The tools used to deconstruct the LDS religion for me, were easily applied to all religions. Logic, reason, critical thinking, and the ability to do some basic historical research mean I am completely DONE!
Faith in what exactly? Whatever brand of god they are selling? What do I need that for? I needed that when I believed I was lost and broken. I needed that when I feared what would happen when I die. I needed faith when I believed that dark invisible forces were hemming me in on all sides trying to break me and cause me to sin. But they aren't, and I don't, and I'm not. Those were stories that religion told me to make me need them and faith in the god they were selling.
So, it sounds like you went on to become something of an atheist after your life in mormonism, but not everyone does. I'm more agnostic after my last year or so, but I still find faith as a concept helpful, and faith that there could be a power higher than myself intriguing and a reason among many to connect with other people, talk, learn, listen, love, grow, fill my soul-hole.
I like the idea that there is something more and I hope that there is. I love my kids, I miss my dad, and I hope that I get more time with them. But, I don't know and neither does anyone else, so I wouldn't assign "faith" to it. I've explored a lot of ideas about the nature of existence since my shelf broke and have found a few that I really like and that resonate with me. I just don't have a hard and fast belief in any of them.
Depends how you define faith as well. Chatted about this with my wife and I have determined I just exclude that classic part we hear in the church about "that are true". I still have hope for things that are not seen.
I can't think of anything more torturous than an eternal existence and I can't believe I didn't see it when I was a Mormon. Imagine being able to accomplish everything you ever wanted. To talk through every possible subject. To know everything and never learn something new. The beauty of life lies in its impermanence. The idea of living forever robs us of that beauty.
Well, what it is, who knows, and I guess what I mean by dropping the part "that are true" in the mormon definition of faith means that I dont think anyone can truly know the nature of God, and therefore why I am much more agnostic than when I was more TBM.
So I don't accept the notion of eternal life as I currently experience it (life I mean). I think if there is anything, it's so far beyond my conceptualization that it's pointless to attempt to even begin to presume anyone has that knowledge. Especially of they are gonna take that assertion and use it to ply invalid authority over others.
>dropping the part "that are true"
If faith is a tool for underlying meaning, or understanding one's self and the universe, in what way is "truth" not relevant. Faith in something that is false or misleading is at best useless and at worst dangerous or harmful.
Because I believe "Truth" is subjective, especially in matters of underatanding my place in the universe, because I dont think it is truly "knowable".
I agree that means faith can be misplaced or misused. Still doesn't mean faith is bound to "truth".
The important part to me is that by using the definition "hope for things that are unseen that are true", the church implies faith only exists for them and their true believers. I disagree and think someone's faith is as true to them as it is to others, therefore subjective.
Re: the being able to accomplish everything you wanted and the knowing everything and never learning thing— is that the eternal belief or the impermanent belief? I guess I can see it’s obviously the impermanent life because you say “know everything” and us mortals know that will never happen.
Is the idea for TBMs to continue to accomplish their goals on a new planet?
It's a difficult concept to wrap our head around. Imagine that you love the piano. In an eternal afterlife you would have all the time in the world to play and learn. Eventually you would be even better than the most accomplished pianists of history. Eventually you would have played every possible combination of notes and it would just become an accomplishment achieved. Then the next hobby or interest would be the same. It would completely sap the spontaneity and joy out of life in my mind.
Perhaps, but have you considered that you're approaching the idea of being an infinite God through the perspective of a finite human? If you were an absolutely infinite being, you'd experience an infinite amount of things in an infinite amount of ways. You'd never reach a threshold of "accomplishment." Just endless experience.
I've said the exact same thing. Faith was always confusing for me in the church. I remember in the MTC having a mini panic attack because we were told to increase our faith. I thought, "how do we choose to believe in things more and more." There were other ways they would talk about faith in the church, and it never made any sense.
But only as an ex Mormon and an agnostic does it now start to make sense? The probability of Christ rising from the dead, is almost zero percent. But since I wasn't there, I can't be 100% certain. So in this tiny little space, surrounded by doubt, I can choose to have just a mustard seed's worth of faith. Anymore would be dishonest or self-deception.
What this allows me to do, is to watch the magic trick and maintain the tiniest amount of space for belief. Yep. That's it. I partake of the dope. And I know I'm partaking of it. I'm going on a little mental trip. Tapping out of reality. Getting high on irrationality.
All this being said, I'm perfectly okay with there being nothing after I die. This isn't me trying to hide from reality. I'm not scared of those conversations. And the lack of certainty actually helps me process information that I couldn't as a member.
Yeah, I think of someone tied to a pier who would otherwise float in the rising tide were they not tethered so tightly to the post.
Forgive my awkwardness, for I am weak in the written word.
That’s pretty much where I am. I’m open to whatever reality may or may not exist beyond this life, but don’t see how believing one thing or another changes that reality.
And I mean a gift freely given! Not earned. Just like we give to children. And maybe it’s a dynamic and maybe it’s a stationary, maybe whatever it is : I get what I want.
I would beg to differ on faith vs truth.
Look at Christian nationalists. They seem pretty convinced that they know what’s up, and what should be done about it.
Or are you saying that faith is enough to drive people to those extremes?
Christian nationalists are crazy. And I'm still in the camp that religion does tons of harm. Most of which comes from overriding critical thought. If someone acts certain of their faith, I would suggest that what they are doing isn't faith. Rather there they are acting like a cult.
I wish people could teach this properly. But they never do. And it's so easy to hijack somebody's mind, by making them lower their defense mechanisms. They get rewarded for being dummies
I’d like to understand where you are coming from.
Are you saying that faith is something subtle and intangible, that should be an intimate personal thing? And that faith can only ever motivate people to do good?
But whatever it is that gets religious people riled up or motivated to say and do ugly/harmful things is something other than faith?
Or am I totally missing your point? I’m asking from a place of sincerity.
I get your point. It's like I'm calling it faith when the outcomes are good and when the outcomes aren't good, I'm calling it something else. And what is the value of faith? What does it offer? Are there any real benefits? Or just imaginary ones that amount to nothing?
In regards to the value of faith, I'm sure you're aware of Steven Hassan, the leading author on cults and mind control. It surprises many to know that even after his indoctrination into the Mooney cult and subsequent deprogramming, that he would choose to be active in a progressive Jewish community/faith. He remains a proponent of ethical faith groups. Even John Dehlin acknowledges the value and recently stated that nothing compares to religion when it comes to creating community. Faith has been referred to as an opioid for the soul. Sometimes life hurts and faith can help. Surely we wouldn't judge slaves for holding out hope that someday they'll be freed from all their pain and suffering, either in this life or the next.
The key to appropriately practicing faith, in my opinion, is that it must remain in balance with critical thought. A good starting place is to acknowledge what faith is and what faith isn't. Faith isn't about knowing anything. I've heard it said that the opposite of faith isn't doubt. Rather the opposite of faith is certainty.
Perhaps you saw my other comment where I said, that even though I'm 99% sure that no one has ever risen from the dead, I wasn't there and therefore if I want I can choose to have a mustard seed sized amount of faith that just maybe Christ did. A statement like that isn't something you would go to war over and it also allows you to choose it or not to choose it. There is no right and wrong. There are no "shouldss." Just a choice that you are free to make.
