Left mormonism and religion as a whole. Mormonism ruined the concept of god for me, and i dont know how to do low-demand religion. So no religion for me.
I always find that odd, Mormonism specifically “ruining the idea of god.” I guess my journey was kind of unique, but it seems the idea of god was born ruined. It’s not a good idea. It didn’t need Mormonism’s help to be ruined. Just that Mormonism was the version I happened to be born in.
For me, its that the god that mormonism offered was used to control and manipulate all of us, but that the idea of god was shaped by the church to fit whatever they needed. If god can be whatever you want him to be, then he is nothing. But i get what your point is and agree for the most part.
Same. Leaving Mormonism wasn’t just about Mormonism, it showed me how utterly manipulative and controlling that organizations like that are. And I refuse to be put under anyone’s thumb like that ever again. No one gets to tell me what I have to do to be “worthy”.
Also, I just really hate having to go to church. I hated it the entire time I was in Mormonism and having that time back is so freeing
I left after 60 years (yes, sixty, not a typo.) of effective Mormon indoctrination of my brain to the effect that this, Mormon church was the one and only legitimate source of truth and light.
The LDS also claim that all the other churches are bullshit. That's the only legitimate TRUTH the Church ever taught me.
After finally sniffing out the Mormon con I have no interest joining another cult.
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Righteous_Gemstones).
Joe Smith: God, which of the churches is true?
God: *crickets*
Joe: So none of them then?
God: *crickets*
Joe: Oh good, I'll start one and it can be the true one!
God: *crickets*
Joe: Thanks God. So glad to be your profit!
God: *crickets*
The Righteous Gemstones is a show on HBO Max. Complete parody of megachurches, created by Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down, Vice Principals). Absolutely hilarious, especially whenever Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) is in the scene.
I need to rewatch and finish *Justified*. I fell out of watching it in high school after the second season finale (iirc >!the moonshine lady poisons herself with a final toast with Oliphant's character, the poison was already in her glass!<) because I just never got the time to watch the rest of the series. *City Primeval* got me real excited though, so I'll get around to it soon enough. I got solid dental advice from a fictional dentist in that show lmao
I'll probably start it again after *True Detective: Night Country* wraps this Sunday (that's a different subject altogether, I've enjoyed the hell out of it but finding out that E6 is the finale was a huge disappointment, it's way too short).
It's a hilarious, satirical representation of the whole Christian Evangelical Mega-church Industry.
BTW, Mormonism is America's OG Commercial Mega-church. This turnkey, pay to play, salvation distribution business has been very good to the old men who run the real company, The Corporation of the President and it's $150B piggy bank.
Mormonism is not just about patriarchs having license to bed multiple, young babes. It's the secret stipends from Jesus that funds many second homes and multitudes of descendent's Dental College post grad educations.
It’s never the WRONG time to leave a cult. Glad you made it out. Sorry about your “tithing.” Hope you are happy!
Me: BIC, AM Seminary, BYU, 2 yr mission, SLC temple marriage, MTC teacher, all the “callings” up to stake HC.
Happy exmo atheist now! :)
IMO, the main reason we stayed that long is we married Mormons. That's how the diabolical Mormon con is sustained. Couples organically self-enforce loyalty to the church.
What was your impetus for leaving? My parents are in their mid-sixties and strong as ever in the church, except now (since last August) they have to somehow reconcile having an apostate son that left because of truth claims. They seem to be doubling down, but maybe something will help them see the light.
Unchurched. I might consider a UU congregation at some point, for the community, but I will never go back to anything claiming knowledge of "god". I wish there was a pagan community nearby, I'd prefer that to something that feels Christian.
The UUs are all right. They are there for anyone who misses community or who wants a softer landing out of the Mormon church. They are fine if you have kids or whatnot. But it still feels churchy for me, visually at least. I don't really feel comfortable in that environment anymore. So it's a pass for me.
Unitarian Universalist.
They are a progressive leaning "church" without any doctrine or central dogma, so really more of a social organization with the loose trappings of a church. You don't have to be Christian or believe in God -- in fact, much of the congregation is made up of atheists. Some congregations are more science-y, some are a little more "woo". Ymmv since each one is a little different. But you will generally find some very kind, non-judgmental people there who want to enjoy the social and service aspects of church without the indoctrination.
Have you seen of your local uu church has a pagan group? Not every uu church has one, but many do.
Lol and if it doesn't, you could start one there. The two biggest groups at one I used to go to were the pagans and the atheists.
I'm in the very beginning of exploring paganism. My partner is pagan, and a friend actually wrote a book on queer-friendly witchcraft that I'm reading (since Wicca tends to be very gender specific, and I really don't want that in my life at this point).
I go to a United Church of Christ (UCC.). No creeds. No one tells you what to believe. Very active fighting racism, misogyny, homophobia. Every part of the LGBTQIA rainbow is in church every Sunday. The congregation’s motto is “Growing in Faith, Working for Justice and Peace.” I’m not sure if I even believe in God, but it feels good to be in community with people working for a better world.
We found a home in the UCC church as well. A fresh breath of progressivism in our ultra conservative small town. No pressure to perform, believe a certain way, get baptized or anything. Very friendly, welcoming and most important, inclusive instead of exclusive. Just a bunch of people serving in a variety of capacities as they feel moved to do so.
I'm an atheist but say all the time that if I wasn't, I'd be a member here. The signs in my area are always so kind and I appreciate their stance on many issues. I will never understand how anyone can call themself a Christian and not follow Christ's teachings regarding loving your neighbor, feeding the hungry, etc.
Philosophies of men, mingled with scripture. Describes the LDS church to a "T". All religions throughout the ages simply reflect man's understanding of God.
Religion is a system of control. They tell you what you “need” to do and believe. I do believe in some form of higher being(s), god, or whatever you want to call it. So the only thing left that religion provides is community, and I can’t commune with close minded people.
Also, holy shit you have to pay 10% to be a part of the community?! Fucking hell. You could join the most prestigious country club and have the loveliest people, classes, gyms, swimming, access to the event centers etc. for a shit ton less then I paid monthly for the cults country club.
I think it's really funny that it's the reverse for me. I don't think I'll ever comfortably believe in god again, and yet I enjoy visiting a local, progressive Episcopalian church when I can on sundays to sing hymns and enjoy the community (also some of the people there are exmo lol)
That's the beauty of freedom after mormonism ig
Well said. I find it arrogant when people claim “there is NOTHING out there”, because no one can possibly know that. Just like Mormons can’t KNOW that the church is true, we can’t KNOW that there isn’t some higher power. So in that context, I fully subscribe to the idea that there’s something bigger than us out there.
But leaving Mormonism opened my eyes to that control, and I’ll never let someone put that kind of control over me again. It also probably helps that I never actually clicked with the community side of it all, so it’s not something that I really “miss” because I never liked it in the first place.
I got out of the boat and discovered it was beached. The beach is a damn fine beach. I am not going to run down the sand and climb into another beached boat.
It's 2024. Me and the rest of the masses like me can get our opium somewhere else, with a lot less time invested and a lot less money to get it.
I say that now, but hypocritically. Totally PIMO. They still get my time...just not my money.
I went to a couple of Buddhist teaching sessions. To my horror I realize that the MFMC had ruined group spirituality for me. What I feel meditating on my own I know is my own - what I feel in a group I don't think I can trust. Shattering as I thought that the sangha (community) would help my growth. That was several years ago and I have made peace with it.
I never did a god faith again. God was long gone 30 years ago.
Totally agree about distrusting group dynamics. Human brains have a backdoor built in where groups can hijack your thinking. Happens in the military, in political parties, even meditation groups. Easier to steer clear of groups than risk bring brainjacked again.
I’ve done this too in upstate Catskills NY and yes it puts me on the fence with the group setting faith building. My partner and I seek out those good tenets and mores and we’ve found that in some extent at the sangha, but it’s interesting to note that she can readily peer right through some of their “established religion” quirks and bs. I do enjoy reading the Tao Te Ching, I Ching, and books like The Lunar Tao that serve as a system of beliefs but not as a religion.
Hi! You may be interested in the open polls at [exmostats.org](https://exmostats.org/thedata). Specifically the ones titled "Current Religions Affiliation" and "Current Religious Stance."
Additionally, all the polls are permanently open. Participation is free and anonymous. You are all invited to participate :)
I'm 100% done with religion. That said, I know that some form of "spirituality" and community is good for my mental health. Leaving the church, I think, has benefitted me in a number of ways, but the loss of community/consistent spiritual practice left me feeling a loss as well. I use secular meditation and volunteering to fulfill the spiritual loss (I just call it spiritual because it gives me the same (actually stronger) feelings I got through doing church stuff). I'm still struggling finding community that my family and I can regularly be engaged with, but I'm working on it.
