Exmormon Subreddit (2024)

FAQs

What percent of Mormons leave the church? ›

Some can also become apatheist. A Pew Research report corroborated this, finding in 2015 that 36% of those born Mormon left the religion, with 21% of born Mormons (58% of ex-Mormons) now unaffiliated, 6% evangelical Protestant, and 9% converting to other Protestant, Catholic, or a non-Christian faith.

What's more, the statistics showed that more young adults were leaving the church — data supported by national studies from Pew (2014, showing 64% retention for all ages of Mormons) and the General Social Survey aggregated through 2016 (which had 57% retention for millennials and Generation X Mormons combined together) ...

One option for those who are considering leaving the church is to fully disaffiliate from the church. This can involve formally resigning from the church and cutting ties with the Mormon community.

The church General Handbook section 32.14. 9 says that you can resign your membership "by sending a signed, notarized request to church headquarters". This process requires you to post a physical letter or email a scan or photo to the church Member Records Division.

According to the National Council of Churches, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-fastest-growing church in the United States. However, despite its increasing numbers, the Church cautions against overemphasis on growth statistics.

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Since Utah became a state in the late 1800s, most of its residents have been members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But according to a new study, Utah isn't majority Mormon anymore.

Reasons for leaving the Mormon church include doubts about church teachings, discomfort with church policies and practices, and personal experiences in the church. Leaving the Mormon Church can be a challenging and emotional decision.

Mormons are also frequently compared to Ahmadi Muslims specifically, with many noting distinct similarities in both groups' relative age, history, culture, approach to missionary work, and general lack of acceptance from mainstream Islam and Christianity.

Mormonism is declining

According to the Cooperative Elections Study — a long-running survey with enough respondents to reliably track Mormon affiliation — 1.8 percent of American adults identified as Mormon in 2007. In 15 years, that total dropped to 1.2 percent.

Leaders of the church have gone from historically condemning the use of any birth control as sinful, to allowing it in the present day. In the past the use of birth control methods including artificial contraception was explicitly condemned by LDS Church leaders.

Why is it hard to leave Mormonism? ›

People who leave Mormonism are considered “apostates”.

You may expect LDS friends to distance themselves, but even family members can do this. Former Mormons become apostates in their thinking. The rules of Mormonism make it a bad thing to have an apostate in the family.

Temporary abode of the wicked

First, LDS Church scripture uses the term outer darkness to refer to a condition in the spirit world. The Book of Mormon teaches that after death, the spirits of those who "chose evil works rather than good" in mortality will be "cast out into outer darkness".

Today, the term Mormon is often used to refer to members of the largest denomination, the LDS Church, which rejects “Mormon” as a reference term as of 2018. The second-largest sect, the Community of Christ, also rejects the term “Mormon” due to its association with the practice of polygamy among Brighamite sects.

We encourage all of us to practice the Savior's Golden Rule: 'Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them' (Matthew 7:12).”

Members of the Latter-day Saints can divorce or marry again, but it can get a little more complicated if one had been married in the temple. Extra efforts can be needed, for example, a person who was divorced can marry again in the temple if he is granted permission by Church leaders.

Forty percent of Mormon missionaries. are leaving the Mormon Church. within six months of returning home from their missions. And there's a very large early return rate now of Mormon missionaries.

Two-thirds of Latter-day Saints attend church weekly or nearly weekly. This rate has stayed mostly steady over time. In 2000 to 2003, 68% of Latter-day Saints reported regular church attendance. There was a spike to 75% in 2011 to 2013 and data from 2021 to 2023 puts the rate at 67%.

The strangest thing about Mormon marriages, though, is not the age at which we marry–it is the success rate of those marriages. The divorce rate of Mormons who marry in a temple is only 6%, while the divorce rate among other religious people in the United States mirrors the non-religious group at 52%.

The LDS Church does not release statistics on church activity, but it is likely that about 60 percent of its members in the United States and 70 percent worldwide are less active or inactive. Activity rates vary with age, and disengagement occurs most frequently between age 16 and 25.