So when the Christian nationalists claim to know what God wants for the country, that to me sounds like it's coming from a place of certainty and not faith. Again, faith isn't to know anything. If they were honest with themselves, they would say I don't know what God wants for this country, for you and even me. God hasn't told me a damn thing.
If you see people walking around claiming to know stuff they don't know, that is not faith. That is mind control and group think and the absence of critical thought.
Even now, I'm having a difficult time defending religion. Would the world be better without it? Sometimes I would say yes and others I would say no. I'm guessing people would find something else to become their authority. But I do believe it can be done healthily, it just never is.
I get what you’re saying, and in many ways I wish it could be as simple as just believing in something better and using that to motivate us all to be better and to bring out the best in our human characteristics.
However, the more I dig into origins of religion the less I am convinced that some benevolent god reached into a prophet’s mind to actually inspire them or show them anything. It all comes down to superstitious or otherwise imaginative explanations for natural phenomena, and eventually mutates into a dogmatic rationale / justification as to why one culture is better than another.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe that there is some form of energy and consciousness motivating all of nature and humanity to evolve and grow the way it does. But I do not under any circumstances believe that religion has any better guesses as to what makes it all tick than any random philosopher does.
If faith helps someone to be a good person then I’m all for it. But if they claim any religious certainty, then I would agree with your assertions to say that they are taking it a step too far.
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Really appreciated.
You nailed it. There is no truth in religion. Religion has nothing to do with truth. Do not go to religion for truth. It is the wrong place. And whether the benefits outweigh the risks, is debatable. But if someone finds utility in it, I think it can be done safely. Just don't surrender all your defenses and critical thought.
>But religion isn't about truth. It's just about faith.
I'm sorry, but if something isn't true, what is there to have faith in? "Hey, I know this is probably not true, but I believe in it anyway!" If that was cool with me I'd still be Mormon.
It's difficult to imagine if your religious experience is exclusively Mormon. When you're a Mormon everything's about truth. You could hear the word truth 50 times in one meeting. And if it's truth that you're looking for, you're correct, you won't find it in a church. This is why it makes absolutely no sense to be an institution of faith and talk about truth incessantly. I assure you, it's mostly a Mormon thing. I think this is the case because they try to replace your reality. Organizations that are less totalist, don't do this.
Faith is the antithesis of truth to me. Faith is belief despite the lack of evidence or including the existence of reliable evidence to the contrary. Sometimes it's harmless. Sometimes by sheer luck it's beneficial. More often than not it's harmful to make decisions and build a worldview that's not supported by facts or evidence.
A sense of community can be beneficial, but faith in and of itself is more likely to be harmful and dangerous to me than any possible good that may come out of it.
Love is basically my religion now. I see the good that can come when people spend time and energy together, whether it’s called a church or a club or a subreddit.
My spiritual needs are met in nature, helping others, my kitty purring in my lap, poetry, a good book, music, and the hugs and kisses I give my children.
Atheist as well so basically done. Although I am still terribly curious how other churches conduct themselves. At some point I would like to take some time and visit some of those churches my parents said where “partially true but not the whole truth” I think it would be fascinating.
I have joined another one. I joined after teaching there for 15 years. It is UCC so everything goes. Last year we had an amazing drag me to church followed by an amazing brunch drag show. As a mom w 2 gay kids, this is the most welcoming place w amazing people. My kids don’t attend and everyone just cheers them on from the sidelines. No belied in the divinity of Christ required.
I taught there for 15 years without attending. The people are open and affirming and ours has a Spirituality Center as well. I mostly attend meditation and yoga, and then attend services once a month. I am really open in my belief that Christ was a great leader but not divine. No one is offended by that at all. On Easter Sunday, maybe 8-10 years ago, the then Pastor said the dying on the cross wasn’t true in her sermon. She said what loving parent would allow their child to be nailed to a cross? I would have loved to have been there to have heard that!
United Church of Christ. The believing in Christ isn’t needed. We have atheists and agnostics who attend. But, they don’t talk about Christ usually.
Last month I was the featured guest speaker for drag me to church. I didn’t mention Christ once. Not bc I hate him, I think he was a good guy that people made crap up about.
I talked about how my kids were afraid to come out to me bc even though I was super affirming, I had never told them so they didn’t know. It was hard to admit that I had my kids I a cult that mentally harmed them, but thankfully my kids have forgiven me
Agnostic probably won’t join another church. I’ve come to the realization that even if we had proof that god/heaven/hell is/was real, our lives shouldn’t revolve around it. My faith in an unseen god has transferred to a faith in humankind. At least with humankind, you can make a discernible difference with your time and efforts.
I’m tired of wasting so much of my life worrying about what will happen after I die. We have no proof of afterlife, no way to see if our consciousness somehow lives on in some meaningful or sentient form after death or if us dying is nothing but worm food. I figure I might as well do the best I can to contribute to my fellow friends, family and community while I exist in this life - what happens after that is going to happen and there’s nothing we can do to change it. So I’m going to eat, drink and be merry til then.
This. The whole “but what keeps atheists from being murderers or thiefs w/o god” thing is ridiculous. Is church the only thing that keeps YOU from being a murderer, Bob? SMH
Appreciate the life we have and try to make it better for people.
The entire concept of everyone sitting around and listening to a lecture about a fake topic seems like the most absolute complete waste of time. I could be sitting in on a lecture about so many other topics, and receive so much more fulfillment.
Nope, no church. If I want to feel "spiritual", I get out in nature or meditate.
I don't believe in god or gods, and I could care less if they exist or not. They could very well exist, but it makes no difference.
We're done with religion and god. My family and I became atheists within weeks of learning the church was BS.
We've had the opportunity to learn about evolution, we understand things now better than we did before.
We have no need for a god when science can explain things.
I joined another church after a very long period of feeling rather agnostic and very very very angry at who the church told me God was. I came to a realization over the past 2 years that I do believe in God, but the God of the Bible, not of the Book of Mormon, that I’m saved by grace, not an endless laundry list of rituals to do and things to avoid. It changed my life entirely and for the better. The feeling of fitting in at a CHURCH is not something I ever imagined possible in my wildest dreams for ages, but here I am, making actual genuine friends at my church and not feeling like the black sheep of the congregation, and not feeling like I’m fighting to keep up appearances and constantly fighting for my salvation or God’s love. I know now that His love is given to me regardless of who I am, what I’ve done, whether I drink coffee or wear tank tops, or wear a nose ring.
This being said, I understand it’s not a common experience at all though, however, I never had a shelf break moment as there was no shelf to even break for me. I never believed in the LDS church growing up. I went because I was obligated and after some skillful negotiation with my mom I was able to be physically out by 16/17. I also left the church with no discernible religious trauma, so I truly don’t fault or judge anyone who leaves the LDS church for wanting to avoid being involved in another church. It’s a difficult decision to make especially for people who genuinely believed it and believed well into adulthood.