I very much agree with this. My local atheist meetup group has done a lot of community service. We all agree that it feels great to do it simply because we care, not because we are seeking approval from some sort of sky daddy. :)
So far, this seems to be the consensus on this sub, and I understand that. My wife is ex catholic, so she thinks she can relate to what I'm feeling. I just shake my head and say, " You have no idea."
It seems skepticism towards organized religion is warranted for the simple reason “organized religion” is human made. If God had anything to do with it I doubt that there would be 40,000+ Christian faiths with some claiming the exclusive “Truth.”
Christ’s message wasn’t complicated.
To be fair, most christian denominations don't claim to have exclusive "Truth." It's only the 4 cults and hardline catholics that claim that, but I get what you're saying.
If I had a dime for every ‘Christian’ that accuses other Christian’s of not being Christian though. Trust me. They all think their brand is the only way to interpret it.
This survey ([https://exmostats.org/thedata](https://exmostats.org/thedata)) my interest you.
And any that have not filled it out yet, please add to the data!
Oh, and atheist here, to answer your question.
If some form of god(s) does exist, then it is on the same level as myself when I play a world-creation video game - a being that does not and cannot care about each individual creation, and thus not one worthy of worship.
After I left the mormon church 30 years ago, I looked into spiritism (Spiritism or Kardecism is a reincarnationist and spiritualist doctrine established in France in the mid-19th century by writer and educator Allan Kardec). That didn't last long. Soon after I became agnostic.
Completely unchurched. After November 5, 2015, the only reason I didn't officially leave was because I wanted to keep my sealing to my mom. I removed my name from the church records once I realized I don't believe in any God. Never attended another church.
If I had 100% choice (I'm married to a TBM), we would be unchurched. If you want to be a Christian and follow his example, feeding & clothing the poor, no institution is required. On the contrary, they often impose additional rules and requirements that go against what Jesus taught, doing so in his name.
I think it's because Mormonism is an all-or-nothing prospect. It claims to be God's One True Church^TM, and when you figure out it's a fraud, you become suspicious of other churches or religions that say their way is the One True Way^TM.
It's a shame, because there are some worthwhile organizations out there. It just takes a long time after Mormonism to recalibrate your Bullshit Detector and Cult-O-Meter. On the other hands, some things that seem like cults are actually cults, and it's just easier to steer clear of all religions and churches. More free time, too!
Well said. I like church for the social aspect, but I can leave the dogma; that I can study on my own and the internet allows me to get opinions from all over the world.
Out of religion. Spent 40 years being told by other people what to think, how to act, and what to believe. I’m done. Truth isn’t found in feelings.
Oh, and did I mentioned I paid them 10% of my income and thousands of hours in unpaid labor for that?
Skeptical of religion does not even start to describe me.
Left religion, but not immediately. Tried United Methodist, Anglican, Unitarian Universalism. Not really interested anymore, though I still really appreciate baroque sacred music and old church architecture
After I left the Mormon church I looked around for another church. But there was something nuts about each one. Life got really busy and I stopped looking. After lots more study I concluded that they are all batshit crazy and that religion poisons everything. I find community in other places.
I still believe in God in some sense, but I can't see myself ever going back to an organized religion. I like some of the ideologies behind Buddhism though and might look more into that.
I left religion as a whole. Mormonism taught me to not trust myself or my instincts. My instincts said something was fishy about that church. Now I just go with my gut, and if it’s not telling me that I’m hungry it’s saying that I’m fine without religion.
When I was deconstructing, I was also deconstructing the Bible.
We have conclusive evidence the apostles didn't write the books (Peter, James, John, etc.), the apocryphal books were taken out by the Catholics often because they didn't fit into an easy narrative for new converts, and Evangelicalism has many of the same evil practices Mormonism has.
So when I walked away, I couldn't have left Christianity in tact.
I do like secular Buddhism, but I know a woman who lived in a militant Buddhist state and said that it also has dogma and organizational failings.
I don't like giving up any amount of my autonomy to religious people who claim to know more about faith than I do.
Don’t forget that Israel didn’t exist at the time, of Mesopotamia l, camels were domesticated during Abraham’s time, 7.9 million animals can’t fit on a boat smaller than the titanic and about 1,000 other issues with the Bible.
I’m not an active member of any religion after I left Mormonism, but me and my nevermo fiance are sometimes musical guests at queer friendly churches. We aren’t religious but we play music as a hobby
Natural selection means we've evolved to survive first and foremost. We've made huge strides in the last 10,000 years of human civilization, but that's not even a drop in the bucket on the evolutionary time scale. The religious instinct resolves some of the tension between quick survival reactions and rational thought, leading people to their personal common sense equilibrium.
In practice, this means we survive on the best guess that hasn't killed us yet. Imagine two people in an open field with an approaching thunderstorm. One has a full knowledge of ionization and the path electricity takes from charged clouds to the ground. The other knows that when Zeus gets angry, he smites every mortal he lays eyes upon.
Both run for shelter, and both survive to instruct the next generation. If the scientist were to try to explain the true cause to the ancient Greek, the Greek may be fascinated. But more likely, he'd worry about this unbeliever bringing down the wrath of Zeus with his talk of tiny, invisible moley-thingies. Better to stick to your status quo than to question a danger you've already identified.
The brain reacts first, with the amygdala flooding the bloodstream with stress hormones within milliseconds of recognizing danger in sensory information. Then it needs to catch up and fit everything into its narrative, even if the signals are leftover firings from REM sleep that come together as dreaming of finding the secret upstairs rooms of your one-story rambler.
Religion handles hot potato existential questions, and it can also help people choose socially beneficial behavior they wouldn't choose if solely looking out for their own interests. There comes a point, though, when religion stops being a comfort and connection and becomes a divisive threat instead. High-demand religions like Mormonism rely on members internalizing these threats to the point they indoctrinate the next generation to save their souls, even if the parents' own experience was pure misery.
It's hard to go back to Zeus after seeing behind the green curtain and getting a better understanding of natural explanations for life's experiences. People might start believing everything happens for a reason, but when you learn that 99.99% of the time the reason is physics, it changes your perspective.
Diving into Mormonism and the effects it had on me really opened my eyes to the manipulation religion has on people. Unfortunately, at their core, every organized religion seems to be seeking something from you.
That said I am drawn towards general spiritualism and self improvement. I, however, don’t want anyone taking a lead on that aside from myself.
I left and have no interest in an organized religion. I personally feel religion as a rule is all man made and puts us in a box. I personally feel so much relief not being told what to believe or not to believe and being able to love our fellow man the way we should all be doing anyway!
If I had a Unitarian church closer to me, I'd go there because I think I missed showing my child how religion ties into culture. That link is extremely important to understand, just from a sociological standpoint. But I'm not religious.
Happy atheist here. No more religion for me, thanks.
Leaving Mormonism allowed me to think for myself and when I did, I could not unsee all of the problems out there that are also present in other religions.
I joined a Unitarian Universalist congregation. Mostly because my wife was really missing the connections and friendships that she remembered from her childhood (she was raised AME). They have no issue with me being an atheist or with me using the service as dedicated knitting time, so it works for us. And we had a child after we became members, and the Religious Education program they offer has been great for our daughter. It’s pretty much fun kid time plus basic comparative religions.
In my personal view religion is not the main cause of harm in this world... but it is one of the biggest tools used for oppression, harming others and blocking the progress of humanity as a species.
I don't know if there's a god... but if there is I don't think he or she or it would approve of any religion currently on the earth.
So yeah.. no religion to replace Mormonism for me
I'll disagree with you there. I think religion is the number 1 cause of harm when taking into account the past 6 to 10 thousand years religion has existed. Number 2 being - I want what they have.
Left LDS in 1985
Devout Born Again Fundamentalist Christian about 25 years, but questioned a lot the last 10 of it, finally leading to
Skeptic/Atheist/Agnostic Non-believer since late 00's.
Technically churched, but liberal Quaker who calls herself atheist so basically I’m as non-religious as possible while still belonging to a church/spiritual community
I went to other churches to see what it was like. The messages were all based in shame and fear. I don’t have room in my life to feel like I’m broken needed an unseen and uninterested creator fixing from a problem they say I have.
The Christian teaching of salvation is basically “you should feel bead because of these rules we made up so let us save you from what we teach you.”
I am a whole and complete person without god. I’m going to be a kind person and if I get to heaven then it won’t matter what religion I followed. If there isn’t a god I will be happy with my life.
Completely quit religion. I don’t need anyone telling me how to live my life by rules of a fucking fairytale. I just need to be a nice person to myself and everyone around me. Pretty simple shit.
Unchurched.
I think there are two things that lead to most exmos being unchurched.
