“There is so great a need for civility and mutual respect among those of differing beliefs and philosophies.” – Gordon B. Hinckley
Last week, during the The LDS General Conference, the organization reported that the current membership of The Church included 15,372,337 individuals. I am counted among that number.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I pay no tithes.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I do not know where my ward house is located.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I do not own a copy of The Book of Mormon.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I am pretty sure that sea-gulls did not save Salt Lake City farmers from hordes of crickets.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I accept all families as genuine and valid; not just those that resemble my own.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I do not know which of Joseph Smith’s many “First Vision” accounts to accept as truth.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I know the LDS Church lied for decades about Joseph Smith’s polygamist past.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I know the LDS Church lied for decades about the reason(s) Black members were denied full membership.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I believe that Brigham Young was a misogynistic and racist bigot.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I believe my brave, strong, and faithful pioneer fore-bearers were needlessly imperiled and endangered by the dangerous ideas and practices of the aforementioned misogynistic bigot.
I am one of those 15,372,337 million people, though I do not revere Thomas Monson, nor any of his peers, nor predecessors as prophets, nor seers, nor revelators.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I find it unethical, despicable, and immoral for any church to take 10% of their members’ hard-earned money — money that the congregation gives freely in the fervent belief that it will be used to build up The Savior’s churches and temples in order to fill the whole of the Earth with Christ’s light — and uses it, instead, to build a shopping mall in downtown Salt Lake City (I find this so repugnant, I refuse to set foot inside that abomination, yet, still, I remain one of the counted).
I am one of those 15,372,337 million people, even as I believe that Joseph Smith was a known treasure-hunter who plagiarized the text of The Book of Mormon from many contemporary sources, including The King James Bible, View of The Hebrews, and possibly Manuscript, Found.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I know that the church was repeatedly and repeatedly duped by Mark Hofmann because the leaders knew there were ghosts and skeletons in the Church’s history, and would do (and pay) anything to hide them.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I have long believed what the LDS church now readily admits, that The Book of Abraham was not “translated” from the common Egyptian funerary texts, but invented by Joseph Smith.
I am one of those 15,272,337 million people, though I do not believe that there is any kind of god, let alone one who lives on Kolob.
My name is Justin, and I’m a Mormon.
My name is Justin, and I’m an atheist.
My name is Justin, and I am not alone.
Justin, I not a Mormon nor atheist. I wish the best for you. I started studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1977 and was baptized in 78. I am not trying to convince you one way or another about God. However, I would extend an invite to check out a few things on the JW. Org website. You may come to find that this organization is doing all it can to represent God and the people are trying their best to be unhypicritcal.
Since I find the god of The Bible just as implausible as the god of Kolob, you have a lot of evidence to provide before I go looking for another biblical sect. Thanks.
Justin, you are definitely not alone. I’ve spoken at length to several people in the same situation as you. I guess the Mormons go one further than Catholics by giving them the hope that they can actually be removed from the membership list. At least the Catholics don’t dangle that in front of people (not that that’s any better at all). I actually went in to attempt to get a rescind on the baptism that I had no say in receiving just to see what they would say. I was told “if you don’t believe in it, just consider it an event in your storied history”. The priest was a really nice guy despite him having come into our discussion very defensive and guarded. I guess he was caught off-guard when he came upon an atheist that wasn’t the image that media and religious fundamentalism portrays.
You’ll find yourself in some pretty accepting company with those that no longer believe and it’s great that you’re open about the things you’ve dealt with because others can hopefully find inspiration to share their tales or maybe even leave archaic religions and create new tales!
Justin,
I stand with you as another atheist and one of 15,272,337. I agree and align with every one of your points, including that fact that even though I live in the Salt Lake area, I have also never set foot in their shopping mall downtown. On second thought, I may have an old Book of Mormon buried in a drawer somewhere… can’t be sure and its definitely not worth going to look for.
Thanks for reading.
I have at least half-a-dozen close friends who are also in the same situation. I also know that the membership number is *extremely* important to believing members. They should be made aware of exactly who they are really counting.
You are not alone, indeed. I’m with you, Justin.
Neither Jehovah’s witnesses or Mormons
Know Jesus of the Bible ,in fact Jehovah’s
Witnesses believe Jesus was previously
Michael the Archangel. This is not scriptural.
Mormons have the word of Christ
But not His Spirit they are led astray by Joseph Smith
And embrace a large amount of false doctrine.
They need the saving grace of Jesus.
To quote a favorite song:
Don’t pray for me.
I don’t need your sympathy.
I don’t need your savior saving me.
Don’t pray for me.