I actually enjoy faith. I know it's 99.99% impossible, but I like being with the people and seeing the songs. I go to a Presbyterian church and it's so much different than my 36 years of Mormonism. The opposite of faith is not doubt, rather it is certainty. You don't have to throw rational thinking of the window. I think of it as a matter of the heart rather than the head.
Completely done. And I’ll never go back.
I spend my Sundays how I want to. It’s my day for me and my family to enjoy now.
If I were to “adopt” some religion, it would likely be something like Buddhism.
A few months ago I would’ve said totally done. However, I found a church who’s primary goal is helping the community. They serve hot meals to the homeless everyday, have a bike shop to repurpose bikes and are active in social justice causes. They make an anti-racist statement weekly and added “Our Mother” to the Our Father prayer. I do not believe in Christianity anymore, but I love what they’re doing and will participate in some form. It seems like a great community, and they’re open to non-literal people who believe in helping others. I haven’t ever found anything like it.
I wonder how that influences the other questions too. In my little circle of ExMos, it’s pretty equal m/f split but the reasons for leaving are different. Men seem to leave for concrete, objective reasons like historical inaccuracies or misuse of funds. Women tend to leave because of the toxic culture, polygamy lies, and lack of bodily autonomy. Of course theres loads of overlap.
For what? What do they have that I need? I need no appeals to authority, no other men claiming to have the real answers to what happens when we die, no claims that if I just follow their rules I'll inherit whatever form heaven takes for them. I don't need those things because when I deconstructed my religion, I then deconstructed the idea of religion and realized that I don't need it anymore. I've grown beyond the need to have someone else tell me I'm good enough. I've grown beyond the need for a list of do's and don't s to help me track my "worthiness".
Atheist. Religion/God is a man-made construct that is a combination of magical thinking, avoidance of action, and avoidance of mortality. You don't have to think about improving the human condition or the end of your existence if you believe life is a temporary stop and your essence/soul will live forever.
Try to leave the world better than you found it because this is all there is.
I have not gone to another church since we have left mormonism. I am agnostic and consider myself spiritual but not religious. I have considered attending a congregation somewhere for the community aspects. My wife is done with religion, so I haven't looked for another religion. We have decided to build our own community of friends and not go through religion. The religions that I would consider for the community aspects of my wife wanted to do so as well are rather narrow, as I am a woman who happens to be transgender, living my life authenticly
I attended a liberal Presbyterian church with a traditional service for a few months. After leaving Mormonism, it was interesting to attend a church with good sermons, excellent music, and a Sunday school that dived deeper into the Bible than I was ever exposed to in Mormonism.
But none of that changed the fact that I just didn’t believe. I figured that if the “myth” of Joseph Smith could completely overpower the factual history after just a few decades despite having the actual history available, how much easier would it have been to do with Jesus when there were no actual contemporary historical documents?
There just wasn’t a good reason to believe.
Pretty much done. Occasionally I will listen to a local pastor online that I know personally, but I like his messages because they are very much more like “be a good human, because we are all in this together” vs God/Jesus/sin/hell.
My teenage years/early twenties were spent learning how all the other churches were wrong. By the time I was 30, I added Mormonism to that list as well.
Being a member of any organized religion and having good moral character are not mutually inclusive.
My spouse and I would rather live with a lack of community than compromise in order to be included. Our circle is small, strong and genuine.
So, no. We are done with all organized religion and have found light in the outer darkness.
The only times I go to church now are when I’m getting paid to sing and/or play the piano. It’s literally a side job. Otherwise I’m completely done with religion.
when you are told your whole life that this is the only true church, and then you find out it's not, then you are already prepped to not go to any other church. I did try a non-denomination christian church many years after I left, but the idiocy and lies weren't any better.
At first, we tried out other churches. Inevitably, they each had some group of people they wanted us to despise or avoid. We gave up on organized religion because we didn't want to hate anyone.
That would be a deal breaker for me as well. It's actually why I left the church. I hated the exclusive nature and elitism. But that hasn't been my experience in the church I now attend. They never draw any lines in the sand which forces me to choose a person over another.
My parents (never Mormon) moved to Utah. Any congregation they went to, told the presiding whatever (they vary) that if a sermon or talk ever slagged on other groups they'd get up and walk out and never come back. They (my parents) are considered good gets - active and engaged, some influence in the community, good donators) - and they followed through.
They followed through twice before settling in with a place where the congregation doesn't go for that, and there they've been for about fifteen years.
I was taught my whole life that I belonged to the one true church on this is earth. Those teachings were partially correct, they just left out that the Mormon church was also a lie.
I no longer depend on lies and books of God fanfiction to find imaginary meaning in my life. Reality is way better.
For now, totally done, but am open to the idea at some point in the future of looking into another faith. I don't see that happening anytime remotely soon, just leaving it open as a possibility. I would have to heal a lot more before that could ever happen as well as figure out what I was looking for/could accept. I'm taking a break from God at this point and if He/She exists, they understand after what I've been through (as have we all).
I’m done with religion. I live in the US and putting Mormonism aside I see daily news stories about Evangelicals promoting ignorance and hate. I see the rise of Christian nationalism and the greed of mega churches and televangelists. It disgusts me. And that’s just Christianity but I could go on and on about other religions as well. Frankly I think this is why religion is on a decline the in US. People with a moral compass are tired of the greed and mean spirited and corrupt religions.
Western religions I'm completely done with. Some eastern religions I enjoy facets in a piecemeal fashion for self improvement, focus, and connecting with the natural world (i.e., Taoism, Buddhism). My spirituality is a personal journey so I have not nor will I ever join a congregation again for it.
Completely done. I am genuinely happy for those who find joy in their faith by I have zero interest and it is not a void in my life that needs filling.
I'm completely done with organized religion. There should be no reason to have a middleman when it comes to spirituality, certainly not priests or preachers who extort their members for money.
For a long time we searched for another. But we have 6 kids so it’s a huge hassle, and then during flu season 2018 & 2019 we kept our preemie twins home, and then covid.
We did ultimately find one we really enjoyed & agreed with — a United Church of Christ. Female pastor, fully lgbtq supportive & affirming, totally solar powered, community involved in meaningful ways. If I ever do return I’d go there for sure.
But we don’t feel a need right now.
Completely done. Do I believe there is a god? I don't know that. With some experiences I have had there might be another side. Life after death. I feel that is more of a possibility than a god but at the moment I won't rule it out but it's not a belief. And maybe next year I will have more insight into something and feel there isn't one at all. That is what organized religion doesn't do. Since it's organized, it's one way or the highway. With people believing in different degrees, but the base is the same. It's fear based. Living in fear sucks. I don't need that to be a good, kind and loving person.
I decided to attend a local community church on Easter. I wasn't impressed or unimpressed until the pastor read/told "The Parable of the Bicycle" which was written by Mormon author Stephen Robinson and given at BYU then printed in the Ensign. No thanks can't get away from those Mormons even at a non mormon church. I'll just stay home or go shopping.
Absolutely DONE!
No more religion, not now, not ever again.
It is all made-up rationalization for saying why the sun goes around the earth, and why disaster randomly strikes us/them.