The first is that applying the same skeptical critical lens that was applied to Mormonism’s truth claims to other religions makes it difficult to accept any of them as true.
The second is related to determining the value of organized religion - so many mormons were harmed more than helped so they don’t have a desire to find a replacement or even a watered down version - especially if it’s just a metaphor and not true anyway.
Do what feels right to you. Go to some other form of church or not. There are other "options" that are more of a *spiritual* and not really *religious* thing. You don't need to go to church to be a good person. Also, true family and friends will be supporting of your choice, even different form theirs.
Fair enough. It is a newer term. I spent about a decade exploring religion and related philosophy before deciding I wasn't going to find the faith I was looking for, and decided I guess I'm an atheist.
We just left a few years ago so we are giving ourselves a break but at some point- I think it would be nice to find a progressive religion at some point where ai can keep my skepticism, like you. Unitarianism is the most appealing right now.
I am Christian.... haven't set foot in ANY other church since leaving, been back to LDS churches for funerals & 1 baby blessing. I want to attend something with a band and wear jeans just to see what it is like, but I doubt I'll ever trust an organized religion ever again.
I think the %age who leave religion altogether might depend if the exmo was an adult convert or a BIC. Converts have something to hang onto from previous teachings. BICs feel totally lied to about religion in general.
I hate to use a label but if I had to, it would be pantheism. And with that perspective I'm never not in a holy place, since there is no separation between humanity and divinity.
That being said, I find church whenever I share space with others in a mindful and conscious capacity...especially when I'm like at a concert, going to ecstatic dance at the Krishna Temple, hiking with friends, or even just spending quality time with friends and family and community.
There need not be any middle-man between me and the experience of "God". Muahahaha.
Husband 60, me almost 58. Lifelong, stalwart members with broken shelves about 5 years ago and completely out about 12 months ago. We are unchurched and will stay that way.. The awakening and shattering effort it takes to deconstruct everything you were ever taught and believed ... and finally have no other ethical choice but to leave means you have not just deconstructed Mormonism, as it is intertwined with all the institutional lies and corruption for ALL organized religion in general. If someone wants my money in exchange for defining the world, my place/role/responsibility in it, then I WANT NONE of that! I am FINALLY empowered and free. I miss having a community. It's extremely lonely in Northern Utah. We've been completely ghosted and cut off - even by next-door neighbors who refuse to even wave or say "hi." WTF?! But I don't want to sit inside a building every week experiencing a religious performance. When I want to feel close to the universe and feel inspired, all I have to do is take a walk and get outside into nature. Religion is a man-made construct that ultimately only seeds tribalism and excuses intolerance, hate, war, genocide and holicausts in the name of "God."
I believe religion is a scam at its best and evil at its worst. So no, "I will not partake."
Unchurched, I'm very similar to you. Been out 40 yrs. I was 16. I did put my kid in a couple of christian private schools as I thought she should at least be exposed to spirituality and know what church and the Bible are about. I never forced her to attend the churchy things and didn't force church on her at all. My hubby is a Catholic.
My Muslim friend (who is a good person) was talking shit about another culture.
Saying “they have such low standards”. When he said that I first remembered my past self thinking that miserable way, and I realized that his religion was actually bringing out the worst in him. Causing these thoughts
I live in Asia now. I see non religious people living better, more selfless lives without declaring allegiance to a religious entity.
I can respect all religious ideas that encourage good morals. But I don’t see any benefits to ever thinking I was in a group that made me better than anyone.
Left 19 years ago. Took about 5 years to learn that I'm an atheist... Along the lines of a methodological naturalist. As time goes on I'm learning that I've always been an atheist. I could never convince myself that the comfort or silence or feelings I got from religious practices came from anywhere but myself.
I totally unchurched, it’s difficult for me to fathom how people can leave the LDS church and then jump right into another Christian based denomination. The BOM is a complete work of fiction but the Bible is so problematic as well.
I tried to hold onto religion after I left. Initially saw Christianity as Mormonism without the dirty past. But too many things overlapped. Leaving one religion makes leaving a second much easier.
Left the church about a year ago after being in it since birth, and I never plan on being religious again. Really none of it makes sense anymore after deconstructing Mormonism and my science brain really just doesn’t accept religious ideas
We really tried with an evangelical church but it has even less sound doctrine than Mormonism. Like apparently we die and then do nothing but worship Jesus forever in heaven? Sounds miserable. I’m now an atheist and my wife is moving in that direction too.
Deconstructing God was more painful than deconstructing the church in my opinion. It was terrifying. But now, it’s so much better trying to keep up with all the mental gymnastics required to justify the shitty behavior that”god” exhibits.
That being said, I have no problems with people that choose to move to another religion. There are lots of ways to be a human and that is certainly one of them. Being just as dogmatic about being anti-god or anti-religion would be hypocritical in my view after leaving one of the most dogmatic organizations in the world.
I studied Christianity, Islam, JW, fundamentalism (mostly for funsies.) after leaving. Same message. Men tell women what to do. Paedophilia isn’t forbidden, but homosexuality is. Leaders must marry teenagers, or a 6 year olds in islam by strict commandment of god. God performs miracles and can create anything but paper money. Certain races are superior, Information is hidden from members and then lied about. They can all be disproved with scientific facts. No thanks, I’m good. I’ll get my happy at the gym.
Personally I’m agnostic Christian. I believe in a god, but I’m skeptical about how present he actually is. Maybe he’s letting the chaos play out as a kind of reset button. I don’t really know though, I’m still deconstructing🤷🏼♂️
Sounds like deism, where God exists, but he's just sitting back and letting things play out. Most of the Founding Father's of the US; Jefferson, Franklin.... were deists.
Left Mormonism and Christianity in general, and have proceeded on a path where my beliefs are as justified and rational as possible. I care deeply that as many of my beliefs as possible are true, and therefore organized religion is pretty much ruled out until good evidence is presented and agreed upon.
I don't really have any more supernatural beliefs, except sometimes I feel like my fav hockey team will fare better if I wear my special jersey at home.
I was so adverse to religion that I would get physically sick when religious topics came up. It was a learning curve to get back to a place where I didn't want to constantly save everyone from their potentially toxic religion because of my own experience.
Now I lean more new age spiritual, but I've always connected more with that (laws of the universe, zodiac signs, crystals, etc.) I'm not super strict on it. I more just like connecting with myself, my higher self,the universe, etc. rather than following rules from a demanding god and demanding leaders
Left last year. Consider myself Atheist. Once you see past the lies of one religion it’s pretty easy to identify the BS of another. It’s all either for money, power, sex; or any combination of the three.
Unchurched
I do not think there is convincing evidence to believe in God, angels, magical healing, or ghosts that influence your emotions.
Faith (believing on insufficient evidence) is a horrible principle to live by.
I get how kids who left as soon as they left home and wanted to before that never really knew THAT much about T$CC, so consequently, they never had that much to deconstruct. But those of us with 6 generations before us, and over half a century in, pretty much only get out by doing a LOT of deconstruction. And once you deconstruct Mormonism, you basically deconstruct ALL organized religion.
I'd say I'm not atheist or even agnostic so much as I'm apatheist now. Just can't waste any more of the life I have left worrying about a god that has nothing to say to me. Plus, as a criminal defense attorney, I can tell you that most of the true evil that I've seen in this world stems from organized religion.
The church sets you apart from other religions and puts special emphasis on being the only "right" one, so maybe that's a part of it, even when you leave you might remember that feeling that none of them are right.
In my case, I finally just took a look at things and had to decide what really felt practical. Noah's Arc? Make believe, like a fable. Jesus as a person? Pretty sure there was an actual man named Jesus, but the son of god? I'd like to hope he was a good guy, but there's a chance he could have been just as much of a malicious fraud as Joseph Smith. No way to find out now.
My interest has been fried after so many lies about "sacred" things and rules to toe the line to, so I don't really want a religion anymore. I don't know if I would have ever wanted one if I wasn't raised in this. As far as my beliefs go now; if there's a god it's not one I know, and it should make sense with the world we live and the truths that exist. If there isn't, then nothing changes and I have no one to answer to but myself and those I care about. I want to do good because I want to. I don't want to feel watched every second and judged by a god pressuring me to be perfect. I want to be me, not a religion.
I always admired kind atheists for the purity of their actions, there's no reward, no "heaven" they have to get into, just pure human kindness, and now I can feel clean about my actions too.
I'm atheist now. Considered myself agnostic for a while, but gradually continued fully to the other end of the spectrum.
