What does people believe in after they have left mormonism? How many become atheists? Christians? Buddists and so on? What is your experiences from your own life and from exmembers around you?

Hopefully they take the opportunity to change their thinking patterns and stop looking for something to “believe in” and start learning how to think rationally so they can learn to make decisions based on what’s best for them.

I don't think there are any statistics on the question. I became Pagan, my sister agnostic, my nephews and nieces agnostic. So, that's 1 Pagan, and 8 agnostics.

I don't think that paganism is a regular religion the way that most people think of religions. I heard that not only do they not worship the devil, but they don't even believe in the devil or christ. Is that true? Isn't paganism a 'do no harm', family oriented religion that does not surpress sexuality and that believes in strong community? I am just going by what I heard here and am not an expert on it.

Pagans (large P) follow the Old (pre-Christian) Gods. Usually, of their pre-Christian ancestors, but not necessarily. A Pagan does not follow the Gods of the Book (Old Testament, New Testament, Quaran). How they choose to follow their Gods is totally individual. Some are Wiccan, which meshes Witchcraft with Paganism and has the Rede as their Law "Do what ye will, but harm none." Not all Witches are Wiccans, or even Pagan. There are Christian and Jewish Witches out there. I've never met a Muslim Witch. Many Pagans do not use Witchcraft. So, the lesson here is that there are Pagans, Witches, Wiccans and more. There are many combinations of all.

Do Pagans believe in Christ or the Devil? No. These are constructs of the people of the Book, and Pagans do not believe in those constructs.

Is it family oriented? It can be. It depends on the person's beliefs and group (if they have one.)

Do Pagans believe in non-suppression of sexuality? Most Pagans I know do not believe in suppressing one's sexuality. I'm sure there are frigid Pagans out there, just as there are in any grouping.

Do Pagans believe in community? Many do. Being Pagan, it is often difficult to find a community where you live, so many are Solitaries by necessity. Then, there are people who are Solitary by choice, just as in any grouping.

Please read : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Paganism

I think many former mormons are forever soured on organized religions. I know I am.

Some converts return to their former religion.

A very small number will start their own religion.

I didn't "become" anything. I simply stopped believing in mormonism. And then the strangest thing happened....nothing! I still have TBM kids but they love me and stay in touch. I met a non mormon man and we moved in together but have never married. I advanced in my career and retired with a healthy 401k as I redirected all that tithing money to my own retirement and not to Ensign Peak advisors. I started watching NFL football on Sunday instead of going to church meetings.

In short, I have continued to live my life pretty much the way I did as a member of the mormon church but I got my weekends back and a 10% raise. Oh, I did start up a habit that it frowned upon by the mormons. I have a cup of coffee every morning with my Salt Lake Tribune.

gemini Wrote:
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> I didn't "become" anything.

I like that. We don't need to "become" anything; we are fine as we are.

OHHH Gemini
"I have a cup of coffee every morning with my Salt Lake Tribune."

How dare you not subscribe to the deserted knews!!!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2020 05:29PM by thedesertrat1.

The trib has become more of a pamphlet recently. But as long as it has Bagley's cartoons, the jumble and crossword puzzle as well as some decent comics, I'll keep taking it. I finally have a delivery couple who seem to really care about getting it delivered every day and on time!

I think that is the point what Gemini said I didn't become anything.

Trying to become something other than what you are was the whole problem with mormonism. You weren't good enough as you were so you needed to become a perfect clone - who laughed nervously at conference talks, paid way too much in tithes and donations out of uncertainty and/or invisible guilt and had the blandest personality that could not find a single joke funny.

You can believe whatever you want. You can still believe in God. You can still believe in religion. I believe in religion generally just taking a break from prophets or pastors claiming to have all authority over me. You can be atheist, agnostic, whatever makes you a better you right now. You can even believe in a self help course if it floats your boat.

Whatever you decide has some value or truth and is helpful to you right now, I just would try to steer clear of anyone trying to chart your course for you, and especially if they ask for money, otherwise you are in a mormon church of a different name.

Whatever philosophy one embraces after Mormonism they should be sure to stop looking for others to lead them.

If you didn't learn that absolute power corrupts absolutely you learned nothing from your Mormon experience.

which attached thread addresses, albeit obliquely, and restricted to the perspective of moral theory as evidenced by sexual behavior:

https://www.exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2332434

So in a nutshell the idea seems to be Mormonism & etc. provides an reassuring external reference, but at the cost of retarded development (as there are no dragons to wrestle). After Mormonism there is suddenly no distant orienting lighthouse; it's like being at sea and suddenly enveloped in a fog. To develop fully one has to then find one's own internal reference, sort of a GPS

All of the comments here are pinging around this idea, and that's interesting.
We've all left; we all "get it" at some level.

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