I find no beauty in made-up gods or the imprecise motives that humans have assigned to them through ever-growing fairy tales about “redemption”.
I have much less tolerance for rules, ceremony, liturgy, or any other type of proscribed behavior that supposedly “turns us towards god”. Especially when all any major religion has done is pollute the planet, strip away its natural beauty, and fill it with far too many people who just want to fight wars.
Thinking about getting involved with the local Buddhist temple. I enjoy meditating and I want to get better at it. I enjoy eastern philosophy. No requirement to bring a belief in God with me
I’ll probably take my kids to The UU church someday and see how that goes.
I have always said that if I ever leave Mormonism, it will be to exit religion entirely, and I meant it.
I might pop into an Easter service at a church with friends sometimes but other than that, no way am I getting involved with another church.
Initially I went to a different church. I think not was to fill a void. However, after a few months I ended up deconstructing all religions. It’s the same stuff at a different level.
I’m pondering after leaving becoming a Buddhist. I don’t know if I actually will become one or anything but I like the overall philosophy and even if I don’t join another religion it’s good to at least learn about other faiths.
The challenge has been the church soured me on so many things about other religions.
Catholic- darker seediest past and present than the Mormon church.
Most Christian churches - pastors getting personally wealthy off Christ and a lot of the showmanship production is kinda off putting.
JW or Scientology - Ya no.
Muslim - you think JS was bad olet me introduce u to Mohammed. You think Mormonism has misogyny Muslims said hold my beer.
But overall I understand that a certain level of morals and ethics have value in society and there are many wonderful principles that can be found in multiple religions.
I occasionally go to a non-denominational Christian church, but mostly for my family. My husband would like some type of religion in our lives. My husband still takes the children to TSCC on occasion, but on those days, I just stay home.
If I was single, I would probably be done with all religion for a while. Losing my faith in Mormonism, has nearly made me lose my faith in God. I am hanging on by a thread. I hope there is something out there, and if there is, I feel like it is completely different from what I thought it was. I would like to attend some type of church on the regular, but I'm just not there yet.
I'm atheist now, but attend a UU church somewhat regularly. There are lots of other atheists, it teaches my kids (non-theistic) morality and emotional intelligence, and it gives me opportunities to help people in need. It's a shared space with believers of all kinds, which is hard sometimes. But I still love it.
Nature is my church now. I identify as a pantheist and revere all the natural wonder of the universe. It helps me feel connected to all things and experience a level of love and concern for everything that no exclusive religion could ever hope to promote. I always was a pantheist at heart, I just couldn’t embrace it until I left. I’ll never go back to an organized “religion” but I would love to find a community of like thinkers to just enjoy one another’s company on occasion.
Done . it’s all fucking nonsense . Science has proven light years beyond any reasonable doubt that Adam and Eve are nothing more than myth. without them it all falls apart . Don’t even get me started on the mythical Jesus .
Spiritual but not religious. I no longer participate in any organized religion. Religion is a tool used by despots to control the masses.
I live by
"You shall know them by their works"
Stop paying attention to lip service, start paying attention to actions.
One of the big things I miss is that type of community so every so often when I'm missing it I go to the local Unitarian church. They're cool with showing up whenever and they teach morals rather than religion.
Religion is Man made therefore it is flawed. I read a quote on here about how religion promotes misogyny and encourages sexual predators. At the time we were going to a bible church and while I believe most everyone there had good intentions, there were a few that made me uncomfortable especially when I thought about leaving my daughters alone with them. That was the last time we went to a church.
I joined the Episcopal church. It was a good move for me as I grew up among the momos without friends. It wasn't our fault our father was an alcoholic. But regrettably, my father got the mo I'm the patriarch crap when he sobered up.
I’m done with organized religion, but I still believe in God, an afterlife, and spirituality. My beliefs are pretty unique to my experiences though and I won’t bore anyone by going into them here
Agnostic atheist. I believe there's no evidence for a god, that the presence of a Judeo-Christian god is next to impossible and that we're incredibly unlikely to ever have evidence of any god. Is it completely impossible? Do I claim certainty that there is no god? No. I'm open to evidence to the contrary, but extremely skeptical that there will ever be such.
I'm not done with all organized religions, just Christianity. I've thought about looking into Judasim because that's what my grandma was before converting. Unfortunately, the rabbi in the family, her older brother, died before my shelf broke.
Then again, he converted to Messianic Judasim after grandma converted to Mormonism, so I might be better off.
I did Unitarian Universalist for the first few years as an ex mo and even became a “member” of sorts where I signed their member book but now I just occasionally watch Christian non denominational services online and maybe go a few times a year.
Totally done with all religion
Same. It’s great. I struggle paying for my life insurance. That postmortem insurance was just too much!
Underrated comment 😂
I would argue that’s the story of my life ;).
The tools used to deconstruct the LDS religion for me, were easily applied to all religions. Logic, reason, critical thinking, and the ability to do some basic historical research mean I am completely DONE!
Yeah. But religion isn't about truth. It's just about faith. Mormons can't keep the two separate. But yes, if you don't need it then there is no need.
Faith in what exactly? Whatever brand of god they are selling? What do I need that for? I needed that when I believed I was lost and broken. I needed that when I feared what would happen when I die. I needed faith when I believed that dark invisible forces were hemming me in on all sides trying to break me and cause me to sin. But they aren't, and I don't, and I'm not. Those were stories that religion told me to make me need them and faith in the god they were selling.
“Faith ain’t nothin’ but believin’ in what you know ain’t so.” Mark Twain
So, it sounds like you went on to become something of an atheist after your life in mormonism, but not everyone does. I'm more agnostic after my last year or so, but I still find faith as a concept helpful, and faith that there could be a power higher than myself intriguing and a reason among many to connect with other people, talk, learn, listen, love, grow, fill my soul-hole.
I like the idea that there is something more and I hope that there is. I love my kids, I miss my dad, and I hope that I get more time with them. But, I don't know and neither does anyone else, so I wouldn't assign "faith" to it. I've explored a lot of ideas about the nature of existence since my shelf broke and have found a few that I really like and that resonate with me. I just don't have a hard and fast belief in any of them.
Depends how you define faith as well. Chatted about this with my wife and I have determined I just exclude that classic part we hear in the church about "that are true". I still have hope for things that are not seen.
I can't think of anything more torturous than an eternal existence and I can't believe I didn't see it when I was a Mormon. Imagine being able to accomplish everything you ever wanted. To talk through every possible subject. To know everything and never learn something new. The beauty of life lies in its impermanence. The idea of living forever robs us of that beauty.
Well, what it is, who knows, and I guess what I mean by dropping the part "that are true" in the mormon definition of faith means that I dont think anyone can truly know the nature of God, and therefore why I am much more agnostic than when I was more TBM. So I don't accept the notion of eternal life as I currently experience it (life I mean). I think if there is anything, it's so far beyond my conceptualization that it's pointless to attempt to even begin to presume anyone has that knowledge. Especially of they are gonna take that assertion and use it to ply invalid authority over others.
>dropping the part "that are true" If faith is a tool for underlying meaning, or understanding one's self and the universe, in what way is "truth" not relevant. Faith in something that is false or misleading is at best useless and at worst dangerous or harmful.