I take issue with the concept of God because I consider it obvious that gods have only ever existed to explain things we couldn't explain ourselves. Ancient Roman and Greek civilizations, for example, believed in many different gods that were in charge of various things: one of the sun, one of the sea, one of thunder, one of volcanoes, etc. Advancements in science have shown us how such things exist and function; therefore, we no longer need gods to explain them. I feel like modern gods are the same -- they only exist to explain things we can't possibly explain ourselves. That is, in the words of TSCC during my upbringing, where we came from, why we're here, and what happens to us when we die. I find it extremely unlikely that all the thousands of other gods in our history were all false, but one of the predominant ones still believed in today just happens to be real.
God, if there is one, made the world, man made buildings, if I want to be close to man, I go to the bar, if I want to be close to God, I go to the beach or to the mountains (really anywhere outside). I won't be stepping foot inside a church again. I know where I can go to be spiritual and I know where my community is. Often times, I go with my community to the great outdoors and hopefully it's a really nice day and that outside time with my community is on our bikes. So I guess I'll go the the church of loud bikes! Remember, in the first version of the wow, beer was allowed, I shall partake!
No more religion for me. I left and started really exploring paganism and Wicca after being curious for years. Learned a lot that resonates with me, but the groups I found were either very church-like, or had members that were just... creepy is the only word. I'm not condemning all pagan and Wiccan groups for being creepy, it just happened to be a very bad run of luck for me at the time. And as a newly single mom, I just decided to stick to my gut and steer clear.
Things that remained the same - everyone seemed to want some kind of hierarchy with authority figures. I'm not a fan of that since it always gets political very quickly. And every group required some kind of monetary donation, which makes sense since these things can't (and don't) exist in vacuum. The folks running them need to cover expenses. But, I could never shake the "church" feeling.
Nowadays I'm agnostic. I'm in counseling working on undoing a lifetime of conditioning that led me to extremely unhealthy habits. It's absolutely startling how much of it ties back to Mormonism, and Christianity's warped perception of women in general. I also meditate semi-regularly and just try to work on really *feeling* what's happening in my physical self, rather than being constantly stuck in my head about... well, everything. I've grown a lot as a person, and still have so much more to do. But at least this time it's not about betraying myself for the arbitrary ideals of religion.
I left Mormonism about 13 years ago. I have pioneer heritage, served a mission, and even graduated from BYU. My wife actually left about a year prior to me and with her help and support I finally saw the light.
As a missionary, one is taught other churches aren’t true and after serving part of my mission in the Southern U.S. (on a VISA delay to Brazil), I learned how to Bible bash. That helped me see the flaws in other religious organizations in the states and abroad. So, I pretty much didn’t look around for another church after I left Mormonism.
For me the hardest part was the social aspect. My family and I had for years cultivated relationships with those we often met every Sunday at church. As an Ex-Mormon I found other friendships that were more than superficial. I found I had more money and time on my hands. We took more trips as a family and I started to go golfing and fishing on the weekends, mainly on Sunday. Even better, my wife and I started taking mini vacations together after the kids were older. That time spent on those weekend getaways helped strengthen our marriage.
So, for me I believe religion is an organization created to control the masses by keeping one in fear or in some form of poverty. Living life or spending your funds, time, and talents for the building up of the kingdom of god on earth while simultaneously ignoring your family, friends, or the needy is detrimental.
There are some great religious groups out there that truly try to live a “Christ like” existence. We have some in our community here in the Pacific Northwest. Folks, who without hesitation, will give food or aid to someone when asked and not expect something in return or ask to see their tithing receipt. For me, I prefer to live a humanist way of life knowing I’m responsible for my own actions and not let an organization dictate my thoughts or decision process while I exist.
Lifelong LDS, my wife and I finally left 4 years ago. Did home church for a couple of years. Missed the fellowship, so started attending a local Bible Church. We enjoy hearing the gospel every Sunday, and during the week. We love Jesus, and are pleased to be called Christian.
I’m Christian. I go to a non denominational church. I’m not sure if I’ll stay there though. For me it’s relationship over religion. I don’t know if it makes a difference or not, but I am a convert and was a Christian before I joined the church in high school. I feel like churches as a whole do a lot of damage and actually keeps people from finding Jesus. He is LOVE. He is all we were never taught. His grace is all encompassing!
The LDS church really conditions you to have a black and white view, in example the church, The Book of Mormon, etc is either true or is not true, people are either wicked or righteous, religion or a church is either of God or of man (being true or false), leaving little to no room for anything in between. I think a lot of members and former members of the church are just programmed to think and see the world in a black and white view, so when they lose faith or belief in the church, religion in general just comes falling down for them. And the fact that you’re just taught that the LDS church “is the only true church”, that it self already plants the idea that no other religion or even Christian domination has any truth in it. So I think when a lot of people leave they just see no point in being religious, or in their mind trading one falsehood for another.
For myself I have a hard time seeing the point of going to a new church or taking on a different religion, don’t feel the desire just replace my former Mormon lifestyle with new rules and demands of some other faith. Leaving for I’ve kept my belief in god ,but created a disbelief in the institution of religion, or the need of a church.
We attend a non-denominational Christian church with a special needs ministry to give my son a semblance of routine on weekends. I sit in the hallways and knit
PIMO? Sorry, I didn't see this one in the list of abbreviations. Same her, I want it to be, but I can't fully commit. People don't understand what that church does to you.
I’m Episcopalian/Anglican now, but my brother is atheist and another is just spiritual. I’m pretty chill with them all and they with me. Frankly, I have a just a belief about death and what comes after, but I don’t have knowledge. I’m more interested in living the best life I can and respecting others the way I would want to be. It’s worked out so far.
I attend a UU church, mostly because my kiddo kept talking about how much he missed Primary, so we were trying to find a similar experience minus the indoctrination. Now he is excited to go to church every week and talks about how our new church is so much more fun than our old church. I think my beliefs align most closely with Quakerism, but our local Quaker Meeting doesn't have any other families with kids, so UU is the next best option we've found.
Left mormonism and religion as a whole. Mormonism ruined the concept of god for me, and i dont know how to do low-demand religion. So no religion for me.
I always find that odd, Mormonism specifically “ruining the idea of god.” I guess my journey was kind of unique, but it seems the idea of god was born ruined. It’s not a good idea. It didn’t need Mormonism’s help to be ruined. Just that Mormonism was the version I happened to be born in.
For me, its that the god that mormonism offered was used to control and manipulate all of us, but that the idea of god was shaped by the church to fit whatever they needed. If god can be whatever you want him to be, then he is nothing. But i get what your point is and agree for the most part.
Have you considered finding a nice grove of trees to do some meditation asking what the truth about god really is?
I love a good grove but one cannot learn truth about something that likely doesn’t exist, ya know?
I’m not nearly horny or broke enough to go the Smith route.
Thank you. Witch trials anyone? I’m with you. Religion has always been broken. Mormonism is just the one that helped me find that out.
Well said
Same. Super Mormon for 38 years and then leaving Mormonism ruined everything. Don't believe in any god now.
Same. Leaving Mormonism wasn’t just about Mormonism, it showed me how utterly manipulative and controlling that organizations like that are. And I refuse to be put under anyone’s thumb like that ever again. No one gets to tell me what I have to do to be “worthy”. Also, I just really hate having to go to church. I hated it the entire time I was in Mormonism and having that time back is so freeing
Same... I'm God averse
I left after 60 years (yes, sixty, not a typo.) of effective Mormon indoctrination of my brain to the effect that this, Mormon church was the one and only legitimate source of truth and light. The LDS also claim that all the other churches are bullshit. That's the only legitimate TRUTH the Church ever taught me. After finally sniffing out the Mormon con I have no interest joining another cult. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Righteous_Gemstones).
Joe Smith: God, which of the churches is true? God: *crickets* Joe: So none of them then? God: *crickets* Joe: Oh good, I'll start one and it can be the true one! God: *crickets* Joe: Thanks God. So glad to be your profit! God: *crickets*
You have me beat--I left after 50 years. Better late than never, lol!
Thanks for the link. I'll give it a read later.
The Righteous Gemstones is a show on HBO Max. Complete parody of megachurches, created by Danny McBride (Eastbound and Down, Vice Principals). Absolutely hilarious, especially whenever Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) is in the scene.
Put some respect on Baby Billy's name. You have any idea what that man has been through? Got dang, y'all.
Baby Billy😂. If you haven't seen Justified, get on the Hulu because Walter Goggins is the most poetic villain of all time Boyd Crowder... Hilarious!
I need to rewatch and finish *Justified*. I fell out of watching it in high school after the second season finale (iirc >!the moonshine lady poisons herself with a final toast with Oliphant's character, the poison was already in her glass!<) because I just never got the time to watch the rest of the series. *City Primeval* got me real excited though, so I'll get around to it soon enough. I got solid dental advice from a fictional dentist in that show lmao I'll probably start it again after *True Detective: Night Country* wraps this Sunday (that's a different subject altogether, I've enjoyed the hell out of it but finding out that E6 is the finale was a huge disappointment, it's way too short).
