I am no longer considered a member of the LDS church

I received my final letter indicating that my name and record has been removed from the records of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints.

As I close this chapter of my life, I look back at Mormonism and these are my thoughts:

Most of my experience as a lifelong member of the LDS church has been positive and uplifting. However, I simply don't believe the doctrine, dogma and claims made by the church leaders. It is all a big fantasy, a fairy tale where people live happily ever after in the celestial kingdom.

In my experience, most Mormons are genuine and truly believe what they have been taught, as are most people in any religion. This is why initially I tried to stay as a member even if it were just for social reasons. However, this was not sustainable.

An entire lifetime of indoctrination withered away with just a few years of intense study of church history and other historical facts. I am currently unaffiliated with any religion.

This will be my last post, but I will still keep the blog up for those interested.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STUDY

I will end with my recommendations for further study. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as an "unbiased" source, but I have compiled a list of reading material and other media that presents a mixture of "both sides" of the argument. This list is in no way complete or authoritative, but simply a compilation of resources from my own experience that have covered the main criticisms and defenses of Mormonism.

Books:

Joseph Smith biography:

• No Man Knows My History- Fawn Brodie
• Rough Stone Rolling- Richard Bushman
  

Historicity of the Book of Mormon:

• Quest For the Gold Plates- Stan Larson
• An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon- John Sorenson
  

Book of Abraham controversy:

• By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus- Charles Larson

A free copy can be sent to members of the LDS church here

Online text can be read here

• An Approach to the Book of Abraham- Hugh Nibley

History of Early Mormonism:

• An Insider's View of Mormon Origins- Grant Palmer
• Early Mormonism and the Magical World View- D. Michael Quinn
  

Online Resources:

Journal of Discourses

1833 and 1835 Doctrine and Covenants

History of the Church- Volume 1

History of the Church- Volume 2

History of the Church- Volume 3

History of the Church- Volume 4

History of the Church- Volume 6

(Unfortunately, I couldn't find volume 5 online)

Online Videos:

PBS documentary The Mormons 4 hours

Bible Vs. Book of Mormon 1 hour

DNA Vs. Book of Mormon 1 hour

Lost Book of Abraham 1 hour

FAIR Conferences -about 30 hours with 200 compiled videos

Why People Leave the LDS Church 1 hour

Dozens of videos by Mormonstories podcaster John Dehlin

Websites

20 Truths about Mormonism

Mormonthink

FairLDS

FARMs

Sunstone Magazine

New Order Mormons

Dialogue- A Journal of Mormon Thought

Institute for Religious Research- Mormons in Transition

Official LDS website

Exmormon.org

Postmormon.org

mormonstories.org over 200 hours of audio and video interviews

staylds.org

CONCLUSION

I would like to thank all that have maintained interest in this blog. It has been a positive experience for me in expressing myself during this difficult period. I do not hold anything against the LDS church and still cherish many of the positive aspects that I experienced. I simply do not believe in the doctrine, dogma and many of the historical claims fundamental to Mormonism. I don't think the LDS church is "evil", I just think it is a fantasy. I don't know what the future holds, but I feel ready to face it with eyes wide open with a greater understanding of reality.

What do I think of Mormonism? I like the parable of the canoe. A canoe helps you navigate across the river against strong currents. However, once you cross the river, the canoe becomes burdensome, especially when you consider the mountain that you must climb. That doesn't mean you don't appreciate what the canoe has done in getting you across the river, just that you no longer need the canoe. I view the church as the canoe. I feel like I have crossed the river of my childhood. The church was the canoe that carried me through the strong currents of adolescence and took me into the banks of adulthood. I now look at the mountain that I face knowing that I must leave the canoe behind me.

Disillusioned Ex-Mormon Read more!

My Resignation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

I know this is a dead blog as I have not posted in a long time, nor do I plan on actively posting on here, so I don't know how many people will see it. However, this is an update on my status regarding my membership in the LDS church. Today, 8-10-2009 I no longer consider myself a member of the LDS church.

I sent the following letter to my current bishop:






















Although I consider myself "non-Mormon", I understand that the church is going to go through a process to remove my name from their records. I will update the progress of this process.

I wanted to outline the specific "doctrinal and historical" claims made by the church that I do not believe, but simply did not have the space as I wanted to keep it a single page letter. Here are the specific claims that I do not believe:

• The Book of Abraham is a literal translation of an ancient document written by Abraham
• The Book of Mormon is literally a historical record of real ancient inhabitants that really lived in the Americas and came over by boat from the old world.
• Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, who literally saw God the father and Jesus
• The Book of Mormon was literally translated from gold-colored metal plates that physically existed
• The doctrines of the LDS church are eternal and the same yesterday, today and forever.

Read more!