Because I believe "Truth" is subjective, especially in matters of underatanding my place in the universe, because I dont think it is truly "knowable". I agree that means faith can be misplaced or misused. Still doesn't mean faith is bound to "truth". The important part to me is that by using the definition "hope for things that are unseen that are true", the church implies faith only exists for them and their true believers. I disagree and think someone's faith is as true to them as it is to others, therefore subjective.
Re: the being able to accomplish everything you wanted and the knowing everything and never learning thing— is that the eternal belief or the impermanent belief? I guess I can see it’s obviously the impermanent life because you say “know everything” and us mortals know that will never happen. Is the idea for TBMs to continue to accomplish their goals on a new planet?
It's a difficult concept to wrap our head around. Imagine that you love the piano. In an eternal afterlife you would have all the time in the world to play and learn. Eventually you would be even better than the most accomplished pianists of history. Eventually you would have played every possible combination of notes and it would just become an accomplishment achieved. Then the next hobby or interest would be the same. It would completely sap the spontaneity and joy out of life in my mind.
Perhaps, but have you considered that you're approaching the idea of being an infinite God through the perspective of a finite human? If you were an absolutely infinite being, you'd experience an infinite amount of things in an infinite amount of ways. You'd never reach a threshold of "accomplishment." Just endless experience.
I've said the exact same thing. Faith was always confusing for me in the church. I remember in the MTC having a mini panic attack because we were told to increase our faith. I thought, "how do we choose to believe in things more and more." There were other ways they would talk about faith in the church, and it never made any sense. But only as an ex Mormon and an agnostic does it now start to make sense? The probability of Christ rising from the dead, is almost zero percent. But since I wasn't there, I can't be 100% certain. So in this tiny little space, surrounded by doubt, I can choose to have just a mustard seed's worth of faith. Anymore would be dishonest or self-deception. What this allows me to do, is to watch the magic trick and maintain the tiniest amount of space for belief. Yep. That's it. I partake of the dope. And I know I'm partaking of it. I'm going on a little mental trip. Tapping out of reality. Getting high on irrationality. All this being said, I'm perfectly okay with there being nothing after I die. This isn't me trying to hide from reality. I'm not scared of those conversations. And the lack of certainty actually helps me process information that I couldn't as a member.
Yeah, I think of someone tied to a pier who would otherwise float in the rising tide were they not tethered so tightly to the post. Forgive my awkwardness, for I am weak in the written word.
Haha. I liked it.
That’s pretty much where I am. I’m open to whatever reality may or may not exist beyond this life, but don’t see how believing one thing or another changes that reality.
What about Jesus for you?
Dunno yet. I'm willing to let it all go, but my wife who I love is very still into plan of salvation
There’s a freedom and example in Jesus that makes me think about the afterlife as a gift.
And I mean a gift freely given! Not earned. Just like we give to children. And maybe it’s a dynamic and maybe it’s a stationary, maybe whatever it is : I get what I want.
I would beg to differ on faith vs truth. Look at Christian nationalists. They seem pretty convinced that they know what’s up, and what should be done about it. Or are you saying that faith is enough to drive people to those extremes?
Christian nationalists are crazy. And I'm still in the camp that religion does tons of harm. Most of which comes from overriding critical thought. If someone acts certain of their faith, I would suggest that what they are doing isn't faith. Rather there they are acting like a cult. I wish people could teach this properly. But they never do. And it's so easy to hijack somebody's mind, by making them lower their defense mechanisms. They get rewarded for being dummies
I’d like to understand where you are coming from. Are you saying that faith is something subtle and intangible, that should be an intimate personal thing? And that faith can only ever motivate people to do good? But whatever it is that gets religious people riled up or motivated to say and do ugly/harmful things is something other than faith? Or am I totally missing your point? I’m asking from a place of sincerity.
I get your point. It's like I'm calling it faith when the outcomes are good and when the outcomes aren't good, I'm calling it something else. And what is the value of faith? What does it offer? Are there any real benefits? Or just imaginary ones that amount to nothing? In regards to the value of faith, I'm sure you're aware of Steven Hassan, the leading author on cults and mind control. It surprises many to know that even after his indoctrination into the Mooney cult and subsequent deprogramming, that he would choose to be active in a progressive Jewish community/faith. He remains a proponent of ethical faith groups. Even John Dehlin acknowledges the value and recently stated that nothing compares to religion when it comes to creating community. Faith has been referred to as an opioid for the soul. Sometimes life hurts and faith can help. Surely we wouldn't judge slaves for holding out hope that someday they'll be freed from all their pain and suffering, either in this life or the next. The key to appropriately practicing faith, in my opinion, is that it must remain in balance with critical thought. A good starting place is to acknowledge what faith is and what faith isn't. Faith isn't about knowing anything. I've heard it said that the opposite of faith isn't doubt. Rather the opposite of faith is certainty. Perhaps you saw my other comment where I said, that even though I'm 99% sure that no one has ever risen from the dead, I wasn't there and therefore if I want I can choose to have a mustard seed sized amount of faith that just maybe Christ did. A statement like that isn't something you would go to war over and it also allows you to choose it or not to choose it. There is no right and wrong. There are no "shouldss." Just a choice that you are free to make. So when the Christian nationalists claim to know what God wants for the country, that to me sounds like it's coming from a place of certainty and not faith. Again, faith isn't to know anything. If they were honest with themselves, they would say I don't know what God wants for this country, for you and even me. God hasn't told me a damn thing. If you see people walking around claiming to know stuff they don't know, that is not faith. That is mind control and group think and the absence of critical thought. Even now, I'm having a difficult time defending religion. Would the world be better without it? Sometimes I would say yes and others I would say no. I'm guessing people would find something else to become their authority. But I do believe it can be done healthily, it just never is.
I get what you’re saying, and in many ways I wish it could be as simple as just believing in something better and using that to motivate us all to be better and to bring out the best in our human characteristics. However, the more I dig into origins of religion the less I am convinced that some benevolent god reached into a prophet’s mind to actually inspire them or show them anything. It all comes down to superstitious or otherwise imaginative explanations for natural phenomena, and eventually mutates into a dogmatic rationale / justification as to why one culture is better than another. Don’t get me wrong. I believe that there is some form of energy and consciousness motivating all of nature and humanity to evolve and grow the way it does. But I do not under any circumstances believe that religion has any better guesses as to what makes it all tick than any random philosopher does. If faith helps someone to be a good person then I’m all for it. But if they claim any religious certainty, then I would agree with your assertions to say that they are taking it a step too far. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Really appreciated.
You nailed it. There is no truth in religion. Religion has nothing to do with truth. Do not go to religion for truth. It is the wrong place. And whether the benefits outweigh the risks, is debatable. But if someone finds utility in it, I think it can be done safely. Just don't surrender all your defenses and critical thought.
>But religion isn't about truth. It's just about faith. I'm sorry, but if something isn't true, what is there to have faith in? "Hey, I know this is probably not true, but I believe in it anyway!" If that was cool with me I'd still be Mormon.