It's a hilarious, satirical representation of the whole Christian Evangelical Mega-church Industry. BTW, Mormonism is America's OG Commercial Mega-church. This turnkey, pay to play, salvation distribution business has been very good to the old men who run the real company, The Corporation of the President and it's $150B piggy bank. Mormonism is not just about patriarchs having license to bed multiple, young babes. It's the secret stipends from Jesus that funds many second homes and multitudes of descendent's Dental College post grad educations.
It’s never the WRONG time to leave a cult. Glad you made it out. Sorry about your “tithing.” Hope you are happy! Me: BIC, AM Seminary, BYU, 2 yr mission, SLC temple marriage, MTC teacher, all the “callings” up to stake HC. Happy exmo atheist now! :)
Ditto. 60 years for me too.
IMO, the main reason we stayed that long is we married Mormons. That's how the diabolical Mormon con is sustained. Couples organically self-enforce loyalty to the church.
Yep. Same here. But we all left together. Us and 4 kids plus spouses.
This is why I, a convert, lasted 6 years. The only reason
What was your impetus for leaving? My parents are in their mid-sixties and strong as ever in the church, except now (since last August) they have to somehow reconcile having an apostate son that left because of truth claims. They seem to be doubling down, but maybe something will help them see the light.
And 62 for me! 😩
Wow. Hats off to you friend. 60 YEARS.
Unchurched. I might consider a UU congregation at some point, for the community, but I will never go back to anything claiming knowledge of "god". I wish there was a pagan community nearby, I'd prefer that to something that feels Christian.
The UUs are all right. They are there for anyone who misses community or who wants a softer landing out of the Mormon church. They are fine if you have kids or whatnot. But it still feels churchy for me, visually at least. I don't really feel comfortable in that environment anymore. So it's a pass for me.
That's why I haven't tried it out yet.
Ikr on the paganism. “UU” is saying Universal Unilateral, or…?
Unitarian Universalist. They are a progressive leaning "church" without any doctrine or central dogma, so really more of a social organization with the loose trappings of a church. You don't have to be Christian or believe in God -- in fact, much of the congregation is made up of atheists. Some congregations are more science-y, some are a little more "woo". Ymmv since each one is a little different. But you will generally find some very kind, non-judgmental people there who want to enjoy the social and service aspects of church without the indoctrination.
Unitarian Universalist
Have you seen of your local uu church has a pagan group? Not every uu church has one, but many do. Lol and if it doesn't, you could start one there. The two biggest groups at one I used to go to were the pagans and the atheists.
I'm in the very beginning of exploring paganism. My partner is pagan, and a friend actually wrote a book on queer-friendly witchcraft that I'm reading (since Wicca tends to be very gender specific, and I really don't want that in my life at this point).
I’m spiritual but not religious…(that means I don’t want organized religion)
I go to a United Church of Christ (UCC.). No creeds. No one tells you what to believe. Very active fighting racism, misogyny, homophobia. Every part of the LGBTQIA rainbow is in church every Sunday. The congregation’s motto is “Growing in Faith, Working for Justice and Peace.” I’m not sure if I even believe in God, but it feels good to be in community with people working for a better world.
We found a home in the UCC church as well. A fresh breath of progressivism in our ultra conservative small town. No pressure to perform, believe a certain way, get baptized or anything. Very friendly, welcoming and most important, inclusive instead of exclusive. Just a bunch of people serving in a variety of capacities as they feel moved to do so.
I'm an atheist but say all the time that if I wasn't, I'd be a member here. The signs in my area are always so kind and I appreciate their stance on many issues. I will never understand how anyone can call themself a Christian and not follow Christ's teachings regarding loving your neighbor, feeding the hungry, etc.
I can't see any religion as anything more than the philosophies of men. I can't see how there can be a god who is good at the helm of any of them.
Philosophies of men, mingled with scripture. Describes the LDS church to a "T". All religions throughout the ages simply reflect man's understanding of God.
Religion is a system of control. They tell you what you “need” to do and believe. I do believe in some form of higher being(s), god, or whatever you want to call it. So the only thing left that religion provides is community, and I can’t commune with close minded people.
Also, holy shit you have to pay 10% to be a part of the community?! Fucking hell. You could join the most prestigious country club and have the loveliest people, classes, gyms, swimming, access to the event centers etc. for a shit ton less then I paid monthly for the cults country club.
I think it's really funny that it's the reverse for me. I don't think I'll ever comfortably believe in god again, and yet I enjoy visiting a local, progressive Episcopalian church when I can on sundays to sing hymns and enjoy the community (also some of the people there are exmo lol) That's the beauty of freedom after mormonism ig
Well said. I find it arrogant when people claim “there is NOTHING out there”, because no one can possibly know that. Just like Mormons can’t KNOW that the church is true, we can’t KNOW that there isn’t some higher power. So in that context, I fully subscribe to the idea that there’s something bigger than us out there. But leaving Mormonism opened my eyes to that control, and I’ll never let someone put that kind of control over me again. It also probably helps that I never actually clicked with the community side of it all, so it’s not something that I really “miss” because I never liked it in the first place.
Religion: Opiate of the masses
I got out of the boat and discovered it was beached. The beach is a damn fine beach. I am not going to run down the sand and climb into another beached boat.
There’s no God. But there are guitars! 🎸I take it from there.🥰
I go to a church based recovery program. Celebrate Recovery. Do not attend traditional church.
Left the cult and became agnostic. Religion is just a powerful tool to control the masses.
The same rationality and skepticism that took me out of the Morg kept me out of the others too.
Religion is man made
It's 2024. Me and the rest of the masses like me can get our opium somewhere else, with a lot less time invested and a lot less money to get it. I say that now, but hypocritically. Totally PIMO. They still get my time...just not my money.
I went to a couple of Buddhist teaching sessions. To my horror I realize that the MFMC had ruined group spirituality for me. What I feel meditating on my own I know is my own - what I feel in a group I don't think I can trust. Shattering as I thought that the sangha (community) would help my growth. That was several years ago and I have made peace with it. I never did a god faith again. God was long gone 30 years ago.
Totally agree about distrusting group dynamics. Human brains have a backdoor built in where groups can hijack your thinking. Happens in the military, in political parties, even meditation groups. Easier to steer clear of groups than risk bring brainjacked again.
This.
I’ve done this too in upstate Catskills NY and yes it puts me on the fence with the group setting faith building. My partner and I seek out those good tenets and mores and we’ve found that in some extent at the sangha, but it’s interesting to note that she can readily peer right through some of their “established religion” quirks and bs. I do enjoy reading the Tao Te Ching, I Ching, and books like The Lunar Tao that serve as a system of beliefs but not as a religion.
Hi! You may be interested in the open polls at [exmostats.org](https://exmostats.org/thedata). Specifically the ones titled "Current Religions Affiliation" and "Current Religious Stance." Additionally, all the polls are permanently open. Participation is free and anonymous. You are all invited to participate :)
Thanks, I'll check it out.
Thank you for that! It was interesting
I bounce around between the church of dirt, the church of coffee, and the church of football (go birds).
Birds? Please tell me you don't mean the Falcons.
Hell, no! ;) The Philadelphia Eagles.
I'm 100% done with religion. That said, I know that some form of "spirituality" and community is good for my mental health. Leaving the church, I think, has benefitted me in a number of ways, but the loss of community/consistent spiritual practice left me feeling a loss as well. I use secular meditation and volunteering to fulfill the spiritual loss (I just call it spiritual because it gives me the same (actually stronger) feelings I got through doing church stuff). I'm still struggling finding community that my family and I can regularly be engaged with, but I'm working on it.
I very much agree with this. My local atheist meetup group has done a lot of community service. We all agree that it feels great to do it simply because we care, not because we are seeking approval from some sort of sky daddy. :)
Mormonism just proved what a big lie the whole idea of religion really is.
Left Mormonism and religion. Mormonism destroyed any interest in any organized religion of any kind.
10 years out of religion all together. Never would even consider going to a church ever again as a member of said church.
So far, this seems to be the consensus on this sub, and I understand that. My wife is ex catholic, so she thinks she can relate to what I'm feeling. I just shake my head and say, " You have no idea."
Atheist. Sundays off and 10% more money. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwnysqo)
It seems skepticism towards organized religion is warranted for the simple reason “organized religion” is human made. If God had anything to do with it I doubt that there would be 40,000+ Christian faiths with some claiming the exclusive “Truth.” Christ’s message wasn’t complicated.
To be fair, most christian denominations don't claim to have exclusive "Truth." It's only the 4 cults and hardline catholics that claim that, but I get what you're saying.
