I resigned five years ago and have tossed most of that nonsense off of what I call my Mind Bus, a metaphor that put me in the driver's seat of my life in order to help me deal with lifelong anxiety disorder. I just finished several months of therapy to deal with this anxiety. Abuse as a young child and trauma as a teenager set me up for the anxiety, but my desire to live according to the tenets of Mormonism cemented it into my psyche causing me untold pain. Resigning from the church after more than sixty years allowed me to free myself from that conditioning and deal with all of the pain.

I wonder how many and leaving the church now and at what rate.

We should take solace in understanding that most people have left the church. By that I mean that approximately 70% of the mythical 16+ million members are no more. They either just leave and don't come back (that would be most of them), or have resigned (just a small percentage of those who leave, I reckon). But so-called "active" members don't have to prove much, either; "active" status is something like attending sacrament meeting at least once per month. And those who are "active" amount to an estimated 4.5 to 5 million members; the ones who pay tithing and have temple recommends account for fewer than 2.5 million, I hear.

Disclaimer: Naturally, I don't really know the figures, but the above figures are what have been bounced around for about a decade, and appear very believable.

I'm editing my comment. I think it's always important to insert that there are many, many active members who are actually non-believers or who have what we now call "nuanced belief." That would include, I suppose, the so-called "New Order Mormons" and "Mormons in Name Only." They walk the walk because to not do so would cause more destructive things such as divorce or estrangement from children. You all know how that is. Some Mormons are so priggish and pissy that they will cut a non-believing mother or father off from their grandchildren.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/21/2019 12:28PM by cludgie.

Yeah, but once you’re baptized Mormon you’re a member even if they never see you again. It’s all part of the Mormon Magic. If you resign, they have to perform a special spell to undo your priesthood and baptism. Something about pushing buttons on a keyboard.

There are also those who pretend because they are waiting for parents to die so they can inherit. I have no problem with that, just those that drag their kids into the mess for it too.

Many stay in for money. They figure by the time they get their inheritance it will more make up for the tithing they paid and the time they put in.

My two best friends growing up are in this category. Just hanging out on their parent's money waiting for them to die. Actually their parents give them so much currently (houses, stipend) that they probably are not that excited for them to die.

The mormon cult works if you are very rich.

Or these days, middle class. Pretending to be Mormon can be a surprisingly profitable gig. Willing dupes should at least get what they pay for.

cludgie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> But so-called "active"
> members don't have to prove much, either; "active"
> status is something like attending sacrament
> meeting at least once per month. And those who are
> "active" amount to an estimated 4.5 to 5 million
> members; the ones who pay tithing and have temple
> recommends account for fewer than 2.5 million, I
> hear.
>

Active definition was once per QUARTER sacrament attendance when I was the ward clerk in the 90's.

And if there are 5 million active members, then there is no way there are 2.5 million TR holders.

An estimate of TR holders needs to account for children in the numbers. As an estimate maybe there are 3 million under 18s in the church, leaving 2 million adults. That number of adults needs to be the basis upon any estimate of TR holders is made.

I'd say well under 1 million TR holders in total.

I heard from a good, faithful friend that an apostle told him that the actual number of adult devout believers, that check all the boxes, is actually 250,000. I wasn't in the room when this was said though, but I trust the friend.

Darren Steers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I heard from a good, faithful friend that an
> apostle told him that the actual number of adult
> devout believers, that check all the boxes, is
> actually 250,000. I wasn't in the room when this
> was said though, but I trust the friend.


That's half of what the song 'Woodstock' says was there 50 years ago. Makes me wonder who is smoking what.

Tom Padley Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> That's half of what the song 'Woodstock' says was
> there 50 years ago. Makes me wonder who is smoking
> what.

I don't think they were as strict back then about TRs as they are nowadays. A lot less hoops to jump through.

No doubt there are more ex and non-active mormons than active mormons. TBM's are a minority.

It's really a pity, because LDS Inc knows exactly how many resign each year, and approximately how many just walk away. That would be useful information both for the members in the trenches, and for us exMos, but hell will freeze over before they release that info. It's not faith promoting.

I have a theory that the 16 million membership claimed is actually the entire total from 1830 - 2019. None are actually removed from the membership claimed. How can this be verified? It cannot and never will be. The Mormon God has secrets and a private house. Sickening really.

Oregon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have a theory that the 16 million membership
> claimed is actually the entire total from 1830 -
> 2019. None are actually removed from the
> membership claimed. How can this be verified? It
> cannot and never will be. The Mormon God has
> secrets and a private house. Sickening really.

There are several reasons I doubt this.

Firstly, I think the LDS' figures topped ten million at some point last century. This suggests most of the membership is way after the nineteenth century.

Secondly, the church holds onto records for 112 years if they are not notified members have died. This is too long, but I have heard of TBMs who got past 105 so they are banking on the safe side. This still means someone who dies at 70 (not uncommon), will be kept on the books for over forty years after their death. But that still means no 19th century people.

There are however, many people baptized as children who are never adult members, but don't resign, so potentially they can be on the books for about a century.

This is pretty outrageous but I doubt anyone from the 19th century is still on the books. We used to "lose" a lot of members to senility - they would go into old folks' homes and we would never hear of them again.

I find in interesting that the lds church does not openly share how many people have resigned. They share how many missionaries they have. How many operating temples they have.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/images/quote-uchtdorf-1173300?lang=eng

Doubt your doubts.

Without actual numbers it is hard to tell. Quit Mormon numbers

Current Queues
legal review
3397
queued
send to church
76
queued
confirmation
1532
waiting

As others have said, these figures represent a fraction of the "long term inactive".

There are millions of people on the church books and less than four thousand "queued".