but they keep stalling. They don't want to let me go.

Worse than the LDS "come back to the fold" letter are the sob stories from people whom didn't care about myself and my family while I attended.

Mormonism in any format is JSmith nonsense.

Free me up!

Hi, I was never RLDS but I will google it how to resign. It took me 2 attempts to resign from the lds church (or cult).

My children were baptized RLDS. But we didn't bother having their records removed when we exited.

They didn't chase after us. They were very respectful of our decision not to remain.

The LDS church did, on other hand, try to control us by insisting we not leave.

RLDS became Community of Christ during our stay there. It was going through many growing pains then. It was small in numbers, but big in spirit.

They dismissed Joseph Smith's importance as prophet and seer. It didn't give much credence to BoM then either, not nearly as much as LDS does. It was trying to distance itself from Mormonism, which was why it changed its name in 2000.

Didn't want to be associated with it as a cult then, or now. It's not nearly as perverse as Mormonism IMO.

But I got outa there too, for personal reasons. It just didn't have enough going for it to make me to want to stay in it. Maybe it is guilty by association, as much as it's tried to whitewash its image over time.

Just stopped going. Enough said.

You are not in bondage to that church. Slavery is outlawed....

you can leave anytime ..... You are a grown person right?

Why would you think someone has complete control over you?

they are having a problem removing from their records.

I'm sorry that you are having difficulty. As a group, we are familiar with the process in resigning from the LDS church, but not the RLDS (C. of C.) You might look up the relevant court case about the right to resign from a church and cite it to the C. of C., and remind church officials that they are subject to lawsuit if they do not resign you in a timely manner.

IMPORTANT UPDATE (9/25/10)!
Several people have reported that they have been able to resign via e-mail directly to Membership Records. If so, this greatly simplifies the resignation process. Your e-mail should include identifying information and a mailing address for the confirmation letter. The following is a suggested form (omit the bracketed material if you do not have it available):

To: "Mr. Greg Dodge, Membership Records" <msr-confrec@ldschurch.org>
Subject: Resignation of membership in LDS church
My full name is ______; my date of birth is ____________ . [I was baptized on ___(date). My membership number is ______.] My residence address is _______ [in the ________ ward/branch].

I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, effective immediately, and request you to remove my name permanently from your membership records. I wish no further contact from representatives of your church except to confirm that my name has been removed from your records. I expect to receive that confirmation within a reasonably short time.

Change it up and make it fit fir the RLDS and hand it to their bishop, or elder or whoever leads the congregation. Good luck to you.

They're struggling to survive, moreso than the LDS church is. Membership ranks are much lower. The children don't have a high retention rate there either, and the elders are dying off.

It's membership continues to dwindle, and is in decline. They're probably reluctant to take anyone off the rolls because it's one less for the roll count.

Perhaps you could get an attorney friend to send em a swift letter requesting they get your name off the roll call. That may help speed up the process.

They were very kind people. Much more genuine than the LDS are IMO. No fakey egos in their group when I was there. The people were loving to one another, and focused much less on the Mormon aspect from their sister cousin, the Mormons.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2015 07:43AM by amyjo.

If you give notice here means....you've given notice...


consider yourself resigned..

After reading stories about what difficulties some folk have had resigning from the LDS church, it would appear that much hinges on how much of an asshole the local bishop or SP is. Good luck. I support what Phazer and nonmo_1 said. They have NO power over you.

Ron Burr

Every time the topic of resignation comes up there are the two sides...one side says, just quit going, they have no power over you, and the other side, I want a formal recognition that I am out. I'm in the second camp. I gave so much to that church--they can give me a fucking letter admitting that I'm out. To some it seems pointless, to others, pressing. I don't know if the RLDS have a set system for resignations, but there's got to be a way if you want it.

If W Grant McMurray, as prophet and leader of the Community of Christ, had only to write a letter to his counselors in that (formerly known as RLDS) church to be able to resign, perhaps you could do that, too? Do you have counselors you can write to, to be able to do that?

The dez newz article in the link below, seems to state some of what was in this man's resignation letter to his counselors, and perhaps you could use some of that wording, adjusted to fit your situation and thoughts?

Apparently, there is a church-approved way to resign. If that matters to you. Maybe they just haven't ever told anyone it was possible to do this do within the church hierarchy/rules? It may or may not matter to you if it church approved or just your way to do it, that's a personal thing and your decision to make.

But the article appears to state (according to a church spokesperson and via Mr McMurray's own words), that resignation is possible without threat of excommunication. Which, of course, it should be. There should be no "member for life" against your own will, no games played here. If you choose to be out, you resign, you state this is the case, and you're out. No legal or religious mumbo jumbo need be done over it, to make it official.

Some people need or want to have this be official. Maybe they want their name off that roll the church keeps/uses to determine is or is not a member, or whom they can claim is a member. Maybe because they don't want church people claiming they were excommunicated and that's why they left; they want to be able to show something that says hey, nope, I resigned, they didn't kick me out. Or maybe, as proof to themselves, that they took the proactive step of declaring themselves to be free of such a group, whether the group gives two flips or accepts it is beside the point to them. It's their choice and their life, their need or want to fulfill.


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/595109775/Leader-resigns-presidency-of-ex-RLDS-Church.html?pg=all

Note that W Grant McMurray didn't resign from the church, but from the position he held as President. He wasn't excommunicated for whatever his actions that caused him grave concern was over, and still remained a member of Community of Christ following his resignation as president.

From the article, it shares the CoC is not as draconian in using (abusing) the power to excommunicate authority that the LDS hordes it over its members for (it's rarely used.)

Thanks for sharing article. I didn't know that about him until now.

He was president when I attended with my family.

I met him once, when he visited our church in Niagara Falls, NY. A very nice man. Down to earth, and really walked the walk.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2015 01:10PM by amyjo.

If this is the church in Lewiston, we may have met that day. Never a member myself, my aunt and uncle were convert members, who resigned for good in 2004. They resigned by stating to others their intention, and left. That's all it takes.

But some people want more. And if they spell it out, that "more" is theirs to define--and their right to do so is protected by law.

"Just as freedom to worship is protected by the First Amendment, so also is the liberty to recede from one’s religious allegiance."

Guinn, 775 P.2d at 776

In full:

"Upon her withdrawal…the church was precluded from sanctioning (Guinn) as if she were a current member. By continuing to discipline her as if she were a practicing Church of Christ member, the elders are alleged to have invaded her privacy and caused her emotional distress…Just as freedom to worship is protected by the First Amendment, so also is the liberty to recede from one's religious allegiance…The First Amendment clearly safeguards the freedom to worship and the freedom not to worship."

Granted, it was my first and only visit, but by attending a service why would you resign? If they're a "cult", what would you call Scientology then?

Take charge of your life. They have no hold on you. It's all in their mind, not yours.

Leave. Don't go back. Do not answer the phone.

You are not forced into membership with a gun at your head and nobody can force you to attend.

I presume you are adults. Be adults. Put your Big Person Pants on and keep anything out of you life you don't want in it.