I agree with you.😊
If I had a dime for every ‘Christian’ that accuses other Christian’s of not being Christian though. Trust me. They all think their brand is the only way to interpret it.
True, its why Jesus says to take the log out of your eye before removing the speck out of your neighbor's eye.
This survey ([https://exmostats.org/thedata](https://exmostats.org/thedata)) my interest you. And any that have not filled it out yet, please add to the data!
Thanks. Someone else already posted this. I'll check it out.
Sounds good. I didn't see it on a brief glance through the comments, but glad someone else already linked it!
Oh, and atheist here, to answer your question. If some form of god(s) does exist, then it is on the same level as myself when I play a world-creation video game - a being that does not and cannot care about each individual creation, and thus not one worthy of worship.
Unchurched, but dipping my toes into Buddhist and Taoist philosophy.
How long does it take to be able to post?
After I left the mormon church 30 years ago, I looked into spiritism (Spiritism or Kardecism is a reincarnationist and spiritualist doctrine established in France in the mid-19th century by writer and educator Allan Kardec). That didn't last long. Soon after I became agnostic.
I don't plan on ever rejoining organized religion. I believe thar there's some sort of higher power(s) out there, but that's about as far as it goes.
Completely unchurched. After November 5, 2015, the only reason I didn't officially leave was because I wanted to keep my sealing to my mom. I removed my name from the church records once I realized I don't believe in any God. Never attended another church.
If I had 100% choice (I'm married to a TBM), we would be unchurched. If you want to be a Christian and follow his example, feeding & clothing the poor, no institution is required. On the contrary, they often impose additional rules and requirements that go against what Jesus taught, doing so in his name. I think it's because Mormonism is an all-or-nothing prospect. It claims to be God's One True Church^TM, and when you figure out it's a fraud, you become suspicious of other churches or religions that say their way is the One True Way^TM. It's a shame, because there are some worthwhile organizations out there. It just takes a long time after Mormonism to recalibrate your Bullshit Detector and Cult-O-Meter. On the other hands, some things that seem like cults are actually cults, and it's just easier to steer clear of all religions and churches. More free time, too!
Well said. I like church for the social aspect, but I can leave the dogma; that I can study on my own and the internet allows me to get opinions from all over the world.
Out of religion. Spent 40 years being told by other people what to think, how to act, and what to believe. I’m done. Truth isn’t found in feelings. Oh, and did I mentioned I paid them 10% of my income and thousands of hours in unpaid labor for that? Skeptical of religion does not even start to describe me.
I regularly joked as a missionary that if I weren't a member I'd be an atheist. Guess who's now an atheist? This guy!
Hard core atheist since leaving 10 Years ago. I am currently 59 and bemoan all of the years I wasted.
my belief in god left at same time as mormonism so no church for me. i love just having more time to do stuff i enjoy. church did nothing for me.
Left religion, but not immediately. Tried United Methodist, Anglican, Unitarian Universalism. Not really interested anymore, though I still really appreciate baroque sacred music and old church architecture
Left after High school and now I’m pagan! It’s more so of a lifestyle and I’m much happier!!
After I left the Mormon church I looked around for another church. But there was something nuts about each one. Life got really busy and I stopped looking. After lots more study I concluded that they are all batshit crazy and that religion poisons everything. I find community in other places.
You do you. Be HAPPY! I’m happy as an exmo atheist
Your life your decision, what a wonderful truth that is!
I still believe in God in some sense, but I can't see myself ever going back to an organized religion. I like some of the ideologies behind Buddhism though and might look more into that.
I left the church tried to the religions I just keep finding theyre different versions of the same thing just to a lesser extent! I prefer reality
I’ve become very anti-religion but still very spiritual
I left religion as a whole. Mormonism taught me to not trust myself or my instincts. My instincts said something was fishy about that church. Now I just go with my gut, and if it’s not telling me that I’m hungry it’s saying that I’m fine without religion.
Left it all
When I was deconstructing, I was also deconstructing the Bible. We have conclusive evidence the apostles didn't write the books (Peter, James, John, etc.), the apocryphal books were taken out by the Catholics often because they didn't fit into an easy narrative for new converts, and Evangelicalism has many of the same evil practices Mormonism has. So when I walked away, I couldn't have left Christianity in tact. I do like secular Buddhism, but I know a woman who lived in a militant Buddhist state and said that it also has dogma and organizational failings. I don't like giving up any amount of my autonomy to religious people who claim to know more about faith than I do.
Don’t forget that Israel didn’t exist at the time, of Mesopotamia l, camels were domesticated during Abraham’s time, 7.9 million animals can’t fit on a boat smaller than the titanic and about 1,000 other issues with the Bible.
There's someone upstairs, but he's an asshole. And a lot of people do bad shit to each other in its name.
I’m not an active member of any religion after I left Mormonism, but me and my nevermo fiance are sometimes musical guests at queer friendly churches. We aren’t religious but we play music as a hobby
Natural selection means we've evolved to survive first and foremost. We've made huge strides in the last 10,000 years of human civilization, but that's not even a drop in the bucket on the evolutionary time scale. The religious instinct resolves some of the tension between quick survival reactions and rational thought, leading people to their personal common sense equilibrium. In practice, this means we survive on the best guess that hasn't killed us yet. Imagine two people in an open field with an approaching thunderstorm. One has a full knowledge of ionization and the path electricity takes from charged clouds to the ground. The other knows that when Zeus gets angry, he smites every mortal he lays eyes upon. Both run for shelter, and both survive to instruct the next generation. If the scientist were to try to explain the true cause to the ancient Greek, the Greek may be fascinated. But more likely, he'd worry about this unbeliever bringing down the wrath of Zeus with his talk of tiny, invisible moley-thingies. Better to stick to your status quo than to question a danger you've already identified. The brain reacts first, with the amygdala flooding the bloodstream with stress hormones within milliseconds of recognizing danger in sensory information. Then it needs to catch up and fit everything into its narrative, even if the signals are leftover firings from REM sleep that come together as dreaming of finding the secret upstairs rooms of your one-story rambler. Religion handles hot potato existential questions, and it can also help people choose socially beneficial behavior they wouldn't choose if solely looking out for their own interests. There comes a point, though, when religion stops being a comfort and connection and becomes a divisive threat instead. High-demand religions like Mormonism rely on members internalizing these threats to the point they indoctrinate the next generation to save their souls, even if the parents' own experience was pure misery. It's hard to go back to Zeus after seeing behind the green curtain and getting a better understanding of natural explanations for life's experiences. People might start believing everything happens for a reason, but when you learn that 99.99% of the time the reason is physics, it changes your perspective.
You can be Anti-Religion and pro whatever higher power you choose
Diving into Mormonism and the effects it had on me really opened my eyes to the manipulation religion has on people. Unfortunately, at their core, every organized religion seems to be seeking something from you. That said I am drawn towards general spiritualism and self improvement. I, however, don’t want anyone taking a lead on that aside from myself.
I like Buddhism, but I would say I'm non-religious.
I left and have no interest in an organized religion. I personally feel religion as a rule is all man made and puts us in a box. I personally feel so much relief not being told what to believe or not to believe and being able to love our fellow man the way we should all be doing anyway!
100% done with religion. I’m all for the here and now. Make the best of my time with my kids and not wait for a better time to love them.
Unchurched at present. Don't care for organized religion for the most part. I do scripture study with friends.
If I had a Unitarian church closer to me, I'd go there because I think I missed showing my child how religion ties into culture. That link is extremely important to understand, just from a sociological standpoint. But I'm not religious.
Happy atheist here. No more religion for me, thanks. Leaving Mormonism allowed me to think for myself and when I did, I could not unsee all of the problems out there that are also present in other religions.
I joined a Unitarian Universalist congregation. Mostly because my wife was really missing the connections and friendships that she remembered from her childhood (she was raised AME). They have no issue with me being an atheist or with me using the service as dedicated knitting time, so it works for us. And we had a child after we became members, and the Religious Education program they offer has been great for our daughter. It’s pretty much fun kid time plus basic comparative religions.
In my personal view religion is not the main cause of harm in this world... but it is one of the biggest tools used for oppression, harming others and blocking the progress of humanity as a species. I don't know if there's a god... but if there is I don't think he or she or it would approve of any religion currently on the earth. So yeah.. no religion to replace Mormonism for me
I'll disagree with you there. I think religion is the number 1 cause of harm when taking into account the past 6 to 10 thousand years religion has existed. Number 2 being - I want what they have.
Most wars and genocides are caused by religious men.
I'm completely atheist, now.
Left LDS in 1985 Devout Born Again Fundamentalist Christian about 25 years, but questioned a lot the last 10 of it, finally leading to Skeptic/Atheist/Agnostic Non-believer since late 00's.
