none of us has any control over death. The only thing we can control is our life (if we're lucky.)

Mormonism never gave me anything, and it didn't take away anything, either. I have no "void" or hole in my life that needs to be filled up. Truth and Love fill me up, and those have been with me, all along.

Everyone's experience is different. How can the details of all our collective lives and minds and hearts be crammed into one silly cult-of-lies? How could we all possibly have believed in one narrow religion? That boggles my mind!

Mother Who Knows Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry, you can't categorize ex-Mormons. We aren't
> all men. We vary in age. We are all different
> races. Some of us leave quietly and quickly.
> Some have more baggage than others. We don't all
> have college degrees. We come from every
> socioeconomic level. We aren't all Americans.
>
> Anyway--the OP is still thinking like a
> Mormon--always trying to put people in tidy little
> boxes.


Observation noted by me, the OP. It's hard to change thinking patterns after 67 years. My only intention was to get a feel for where people went after leaving the church - my position relative to others. A long-held Mormon thought pattern. I'm trying my best to move beyond that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/2017 11:51AM by Tom Padley.

Some of each. Each of us has to find his or her own way.

Unfortunately he got sidetracked on his way to the top secret "RFM Heavyweights" luncheon I set up at an undisclosed location. Alas, so did Simon Southerton, but there was still more brainpower in that room than an average high level corporate or academic think tank.

I liked what Simon said during his presentation (or maybe it was Will; I was a bit sleep-deprived): People are going to believe what they want to believe.

My take: Regardless of the path you take out of Mormonism--and all roads of honest inquiry lead that way--be prepared to be really angry, possibly for along time.

As those who leave organized religion are almost always angry justifiably so, their tendency is to lay low, try nothing for awhile-this is for RCs , Mormons, episcopal etc.

if however you really had a personal relationship with jesus while practicing the organized religion, that relationaship should survive and the lord will lead you usually to a simple bible based faith tradition.

you can hate the church but still love jesus- but make sure he is the true jesus of the gospel of john.

if you have not yet found jesus, don't worry hell does not await you and god does love you especially for having the courage to leave the Morg.

Once you find out you've been a victim of fraud, and lied to by con men, of a 'Cult practicing the Occult', you don't want to blindly jump into another organization.

Once I discovered I had had been dupped, I start over at the beginning. I came to the conclusion the Bible was in error, so anything built on it was in error. I've made my peace with the idea, that if when I take my dirt nap, that's it. I'm fine with that. But I haven't ruled out an afterlife of some type.

I don't know what happens when we die, but I know what I don't believe.

Due the sheer number of hypothesised gods or supernatural thingymajigs, I have found it more reasonable to assess the viability of the supernatural as a whole.

Finding no quantifiable evidence for the supernatural I have decided to give it zero weight which makes me an atheist.

Finding no quantifiable evidence that there is no supernatural. (Evidence that something doesn't' have to be supernatural is not evidence that it isn't supernatural.) I am also an agnostic.

Finding ample evidence of fraud, deceit, corruption, and doctrinal inconsistencies, I have decided to actively disbelieve certain religions. Having not closely examined many other religions I have decided to assume that their reliance on the supernatural makes them probably not true, but not quantifiably false. Which makes me apathetic to their truth claims.

yes and yes

It seems to me that Atheists flock to this site, and believers post on [DELETED] and [DELETED].

I've been visiting this site a lot less as I continue to believe, and I love how [DELETED] treats their members instead of spending all their time Mormon bashing.

If you still believe, I would really suggest you try [DELETED] for a change.

Of the 4 exmos I know ----- the 3 others are 'Christian' and I believe in God but have not found a 'religion' that I consider has 'very much' to do with the God I have found nor do I expect one exists.

If God was involved in a religion, it would be clear!

I still believe in a higher power as far as going to another Church no way I would rather spend the time with my kids doing things we want to do not what some people think we should do

Remember the Star Trek the Next Generation episode where Captain Picard all the first officers attended a Fast and Testimony meeting at the LDS 34th ward on Theta Prime?
Me neither.

Once Earth's general population becomes well educated in science and reason, all beliefs in magical things, (superstitious, religious or otherwise) will go extinct.

Given the current trends, I give religion another 50-100 years.

This is a good analogy... Star Trek.

Let's look at evolution of species...

Life emerges from the primordial soup and evolves into a intelligent being such as man.

Eons pass and man learns technologies, and eventually space travel.

Man cracks the laws of the universe and understands how to manipulate space and time.

They learn to control life and death.

They evolve and advance over great periods of time to become something completely different.

Star Trek had something like this, the Q.

Q were basically gods in their own right, but not because of "magic"... it was because they evolved and worked to that state over millions of years.

Once the universe is completely understood, anyone can be God.

So... in this viewpoint, can a God really exist?

I would be a fool to say no.

If you mean that Zeus or Odin could exist than I would say sure. But to often we get stuck trying to argue for two different things. To be G god, which is what religion requires, the being or power must be transcendent.

yeppers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So... in this viewpoint, can a God really exist?

Given.

Is there any evidence one DOES?

No.

:)

why did you leave out....

or do neither?

YOu are slanting the bias of the question....

-5LackOfOptions Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> why did you leave out....
>
> or do neither?
>
> YOu are slanting the bias of the question....


Good point. My intent was to inquire about the relative position along the continuum rather than an either-or-position.

Here's one interesting account from an ex-Mormon:

https://aleteia.org/2014/06/19/a-former-heretic-on-trinity-sunday/

I've had a hard time deciding if I'm atheist or agnostic. It came to me with your question that I'm apathetic. Religion, aside from studying it from an historical aspect, doesn't interest me much at all on a personal level any more.

I find myself between the two camps myself. I'm rather amused that there is philosophical view to accommodate the apathetic: Apatheism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatheism

I think it is a mistake to think its either
A. Join another church or
B. Be an atheist

What about C. Neither?
More Americans choose neither 24% and rising identify as, None of the above, as their religious identity.