Dh and I are planning to talk to the bishop next Sunday to tell him we don't believe in the church and need to be released from our callings. We're not looking to make waves or bring anyone along with us, just to be free to live life as we now see fit. We're also going to ask that we be left alone (no love bombing,please!), for whatever good that will do us!

Any advice?

It looks like you're still in "Mormon-think":

"...need to be released from our callings."
"We're also going to ask that we be left alone (no love bombing,please!)"

These statements still show a subservience to the pretended 'authority' of the so-called bishop.

Try this approach, instead:

"We are 'releasing' ourselves from our 'callings."
"We are requesting that we be left alone. Otherwise a restraining order will be sworn out against you, personally."

What Ragnar said is what I've always said would work the best - tell them you aren't interested in Visiting Teachers, Home Teachers or other representatives from the church. Explain you are happy to share what you have learned with anyone else who would like to leave Mormonism and they are welcome to come visit. Having made your wishes clear about no church representative visiting, it will be obvious to you that anyone who does come to your door will be seeking information against the church.

No one will show up.

:) You're right. The approach should be: hey, we're done with the callings. Please no HT'ers, VT'ers, drop-in visits from missionaries, etc. We want space.

A very effective way to ensure no unwanted visits is to say:

"Please no HT'ers, VT'ers, drop-in visits from missionaries, etc. If they do show up, we will make it a point to show them the truth that we have found out about your so-called 'church'."

OK..here goes. My advice.

Email. Be done with it. No discussion.
Why do you want/need to discuss it?

We will no longer be available for our callings as of: _______.

thank you.


Or if you think you must talk with the bishop
1. have the meeting in your home
2. control the conversation
3. stay on the specific topic.
4. keep it short

If you are resigning your membership, you can do it by email. You can email the membership records in SLC, the bishop and the stake president if you want to cover all the bases.

All they need is your
full names
birth dates
address
As of the date of this email/letter we resign our membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Include any children.
Please send a confirmation.

(This is an administrative-clerical process. Stake president needs to send a form authorizing SLC membership records to make the change.)

If you want to enclose a separate letter to the bishop you could do that, however it is not necessary.

Lots of people write letters to the bishop,family, etc.
That's entirely up to you.

Be prepared for a lot of questions.
In my case, at this point, I like to keep it simple: I changed my mind. (I was a convert, so I did that more than once!)

I agree with Ragnar. I read the OP and wanted to scream.

Last year I had a ward responsibility and was about as over qualified for the job as one can possibly be. The members' did not deserve my contribution. I decided to leave the ward in an instant. I did not "ask" to be released. Good, gracious that would have given them power. They have none over me. I simply emailed the bishop and told him that effective immediately I resign my position in the ward. I never gave a reason for my departure and I have never set foot in the building since.

The more information TSCC leaders have, the more they can control and gossip about.

EDIT: I just read SusieQ#1's post above. She said, "Email. Be done with it. No discussion."

She's right.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2013 12:48AM by jiminycricket.

Tell the Bishop that you're leaving the church because you discovered that it's false, and if he asks you how tell him to go read the internet.

You guys are right. We have no obligation to explain ourselves. I guess it feels harder to do b/c we've lived here for 6 years and these people are our friends. I like the bishop, he's a good man. So I'd prefer to be polite, but you guys are right. My original approach is asking for permission and giving him/them power over me that they don't have. How to balance the two?

Once again, the problem is I'm trying to figure out how to keep friends, but based on the experiences of others, that's unlikely to happen.

One more thing. I agree: be polite, civil, smile!

Just change your approach in a gentle fashion so the bishop can adapt.. it's hard for people to adapt when there is such an abrupt change that is not expected...

Now go take care of business!

You'll do great!

Sorry ck, they're not your friends. They're simply acquaintances. You'll learn that soon enough. Mormon "friendship" is conditional. You're about to break one of the conditions.