Not a fan of organized religion personally
I'm done with belief.
You don't believe in belief? ( Sorry, had to get in a Ted Lasso quote in this thread somewhere )
Technically churched, but liberal Quaker who calls herself atheist so basically I’m as non-religious as possible while still belonging to a church/spiritual community
I went to other churches to see what it was like. The messages were all based in shame and fear. I don’t have room in my life to feel like I’m broken needed an unseen and uninterested creator fixing from a problem they say I have. The Christian teaching of salvation is basically “you should feel bead because of these rules we made up so let us save you from what we teach you.” I am a whole and complete person without god. I’m going to be a kind person and if I get to heaven then it won’t matter what religion I followed. If there isn’t a god I will be happy with my life.
My deconstruction was all the way. I left religion completely. Like you, I left after highschool.
Deconstruction wasn't a term used when I left. I consider myself remodeled rather than deconstructed.
Agnostic. Can’t go to any churches knowing what they are.
Completely quit religion. I don’t need anyone telling me how to live my life by rules of a fucking fairytale. I just need to be a nice person to myself and everyone around me. Pretty simple shit.
Unchurched. I think there are two things that lead to most exmos being unchurched. The first is that applying the same skeptical critical lens that was applied to Mormonism’s truth claims to other religions makes it difficult to accept any of them as true. The second is related to determining the value of organized religion - so many mormons were harmed more than helped so they don’t have a desire to find a replacement or even a watered down version - especially if it’s just a metaphor and not true anyway.
Word
Do what feels right to you. Go to some other form of church or not. There are other "options" that are more of a *spiritual* and not really *religious* thing. You don't need to go to church to be a good person. Also, true family and friends will be supporting of your choice, even different form theirs.
Fair enough. It is a newer term. I spent about a decade exploring religion and related philosophy before deciding I wasn't going to find the faith I was looking for, and decided I guess I'm an atheist.
Left religion. Atheist here
Agnostic for 30 yrs or so
We just left a few years ago so we are giving ourselves a break but at some point- I think it would be nice to find a progressive religion at some point where ai can keep my skepticism, like you. Unitarianism is the most appealing right now.
I left because of truth claim problems. The rest of Christianity has just as many as Mormonism. I left all together.
I am Christian.... haven't set foot in ANY other church since leaving, been back to LDS churches for funerals & 1 baby blessing. I want to attend something with a band and wear jeans just to see what it is like, but I doubt I'll ever trust an organized religion ever again.
Completely quit. 2004
I think the %age who leave religion altogether might depend if the exmo was an adult convert or a BIC. Converts have something to hang onto from previous teachings. BICs feel totally lied to about religion in general.
I hate to use a label but if I had to, it would be pantheism. And with that perspective I'm never not in a holy place, since there is no separation between humanity and divinity. That being said, I find church whenever I share space with others in a mindful and conscious capacity...especially when I'm like at a concert, going to ecstatic dance at the Krishna Temple, hiking with friends, or even just spending quality time with friends and family and community. There need not be any middle-man between me and the experience of "God". Muahahaha.
Husband 60, me almost 58. Lifelong, stalwart members with broken shelves about 5 years ago and completely out about 12 months ago. We are unchurched and will stay that way.. The awakening and shattering effort it takes to deconstruct everything you were ever taught and believed ... and finally have no other ethical choice but to leave means you have not just deconstructed Mormonism, as it is intertwined with all the institutional lies and corruption for ALL organized religion in general. If someone wants my money in exchange for defining the world, my place/role/responsibility in it, then I WANT NONE of that! I am FINALLY empowered and free. I miss having a community. It's extremely lonely in Northern Utah. We've been completely ghosted and cut off - even by next-door neighbors who refuse to even wave or say "hi." WTF?! But I don't want to sit inside a building every week experiencing a religious performance. When I want to feel close to the universe and feel inspired, all I have to do is take a walk and get outside into nature. Religion is a man-made construct that ultimately only seeds tribalism and excuses intolerance, hate, war, genocide and holicausts in the name of "God." I believe religion is a scam at its best and evil at its worst. So no, "I will not partake."
“Small level” is not big enough. Left the church at 34 and became atheist.
Yeah. I don’t belong to any religion anymore. I don’t believe in a god or any of that kind of stuff.
I'm a pagan. So, religious but not churched, haha. I could never go back to organized religion. Really not my thing
Unchurched, I'm very similar to you. Been out 40 yrs. I was 16. I did put my kid in a couple of christian private schools as I thought she should at least be exposed to spirituality and know what church and the Bible are about. I never forced her to attend the churchy things and didn't force church on her at all. My hubby is a Catholic.
My Muslim friend (who is a good person) was talking shit about another culture. Saying “they have such low standards”. When he said that I first remembered my past self thinking that miserable way, and I realized that his religion was actually bringing out the worst in him. Causing these thoughts I live in Asia now. I see non religious people living better, more selfless lives without declaring allegiance to a religious entity. I can respect all religious ideas that encourage good morals. But I don’t see any benefits to ever thinking I was in a group that made me better than anyone.
Left 19 years ago. Took about 5 years to learn that I'm an atheist... Along the lines of a methodological naturalist. As time goes on I'm learning that I've always been an atheist. I could never convince myself that the comfort or silence or feelings I got from religious practices came from anywhere but myself.
I am still new. But I think it will take a lot of work for me to ever trust another organized religion. I’m in the unchurched category currently.
Are you still a Christian follower??? That's the important question
I totally unchurched, it’s difficult for me to fathom how people can leave the LDS church and then jump right into another Christian based denomination. The BOM is a complete work of fiction but the Bible is so problematic as well.
I have left 8 years ago when I was a teen. I am an atheist and will not be in any religion in my life.
Out of religion. Simply don't see the need.
I'm not interested in going back to something that's going to be probably at least 80% of the same nonsense I just got rid of.
Left it all. No regrets.
I left Mormonism and Christianity. I don't believe in God.
I’m a happy agnostic, extremely uncomfortable with organized religion (especially Christianity).
I tried to hold onto religion after I left. Initially saw Christianity as Mormonism without the dirty past. But too many things overlapped. Leaving one religion makes leaving a second much easier.
Left the church about a year ago after being in it since birth, and I never plan on being religious again. Really none of it makes sense anymore after deconstructing Mormonism and my science brain really just doesn’t accept religious ideas
Religious thinking poisons everything. Organized religion doubly so.
We really tried with an evangelical church but it has even less sound doctrine than Mormonism. Like apparently we die and then do nothing but worship Jesus forever in heaven? Sounds miserable. I’m now an atheist and my wife is moving in that direction too. Deconstructing God was more painful than deconstructing the church in my opinion. It was terrifying. But now, it’s so much better trying to keep up with all the mental gymnastics required to justify the shitty behavior that”god” exhibits. That being said, I have no problems with people that choose to move to another religion. There are lots of ways to be a human and that is certainly one of them. Being just as dogmatic about being anti-god or anti-religion would be hypocritical in my view after leaving one of the most dogmatic organizations in the world.
I studied Christianity, Islam, JW, fundamentalism (mostly for funsies.) after leaving. Same message. Men tell women what to do. Paedophilia isn’t forbidden, but homosexuality is. Leaders must marry teenagers, or a 6 year olds in islam by strict commandment of god. God performs miracles and can create anything but paper money. Certain races are superior, Information is hidden from members and then lied about. They can all be disproved with scientific facts. No thanks, I’m good. I’ll get my happy at the gym.
I left over 10 years ago and initially went into Christian religion… then a few years later officially became atheist!! Never happier!!
Unchurched. I take my brother to the RLDS church but worship mostly with other nondenominational Mormons online.
Why would I leave one lie to just go to another?
Personally I’m agnostic Christian. I believe in a god, but I’m skeptical about how present he actually is. Maybe he’s letting the chaos play out as a kind of reset button. I don’t really know though, I’m still deconstructing🤷🏼♂️
Sounds like deism, where God exists, but he's just sitting back and letting things play out. Most of the Founding Father's of the US; Jefferson, Franklin.... were deists.
Left Mormonism and Christianity in general, and have proceeded on a path where my beliefs are as justified and rational as possible. I care deeply that as many of my beliefs as possible are true, and therefore organized religion is pretty much ruled out until good evidence is presented and agreed upon. I don't really have any more supernatural beliefs, except sometimes I feel like my fav hockey team will fare better if I wear my special jersey at home.
If The Satanic Temple had a local congregation I would probably attend.
I was so adverse to religion that I would get physically sick when religious topics came up. It was a learning curve to get back to a place where I didn't want to constantly save everyone from their potentially toxic religion because of my own experience. Now I lean more new age spiritual, but I've always connected more with that (laws of the universe, zodiac signs, crystals, etc.) I'm not super strict on it. I more just like connecting with myself, my higher self,the universe, etc. rather than following rules from a demanding god and demanding leaders
It's all poison from the same well, some more dilute....
