I haven’t attended church in several years. For most of my life, I was a very devout member (former missionary, married in the temple, served in a couple of bishoprics, served in a couple of stake callings, was a stake missionary-back when there was such a thing, been a Sunday School president, been a gospel doctrine teacher, etc., etc.). These days, on those extremely rare occasions when I’m asked about my religion, I describe myself as a “born again agnostic.” And yet, I’m still a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I’m lucky in the fact that it’s truly my choice to be a member or not. I can’t disappoint my parents, they’ve both been dead for many years. I have a couple of siblings that are very TBM, but they’re also non-judgmental (they have no problems with extended family members who range from evangelical Christian, to Buddhist, to Wiccan, to atheist). I would suffer no loss of social standing nor negative impact on employment if I resign. There is certainly no urgency for me to resign. They pretty much leave me alone. Back when home teaching was still a thing, I’d get one or two visits a year, but not anymore. About a year and a half ago, the full time missionaries came by. I had a nice chat with them where I politely and respectfully explained why I no longer believe. I haven’t been visited since then.

There are many factors, but for me, it comes down to two arguments:

Reason to resign: I would no longer be part of a fraudulent, dishonest, sometimes harmful organization.

Reason to not resign: It feels like playing their game-it’s an acknowledgement that I’m still part of their club.

For those of you who faced the resignation question, what factor(s) pushed you one way or the other? Thanks.

As far as I was concerned, I resigned simply because I did not want my name associated with them. They really weren't bothering me. For me it was a matter of principle. I was officially firing them.

Resigning is not "playing their game". The requirements for resigning were not created by LDS Inc. The rules were imposed on them by the US legal system. If it were up to LDS Inc, you would not be allowed to resign. You would have to request excommunication.

It is the courts that determined that you can resign at any time for any reason, or no reason. It is also the courts that said you have one requirement. You have to tell the church you are resigning. That actually seems like a pretty reasonable requirement. Again, it is the courts that require that. The church just informs you that that is the requirement for resigning.

They of course have the same right. They can terminate your membership for any reason or no reason. The only obligation they have is that they have to inform you that you are no longer a member.

Many red flags led to my resignation such as TSCC’s rotten attitude and treatment of gays, JS’s polygamy and polyandry, the dishonesty from the very beginning with non-existent gold plates and an all too real wildcat bank.
The final straw was finding out what really happened with the Mountain Meadow Massacre and who was involved in it.
I wanted to severe any ties to a cult that had my mind imprisoned for many years.

By not resigning I accomplish two goals:

1) my TBM daughter will not be able to stand up in F&TM a year after a court finally declares me legally dead to say that she opened the gates to Paradise for me by having me dead-dunked.

2) I earn a few bucks a quarter... They pay me $125 per quarter for bragging rights to me being a mormon.

You only get $125?

In the words of Milhaus Nelson, "Ha ha!"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2020 11:49PM by Lot's Wife.

No more visits.It's bliss.

I'm the finest product of the moronic priesthood. They have not excommunicated me and I have not resigned.

If you don’t feel a compelling reason, stay a member and bring their numbers down. You will know when there’s a reason. In the meantime they’ll ignore you. My ex is still a member in good standing and he has been picking up hookers for 20 years. I love to tell people he’s a Mormon.

Not to sound too judgy, but it seems like that would get a person kicked out... Not that your ex cares...

I don't know if I'm in good standing or not. I just want those corrupt rotten bastards to stay away from me.

Me too, also, yeah, etc.

Why resign? They are nothing organization anyways and you don't have to answer to them.

Tell them to go to church which is effectively telling them to go to hell in mormon talk.

I think if I had ever been LDS and decided to resign, I would just resign without offering a reason. Ask me tomorrow and I might say something different. :p

Were you baptised at age 8?

If so you shouldn't even consider yourself a member.

I wouldn't call attention to myself unnecessarily.

If they bother you resign. If not don't give them a other thought.

Many of the responses have given a lot of great insight.

I would look at it this way:

1. How will this affect people I care about?

2. How will this affect people who I don't care about, but who I would love to see get theirs...

3. How will this affect me?

4. Do the answers to the preceding questions balance in favor of protecting the innocent? Do they protect the defenseless and the vulnerable?

5. Can I endure the results of my decision?

I've neither resigned nor be excommunicated.

I was so looking forward to my court of love, but it has never came to pass....

I am VERY open with my anti Mormon efforts and still attend church from time to time. I openly speak of the sexual sins I have committed. I have even done war storying concerning theft of fast offerings.

They dont seem to care.... makes me sad.

Next time, for 'open mic sunday' as ~ZELF THE APOSTATE~ called it, I will try givng my Anti Testimony.

I want the HONOR of them kicking me out, as it were.

I once included my member record number in reply to post on this website, just to see if they were paying attention, but I suppose that I’m not enough of a threat.

And then my TBM daughter wouldn't leave me alone about going back to church, so I did it as a line in the sand so she KNEW I meant it. I've said this many times before that even my nonmormon boyfriend (who knew me at 20 when I was extreme TBM) tried to talk me out of it as he thought it would effect me negatively.

I've NEVER once regretted I did it. It is as though a huge burden had been lifted. It has been many years now and I still have not had one second of regretting. I'm so glad I did it.

It was a tremendous relief to receive my formal notification that my name had been removed from the records of the church. My husband and I had a solemn ceremony where we burned our baptismal certificates in the barbecue.
Once I learned the truth about the religion I'd been following, I could not get my named removed quickly enough. The bishop came over and asked if he could bear his testimony and pray with my husband and me. We said "sure" (half yawning), and he proceeded to spew his mumbo jumbo. We felt zilch, zero, nada, and I told him so. The screen door ALMOST hit him as he left.
It has been wonderful being freed from that awful web.
The first time I had a cup of coffee (after 9 years' membership), I honestly shuddered a bit, because it was a rainy day and I thought that just MAYBE I'd be hit by lightning. Hard to shake that "conditioning"