Ex-Mormon Stories

I am constantly on the lookout for more stories for this site (because after all, I didn’t name this site “The Lyoness’ Exit Story from the Church” - I want more on here than just my blatherings.  As ultra-cool as my blatherings are, of course.)

So, being a thinking gal, I hit up my husband for his story.  I figured it might make a compelling counterpart to my story (reading the same basic story line but from two different perspectives would be interesting, right?) but when I suggested this to him, he just laughed.

“I’m not ex-Mormon,” he said.  “My name is still on the records of the Church.”  After I pointed out to him that my name was still on the Church records too, he said, “Oh.  Then what’s your definition of ex-Mormon?”

(Don’t ask me why he thought my name had been taken off.  I’m still confused about that part…)

Fast forward a couple of weeks to this morning, when I had a fantastic lady get in touch with me via PM on an ex-Mormon forum.  She told me that she was never part of the Mormon Church, but that her daughter and grandsons were Mormon, and that she had joined this forum as a way of learning more about the church that had such a big influence on her daughter’s life.

I invited her to write up her story and submit it on here, so we could have her perspective.  She responded and said that I have a “broader outlook” on this kind of thing than the other post-Mormons she had met.

Hmmm…I’m starting to get the feeling that perhaps my ideas of what should be posted on this site is different than what others might think should be posted on this site. With that in mind, I am going to post the general outline of people who I would love to see write their story and submit it:

• Someone who joined the Church, left the Church, and had their name removed from the records of the Church.  These are as “ex-Mormon” as you get, eh?  But even I don’t qualify under this category (although I have the letter typed up and was planning on printing it tomorrow when I have access to a printer.)  But yeah, as of right now, I’m on the rolls of the LDS Church.  Which brings me to the next group of people…
• Someone who left the Church and has told their family and friends of their departure (at least most of them) but hasn’t officially had their name taken off the records yet for whatever reason. (Mine is laziness.  In case you were wondering.)
• Someone who has doesn’t believe in the LDS Church, but hasn’t stopped attending yet because of family and friends pressure (my brother Bruce easily falls under this category, as does - sort of - my questioning sister).  The key here is the lack of belief in the Church.
• Someone who was never a Mormon, but who deals with Mormons on a regular basis, especially a family member who joined.  Even someone who works with a bunch of Mormons in the office would qualify.  The slang term is “never Mo’s” which is of course short for “never Mormon.”  But because the LDS Church is so pervasive, being around someone who is a true-believing Mormon on a regular basis is a learning experience all in itself, and I think that we could really learn from that perspective.

Notice that nowhere on this list is the mention of other beliefs.  Someone isn’t considered Mormon until they find another religion to delve into (or until they become atheist) - many Mormons leave the Church and flail around for a while, trying to find their bearings.  I think the majority of ex-Mormons do that - they leave the Mormon Church and are reluctant to join another religion for fear of being duped again.  That doesn’t mean they are still Mormons because they don’t have another religion to claim.

I think this site ought to be full of stories written by people who A) Do not believe the LDS Church is true, and B) Want to share the interactions they’ve had with the LDS Church and/or LDS Church members.  Is that broad enough for you?

So, feeling up to telling your story?  Drop me a line on my submission page, and tell me your story.  I can’t wait to hear it.

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