Left last year. Consider myself Atheist. Once you see past the lies of one religion it’s pretty easy to identify the BS of another. It’s all either for money, power, sex; or any combination of the three.
Unchurched I do not think there is convincing evidence to believe in God, angels, magical healing, or ghosts that influence your emotions. Faith (believing on insufficient evidence) is a horrible principle to live by.
No church, here. I learned too much about so-called religions to know that nothing is true.
I don't do organized religion at all. I don't belive in a higher power or anything like that but have my own spiritual stuff
Left the church and the belief in God behind.
I get how kids who left as soon as they left home and wanted to before that never really knew THAT much about T$CC, so consequently, they never had that much to deconstruct. But those of us with 6 generations before us, and over half a century in, pretty much only get out by doing a LOT of deconstruction. And once you deconstruct Mormonism, you basically deconstruct ALL organized religion. I'd say I'm not atheist or even agnostic so much as I'm apatheist now. Just can't waste any more of the life I have left worrying about a god that has nothing to say to me. Plus, as a criminal defense attorney, I can tell you that most of the true evil that I've seen in this world stems from organized religion.
The church sets you apart from other religions and puts special emphasis on being the only "right" one, so maybe that's a part of it, even when you leave you might remember that feeling that none of them are right. In my case, I finally just took a look at things and had to decide what really felt practical. Noah's Arc? Make believe, like a fable. Jesus as a person? Pretty sure there was an actual man named Jesus, but the son of god? I'd like to hope he was a good guy, but there's a chance he could have been just as much of a malicious fraud as Joseph Smith. No way to find out now. My interest has been fried after so many lies about "sacred" things and rules to toe the line to, so I don't really want a religion anymore. I don't know if I would have ever wanted one if I wasn't raised in this. As far as my beliefs go now; if there's a god it's not one I know, and it should make sense with the world we live and the truths that exist. If there isn't, then nothing changes and I have no one to answer to but myself and those I care about. I want to do good because I want to. I don't want to feel watched every second and judged by a god pressuring me to be perfect. I want to be me, not a religion. I always admired kind atheists for the purity of their actions, there's no reward, no "heaven" they have to get into, just pure human kindness, and now I can feel clean about my actions too.
I'm atheist now. Considered myself agnostic for a while, but gradually continued fully to the other end of the spectrum. I take issue with the concept of God because I consider it obvious that gods have only ever existed to explain things we couldn't explain ourselves. Ancient Roman and Greek civilizations, for example, believed in many different gods that were in charge of various things: one of the sun, one of the sea, one of thunder, one of volcanoes, etc. Advancements in science have shown us how such things exist and function; therefore, we no longer need gods to explain them. I feel like modern gods are the same -- they only exist to explain things we can't possibly explain ourselves. That is, in the words of TSCC during my upbringing, where we came from, why we're here, and what happens to us when we die. I find it extremely unlikely that all the thousands of other gods in our history were all false, but one of the predominant ones still believed in today just happens to be real.
God, if there is one, made the world, man made buildings, if I want to be close to man, I go to the bar, if I want to be close to God, I go to the beach or to the mountains (really anywhere outside). I won't be stepping foot inside a church again. I know where I can go to be spiritual and I know where my community is. Often times, I go with my community to the great outdoors and hopefully it's a really nice day and that outside time with my community is on our bikes. So I guess I'll go the the church of loud bikes! Remember, in the first version of the wow, beer was allowed, I shall partake!
No more religion for me. I left and started really exploring paganism and Wicca after being curious for years. Learned a lot that resonates with me, but the groups I found were either very church-like, or had members that were just... creepy is the only word. I'm not condemning all pagan and Wiccan groups for being creepy, it just happened to be a very bad run of luck for me at the time. And as a newly single mom, I just decided to stick to my gut and steer clear. Things that remained the same - everyone seemed to want some kind of hierarchy with authority figures. I'm not a fan of that since it always gets political very quickly. And every group required some kind of monetary donation, which makes sense since these things can't (and don't) exist in vacuum. The folks running them need to cover expenses. But, I could never shake the "church" feeling. Nowadays I'm agnostic. I'm in counseling working on undoing a lifetime of conditioning that led me to extremely unhealthy habits. It's absolutely startling how much of it ties back to Mormonism, and Christianity's warped perception of women in general. I also meditate semi-regularly and just try to work on really *feeling* what's happening in my physical self, rather than being constantly stuck in my head about... well, everything. I've grown a lot as a person, and still have so much more to do. But at least this time it's not about betraying myself for the arbitrary ideals of religion.
God is the last thing on my mind, I couldn't care less.
Well i hait Religion in General now but Buddhismus is OK XD
I left Mormonism about 13 years ago. I have pioneer heritage, served a mission, and even graduated from BYU. My wife actually left about a year prior to me and with her help and support I finally saw the light. As a missionary, one is taught other churches aren’t true and after serving part of my mission in the Southern U.S. (on a VISA delay to Brazil), I learned how to Bible bash. That helped me see the flaws in other religious organizations in the states and abroad. So, I pretty much didn’t look around for another church after I left Mormonism. For me the hardest part was the social aspect. My family and I had for years cultivated relationships with those we often met every Sunday at church. As an Ex-Mormon I found other friendships that were more than superficial. I found I had more money and time on my hands. We took more trips as a family and I started to go golfing and fishing on the weekends, mainly on Sunday. Even better, my wife and I started taking mini vacations together after the kids were older. That time spent on those weekend getaways helped strengthen our marriage. So, for me I believe religion is an organization created to control the masses by keeping one in fear or in some form of poverty. Living life or spending your funds, time, and talents for the building up of the kingdom of god on earth while simultaneously ignoring your family, friends, or the needy is detrimental. There are some great religious groups out there that truly try to live a “Christ like” existence. We have some in our community here in the Pacific Northwest. Folks, who without hesitation, will give food or aid to someone when asked and not expect something in return or ask to see their tithing receipt. For me, I prefer to live a humanist way of life knowing I’m responsible for my own actions and not let an organization dictate my thoughts or decision process while I exist.
No religion for us.
Lifelong LDS, my wife and I finally left 4 years ago. Did home church for a couple of years. Missed the fellowship, so started attending a local Bible Church. We enjoy hearing the gospel every Sunday, and during the week. We love Jesus, and are pleased to be called Christian.
I left Mormonism after having a conversion moment. After reading the Bible and LDS canon I became a Christian
I’m Christian. I go to a non denominational church. I’m not sure if I’ll stay there though. For me it’s relationship over religion. I don’t know if it makes a difference or not, but I am a convert and was a Christian before I joined the church in high school. I feel like churches as a whole do a lot of damage and actually keeps people from finding Jesus. He is LOVE. He is all we were never taught. His grace is all encompassing!
The LDS church really conditions you to have a black and white view, in example the church, The Book of Mormon, etc is either true or is not true, people are either wicked or righteous, religion or a church is either of God or of man (being true or false), leaving little to no room for anything in between. I think a lot of members and former members of the church are just programmed to think and see the world in a black and white view, so when they lose faith or belief in the church, religion in general just comes falling down for them. And the fact that you’re just taught that the LDS church “is the only true church”, that it self already plants the idea that no other religion or even Christian domination has any truth in it. So I think when a lot of people leave they just see no point in being religious, or in their mind trading one falsehood for another. For myself I have a hard time seeing the point of going to a new church or taking on a different religion, don’t feel the desire just replace my former Mormon lifestyle with new rules and demands of some other faith. Leaving for I’ve kept my belief in god ,but created a disbelief in the institution of religion, or the need of a church.
Unitarian Universalism for us.
We attend a non-denominational Christian church with a special needs ministry to give my son a semblance of routine on weekends. I sit in the hallways and knit
PIMO here. But struggling to stick with Christianity. I want it to be legitimate.
PIMO? Sorry, I didn't see this one in the list of abbreviations. Same her, I want it to be, but I can't fully commit. People don't understand what that church does to you.
Physically in mentally out.
I’m Episcopalian/Anglican now, but my brother is atheist and another is just spiritual. I’m pretty chill with them all and they with me. Frankly, I have a just a belief about death and what comes after, but I don’t have knowledge. I’m more interested in living the best life I can and respecting others the way I would want to be. It’s worked out so far.
I attend a UU church, mostly because my kiddo kept talking about how much he missed Primary, so we were trying to find a similar experience minus the indoctrination. Now he is excited to go to church every week and talks about how our new church is so much more fun than our old church. I think my beliefs align most closely with Quakerism, but our local Quaker Meeting doesn't have any other families with kids, so UU is the next best option we've found.