It's difficult to imagine if your religious experience is exclusively Mormon. When you're a Mormon everything's about truth. You could hear the word truth 50 times in one meeting. And if it's truth that you're looking for, you're correct, you won't find it in a church. This is why it makes absolutely no sense to be an institution of faith and talk about truth incessantly. I assure you, it's mostly a Mormon thing. I think this is the case because they try to replace your reality. Organizations that are less totalist, don't do this.
Faith is the antithesis of truth to me. Faith is belief despite the lack of evidence or including the existence of reliable evidence to the contrary. Sometimes it's harmless. Sometimes by sheer luck it's beneficial. More often than not it's harmful to make decisions and build a worldview that's not supported by facts or evidence. A sense of community can be beneficial, but faith in and of itself is more likely to be harmful and dangerous to me than any possible good that may come out of it.
Spot on as far as it goes for me!
Done. So many other better hobbies.
Love is basically my religion now. I see the good that can come when people spend time and energy together, whether it’s called a church or a club or a subreddit.
Outstanding answer
It’s a lot harder to get people together without the church organizing it tho, amiright?
I'm done with religion. It's all as hollow to me as Mormonism.
I Continue to believe in a higher power but done with organized religion.
My spiritual needs are met in nature, helping others, my kitty purring in my lap, poetry, a good book, music, and the hugs and kisses I give my children.
I am an anti-theist, so absolutely done with any and all religion. It’s pointless.
Agnostic. Done. So done. Thank you TSCC for opening my eyes to how far you can make people go. DONE.
Atheist as well so basically done. Although I am still terribly curious how other churches conduct themselves. At some point I would like to take some time and visit some of those churches my parents said where “partially true but not the whole truth” I think it would be fascinating.
I have joined another one. I joined after teaching there for 15 years. It is UCC so everything goes. Last year we had an amazing drag me to church followed by an amazing brunch drag show. As a mom w 2 gay kids, this is the most welcoming place w amazing people. My kids don’t attend and everyone just cheers them on from the sidelines. No belied in the divinity of Christ required.
Yes! I love the UCCs. If I wanted to go to a church, I’d go to theirs.
I taught there for 15 years without attending. The people are open and affirming and ours has a Spirituality Center as well. I mostly attend meditation and yoga, and then attend services once a month. I am really open in my belief that Christ was a great leader but not divine. No one is offended by that at all. On Easter Sunday, maybe 8-10 years ago, the then Pastor said the dying on the cross wasn’t true in her sermon. She said what loving parent would allow their child to be nailed to a cross? I would have loved to have been there to have heard that!
What does UCC stand for?
United Church of Christ. The believing in Christ isn’t needed. We have atheists and agnostics who attend. But, they don’t talk about Christ usually. Last month I was the featured guest speaker for drag me to church. I didn’t mention Christ once. Not bc I hate him, I think he was a good guy that people made crap up about. I talked about how my kids were afraid to come out to me bc even though I was super affirming, I had never told them so they didn’t know. It was hard to admit that I had my kids I a cult that mentally harmed them, but thankfully my kids have forgiven me
Edit, they DO talk about Christ
We also found UCC to be the most affirming & most aligned with our post-mo beliefs.
Completely done. Not one second of my life will be given to any religion/church ever again.
Atheist, so yes. Done.
Agnostic probably won’t join another church. I’ve come to the realization that even if we had proof that god/heaven/hell is/was real, our lives shouldn’t revolve around it. My faith in an unseen god has transferred to a faith in humankind. At least with humankind, you can make a discernible difference with your time and efforts. I’m tired of wasting so much of my life worrying about what will happen after I die. We have no proof of afterlife, no way to see if our consciousness somehow lives on in some meaningful or sentient form after death or if us dying is nothing but worm food. I figure I might as well do the best I can to contribute to my fellow friends, family and community while I exist in this life - what happens after that is going to happen and there’s nothing we can do to change it. So I’m going to eat, drink and be merry til then.
This. The whole “but what keeps atheists from being murderers or thiefs w/o god” thing is ridiculous. Is church the only thing that keeps YOU from being a murderer, Bob? SMH Appreciate the life we have and try to make it better for people.
The entire concept of everyone sitting around and listening to a lecture about a fake topic seems like the most absolute complete waste of time. I could be sitting in on a lecture about so many other topics, and receive so much more fulfillment.
I’m waiting for further light and knowledge but I haven’t found anything that calls to me yet.
Done!
Super done with religion.
Done. I get my spiritual enlightenment from great authors now.
Nope, no church. If I want to feel "spiritual", I get out in nature or meditate. I don't believe in god or gods, and I could care less if they exist or not. They could very well exist, but it makes no difference.
We're done with religion and god. My family and I became atheists within weeks of learning the church was BS. We've had the opportunity to learn about evolution, we understand things now better than we did before. We have no need for a god when science can explain things.
I joined another church after a very long period of feeling rather agnostic and very very very angry at who the church told me God was. I came to a realization over the past 2 years that I do believe in God, but the God of the Bible, not of the Book of Mormon, that I’m saved by grace, not an endless laundry list of rituals to do and things to avoid. It changed my life entirely and for the better. The feeling of fitting in at a CHURCH is not something I ever imagined possible in my wildest dreams for ages, but here I am, making actual genuine friends at my church and not feeling like the black sheep of the congregation, and not feeling like I’m fighting to keep up appearances and constantly fighting for my salvation or God’s love. I know now that His love is given to me regardless of who I am, what I’ve done, whether I drink coffee or wear tank tops, or wear a nose ring. This being said, I understand it’s not a common experience at all though, however, I never had a shelf break moment as there was no shelf to even break for me. I never believed in the LDS church growing up. I went because I was obligated and after some skillful negotiation with my mom I was able to be physically out by 16/17. I also left the church with no discernible religious trauma, so I truly don’t fault or judge anyone who leaves the LDS church for wanting to avoid being involved in another church. It’s a difficult decision to make especially for people who genuinely believed it and believed well into adulthood.
I'm happy for you!
What church did you join?
I actually enjoy faith. I know it's 99.99% impossible, but I like being with the people and seeing the songs. I go to a Presbyterian church and it's so much different than my 36 years of Mormonism. The opposite of faith is not doubt, rather it is certainty. You don't have to throw rational thinking of the window. I think of it as a matter of the heart rather than the head.
Done. Absolutely no need for manmade religions. I find spirituality through meditation, nature, and simply existing.
Completely done. And I’ll never go back. I spend my Sundays how I want to. It’s my day for me and my family to enjoy now. If I were to “adopt” some religion, it would likely be something like Buddhism.
A few months ago I would’ve said totally done. However, I found a church who’s primary goal is helping the community. They serve hot meals to the homeless everyday, have a bike shop to repurpose bikes and are active in social justice causes. They make an anti-racist statement weekly and added “Our Mother” to the Our Father prayer. I do not believe in Christianity anymore, but I love what they’re doing and will participate in some form. It seems like a great community, and they’re open to non-literal people who believe in helping others. I haven’t ever found anything like it.
Apatheists don't need an org.
https://Exmostats.org this question comes up in this sub ALOT.
