Ex-Mormons
One of the inevitable similarities that the Mormon Church bears to other churches is that people do indeed leave it. And as with any other church, the reasons for leaving are varied and the former members may arrive in varied doctrinal places. Some may join other churches. Some may become agnostics, or atheists. But there is an often very vocal group who leave the Church and then set themselves in bitter opposition to it. They are not only former Mormons, but also fiercely anti-Mormon. Some of this group call themselves ex-Mormons and their presence is especially strong on the Internet.
D&C 121:37
Ed Decker and his organization is probably the best known ex-Mormon group. His organization calls itself by several names—“Saints Alive,” “Ex-Mormons for Jesus,” and “Recovery from Mormonism.” In 1976, Ed Decker was excommunicated from the Church and the attacks he levels against it are so extreme and sensational that they have been condemned by the Anti-Defamation League. Decker uses exaggerated, hyperbolic language to make his wild claims, instead of evidence. His excesses are great enough that even other ex-Mormons and critics of the Mormon faith reject both his conclusions and the style in which he makes them. But he does still have some influence online.
Many of those bloggers who call themselves ex-Mormon also call themselves secular humanists. Belief in God has been rejected entirely and their attacks on the Mormon Church tend to focus on what they see as its greatest flaws. For example, they tend to accuse the Church of enforcing conformity of thought on its members. Or they accuse it of hypocrisy. Some ex-Mormons see any sign of weakness among Mormons or their leaders as hypocrisy. If anyone who is supposed to have any kind of authority, if anyone who is striving to live the gospel, messes up, some critics will leap on that as their proof that Mormons don’t actually practice what they preach. Also, ex-Mormons have claimed that the Church tricked them, or brainwashed them, or lied to them. They might say that they are far too intelligent and experienced now (2 Nephi 9:28-29) to buy into the beliefs of Mormonism, and anyone who does buy into them are naïve or stupid or can’t deal with reality. Ex-Mormons may also claim that Church leaders are lusting after power, or that the Church is a conspiracy or a cult.
It has never been one of the promises of the Mormon Church that when you join it, you immediately become perfect, or that you will somehow be shielded from imperfect people. The Mormon Church doesn’t call perfect people to be its leaders. This would be impossible. The Church’s members are imperfect, of course. There has only been one perfect person to walk the earth, and this was Jesus Christ. Failures are unavoidable when standards are so high—everyone is going to fall short. Everyone is going to have off days. The goal is not to be perfect within the year—the goal is to repent of our sins and strive to do better and better. Everyone takes part in this process.
Also, if Mormons are truly part of a cultist conspiracy, there is a marked lack of any evidence of it, or that they’re “up to something” any more sinister than missionary work.
And while some ex-Mormons insist that the Church, its members, or Mormon missionaries lied to them about Mormon doctrine, the vast majority of doctrine is easily found and easily researched (although books published officially by the Church are likely to be more accurate). Prospective members are encouraged to ask about any concerns any bit of doctrine might give them. And no one is forced to remain a member who doesn’t want to. This would be obvious. If it was truly one of the Mormon desires to silence all critics, the wide variety of ex-Mormon voices would prove the Church very inefficient indeed.
But why are some former members of the Church so very angry at it? Perhaps it’s because, while members can indeed leave at any time, the Church has a strong community aspect that makes leaving more difficult. Former members, especially those born into the Church, might leave behind a large amount of tradition and culture linked to religion, and strain relationships with their family and friends. Any such transition can foster feelings of isolation. And while Mormons are to be tolerant of others, regardless of belief, they do not accept what they see as sin as not sin. If a member leaves the Church to do something the Church’s precepts do not allow, they may feel further uncomfortable.
To conclude, not everyone is comfortable in the Church and people do indeed leave. They may have an issue with doctrine, they may be offended by other members, they may want to do things that the Church does not allow. But they are definitely not the best source for information about the Mormon religion—they often distort its teachings.