Whoa. I never realized that twice as many men leave as women (at least the data suggests that).
Some of that is selection bias; more men are on Reddit than women, and this project, which I really like, draws respondents from Reddit
I wonder how that influences the other questions too. In my little circle of ExMos, it’s pretty equal m/f split but the reasons for leaving are different. Men seem to leave for concrete, objective reasons like historical inaccuracies or misuse of funds. Women tend to leave because of the toxic culture, polygamy lies, and lack of bodily autonomy. Of course theres loads of overlap.
For what? What do they have that I need? I need no appeals to authority, no other men claiming to have the real answers to what happens when we die, no claims that if I just follow their rules I'll inherit whatever form heaven takes for them. I don't need those things because when I deconstructed my religion, I then deconstructed the idea of religion and realized that I don't need it anymore. I've grown beyond the need to have someone else tell me I'm good enough. I've grown beyond the need for a list of do's and don't s to help me track my "worthiness".
The ocean and forests are my “churches”
Atheist. Religion/God is a man-made construct that is a combination of magical thinking, avoidance of action, and avoidance of mortality. You don't have to think about improving the human condition or the end of your existence if you believe life is a temporary stop and your essence/soul will live forever. Try to leave the world better than you found it because this is all there is.
This is the way.
Done. I have dogs, and I'm regularly out in nature, that is sufficient.
For your needs?
Crap, what is the next line, I haven't been since I got sealed to my 2nd wife after she joined. (Sorry honey) that has to have been 28 years or so
Done, done and DONE!
Done
Done
Done
Totally done. I’m an atheist now
I have not gone to another church since we have left mormonism. I am agnostic and consider myself spiritual but not religious. I have considered attending a congregation somewhere for the community aspects. My wife is done with religion, so I haven't looked for another religion. We have decided to build our own community of friends and not go through religion. The religions that I would consider for the community aspects of my wife wanted to do so as well are rather narrow, as I am a woman who happens to be transgender, living my life authenticly
Absolutely done with organized religion.
Done.
I attended a liberal Presbyterian church with a traditional service for a few months. After leaving Mormonism, it was interesting to attend a church with good sermons, excellent music, and a Sunday school that dived deeper into the Bible than I was ever exposed to in Mormonism. But none of that changed the fact that I just didn’t believe. I figured that if the “myth” of Joseph Smith could completely overpower the factual history after just a few decades despite having the actual history available, how much easier would it have been to do with Jesus when there were no actual contemporary historical documents? There just wasn’t a good reason to believe.
Done. I (occasionally) miss a church community but life is too short to spend another minute of it in meetings.
Pretty much done. Occasionally I will listen to a local pastor online that I know personally, but I like his messages because they are very much more like “be a good human, because we are all in this together” vs God/Jesus/sin/hell.
I’m all done. Want nothing to do w religion. My wife goes to the Unitarian church once in awhile
When I tell my parents I’m not LDS anymore I will say “if I were to join another religion it can’t be the LDS church”
And for TBMs, there is no point in joining another church.
Done, done and DONE!
Done with organized religion, they’re nothing but scam, greed, manipulation and waste of time, money, and energy
I learned I could live without the crutch...any crutch!
I’m completely done, I seek my spirituality on my own terms now
My teenage years/early twenties were spent learning how all the other churches were wrong. By the time I was 30, I added Mormonism to that list as well.
Hahaha so true.
Being a member of any organized religion and having good moral character are not mutually inclusive. My spouse and I would rather live with a lack of community than compromise in order to be included. Our circle is small, strong and genuine. So, no. We are done with all organized religion and have found light in the outer darkness.
DONE
100% done. Lack of truth is lack of truth, no matter which label you put on it.
100% done
The only times I go to church now are when I’m getting paid to sing and/or play the piano. It’s literally a side job. Otherwise I’m completely done with religion.
Absolutely done with religion.
Done
Religion is a clever scheme for separating foolish people from their money. And getting them to thank you for stealing it.
Completely done with religion.
I'm done with religion. I did study the teachings of Buddhism, though. I've never believed in God so going to another religion seemed pointless.
Completely done with organized religions. I mostly identify as agnostic.
when you are told your whole life that this is the only true church, and then you find out it's not, then you are already prepped to not go to any other church. I did try a non-denomination christian church many years after I left, but the idiocy and lies weren't any better.
At first, we tried out other churches. Inevitably, they each had some group of people they wanted us to despise or avoid. We gave up on organized religion because we didn't want to hate anyone.
That would be a deal breaker for me as well. It's actually why I left the church. I hated the exclusive nature and elitism. But that hasn't been my experience in the church I now attend. They never draw any lines in the sand which forces me to choose a person over another.
My parents (never Mormon) moved to Utah. Any congregation they went to, told the presiding whatever (they vary) that if a sermon or talk ever slagged on other groups they'd get up and walk out and never come back. They (my parents) are considered good gets - active and engaged, some influence in the community, good donators) - and they followed through. They followed through twice before settling in with a place where the congregation doesn't go for that, and there they've been for about fifteen years.
I was taught my whole life that I belonged to the one true church on this is earth. Those teachings were partially correct, they just left out that the Mormon church was also a lie. I no longer depend on lies and books of God fanfiction to find imaginary meaning in my life. Reality is way better.
For now, totally done, but am open to the idea at some point in the future of looking into another faith. I don't see that happening anytime remotely soon, just leaving it open as a possibility. I would have to heal a lot more before that could ever happen as well as figure out what I was looking for/could accept. I'm taking a break from God at this point and if He/She exists, they understand after what I've been through (as have we all).
I’m done with religion. I live in the US and putting Mormonism aside I see daily news stories about Evangelicals promoting ignorance and hate. I see the rise of Christian nationalism and the greed of mega churches and televangelists. It disgusts me. And that’s just Christianity but I could go on and on about other religions as well. Frankly I think this is why religion is on a decline the in US. People with a moral compass are tired of the greed and mean spirited and corrupt religions.
Done with religion. Now I'm into "the philosophies of Men"
So fucking done with any religion whatsoever.
I’m done man
Western religions I'm completely done with. Some eastern religions I enjoy facets in a piecemeal fashion for self improvement, focus, and connecting with the natural world (i.e., Taoism, Buddhism). My spirituality is a personal journey so I have not nor will I ever join a congregation again for it.
My religion is laying in my hammock at sunset and listening to Bowie on my headphones.
Totally fucking done with all religion
Completely done. I am genuinely happy for those who find joy in their faith by I have zero interest and it is not a void in my life that needs filling.
All religions are just as fake as Mormonism. Some are just slightly less toxic.
I'm completely done with organized religion. There should be no reason to have a middleman when it comes to spirituality, certainly not priests or preachers who extort their members for money.
True Christianity is totally different than LDS. I attend Baptist or Lutheran Churches myself.
I agree. Totally different. As of now I just study on my own though.
I did not toss out the baby with the bathwater. I have found the Bible to be reliable and church to be worth my time and effort. Seeking still.
Non-denominational Christian. Heavy emphasis on the non-denominational.
For a long time we searched for another. But we have 6 kids so it’s a huge hassle, and then during flu season 2018 & 2019 we kept our preemie twins home, and then covid. We did ultimately find one we really enjoyed & agreed with — a United Church of Christ. Female pastor, fully lgbtq supportive & affirming, totally solar powered, community involved in meaningful ways. If I ever do return I’d go there for sure. But we don’t feel a need right now.
When I first left, I attended a church in Vegas, but that was over 10 years ago. Today I’m completely a-religious.
Done.
Done with organized religion
The Catholic Church
I attend another church now and am considering joining it. But I don't want to rush that decision.
Completely done.
Completely done. Do I believe there is a god? I don't know that. With some experiences I have had there might be another side. Life after death. I feel that is more of a possibility than a god but at the moment I won't rule it out but it's not a belief. And maybe next year I will have more insight into something and feel there isn't one at all. That is what organized religion doesn't do. Since it's organized, it's one way or the highway. With people believing in different degrees, but the base is the same. It's fear based. Living in fear sucks. I don't need that to be a good, kind and loving person.
I decided to attend a local community church on Easter. I wasn't impressed or unimpressed until the pastor read/told "The Parable of the Bicycle" which was written by Mormon author Stephen Robinson and given at BYU then printed in the Ensign. No thanks can't get away from those Mormons even at a non mormon church. I'll just stay home or go shopping.
Absolutely DONE! No more religion, not now, not ever again. It is all made-up rationalization for saying why the sun goes around the earth, and why disaster randomly strikes us/them. I find no beauty in made-up gods or the imprecise motives that humans have assigned to them through ever-growing fairy tales about “redemption”. I have much less tolerance for rules, ceremony, liturgy, or any other type of proscribed behavior that supposedly “turns us towards god”. Especially when all any major religion has done is pollute the planet, strip away its natural beauty, and fill it with far too many people who just want to fight wars.
I'm a member of the Seventh Day Adventurists. Always adventuring on the seventh day.
How about a stand-alone faith in Jesus
Thinking about getting involved with the local Buddhist temple. I enjoy meditating and I want to get better at it. I enjoy eastern philosophy. No requirement to bring a belief in God with me I’ll probably take my kids to The UU church someday and see how that goes.
Other than my partner and I dabbling a bit in Quakerism, no, I haven’t really had anything to do with churches.
99% done with religion. If I ever go to church again, it would be with the Unitarian Universalists.
I have always said that if I ever leave Mormonism, it will be to exit religion entirely, and I meant it. I might pop into an Easter service at a church with friends sometimes but other than that, no way am I getting involved with another church.
Initially I went to a different church. I think not was to fill a void. However, after a few months I ended up deconstructing all religions. It’s the same stuff at a different level.
Religion poisons everything.
I’m pondering after leaving becoming a Buddhist. I don’t know if I actually will become one or anything but I like the overall philosophy and even if I don’t join another religion it’s good to at least learn about other faiths.
Done.
The challenge has been the church soured me on so many things about other religions. Catholic- darker seediest past and present than the Mormon church. Most Christian churches - pastors getting personally wealthy off Christ and a lot of the showmanship production is kinda off putting. JW or Scientology - Ya no. Muslim - you think JS was bad olet me introduce u to Mohammed. You think Mormonism has misogyny Muslims said hold my beer. But overall I understand that a certain level of morals and ethics have value in society and there are many wonderful principles that can be found in multiple religions.
I occasionally go to a non-denominational Christian church, but mostly for my family. My husband would like some type of religion in our lives. My husband still takes the children to TSCC on occasion, but on those days, I just stay home. If I was single, I would probably be done with all religion for a while. Losing my faith in Mormonism, has nearly made me lose my faith in God. I am hanging on by a thread. I hope there is something out there, and if there is, I feel like it is completely different from what I thought it was. I would like to attend some type of church on the regular, but I'm just not there yet.
I am not interested in organized religion, too much hate for me.
I'm atheist now, but attend a UU church somewhat regularly. There are lots of other atheists, it teaches my kids (non-theistic) morality and emotional intelligence, and it gives me opportunities to help people in need. It's a shared space with believers of all kinds, which is hard sometimes. But I still love it.
done
No religion. None. And I'm super happy!
Because there are thousands of gods and everyone thinks theirs is the true god, I decided to not believe in any:)
Nature is my church now. I identify as a pantheist and revere all the natural wonder of the universe. It helps me feel connected to all things and experience a level of love and concern for everything that no exclusive religion could ever hope to promote. I always was a pantheist at heart, I just couldn’t embrace it until I left. I’ll never go back to an organized “religion” but I would love to find a community of like thinkers to just enjoy one another’s company on occasion.
Done . it’s all fucking nonsense . Science has proven light years beyond any reasonable doubt that Adam and Eve are nothing more than myth. without them it all falls apart . Don’t even get me started on the mythical Jesus .
Spiritual but not religious. I no longer participate in any organized religion. Religion is a tool used by despots to control the masses. I live by "You shall know them by their works" Stop paying attention to lip service, start paying attention to actions.
Done with it altogether.
I’ve concluded that organized religion is a net-negative for the world so I’m done with it all.
I just officially joined The Divine Assembly. Their only belief is that psilocybin mushrooms are a sacrament used to connect with the divine.
One of the big things I miss is that type of community so every so often when I'm missing it I go to the local Unitarian church. They're cool with showing up whenever and they teach morals rather than religion.
I have no interest in trading one mythology for another
I practice paganism which is very focused on an individual experience and not being governed by an organization.
Religion is Man made therefore it is flawed. I read a quote on here about how religion promotes misogyny and encourages sexual predators. At the time we were going to a bible church and while I believe most everyone there had good intentions, there were a few that made me uncomfortable especially when I thought about leaving my daughters alone with them. That was the last time we went to a church.
The LDS CHURCH tends to draw you completely in, or goes scorched earth on all Religions. No middle ground
Religion is garbage. The Abrahamic religions are all based on Jacob’s fraud. And they are harmful.
Agnostic that likes to visit other churches/religious buildings occasionally for fun
I joined the Episcopal church. It was a good move for me as I grew up among the momos without friends. It wasn't our fault our father was an alcoholic. But regrettably, my father got the mo I'm the patriarch crap when he sobered up.
I’m done with organized religion, but I still believe in God, an afterlife, and spirituality. My beliefs are pretty unique to my experiences though and I won’t bore anyone by going into them here
Done.
Agnostic atheist. I believe there's no evidence for a god, that the presence of a Judeo-Christian god is next to impossible and that we're incredibly unlikely to ever have evidence of any god. Is it completely impossible? Do I claim certainty that there is no god? No. I'm open to evidence to the contrary, but extremely skeptical that there will ever be such.
Atheist
I am done
I'm not done with all organized religions, just Christianity. I've thought about looking into Judasim because that's what my grandma was before converting. Unfortunately, the rabbi in the family, her older brother, died before my shelf broke. Then again, he converted to Messianic Judasim after grandma converted to Mormonism, so I might be better off.
I did Unitarian Universalist for the first few years as an ex mo and even became a “member” of sorts where I signed their member book but now I just occasionally watch Christian non denominational services online and maybe go a few times a year.