Post-Mormons
are members of a rapidly growing community of families and individuals
who have voluntarily left Mormonism. We choose to no longer
base our lives, and the lives of our children, on
"truths" dictated by others. We believe that truth is freely
available to any honest, diligent seeker regardless of creed,
age, race or sexual orientation.
We have felt the butterfly’s metamorphosis. Forces that
well up from within have compelled us to grow beyond the limits
of Mormonism. And so we have become a loosely knit community
of friends and support groups, and endeavor to help those
like us who also feel the need to explore meaning, purpose
and life beyond Mormonism. We celebrate the wonderful diversity
of life as we experience as fully as we can our physical and
cultural reality. We perceive ourselves as part of a human
tapestry that is rich beyond our ability to comprehend, and
wonder at this miracle. We have come to realize that there
are more ways to do good, and be good, than we can number.
What we once perceived as the “strait and narrow way”
has broadened to include all ways that promote individual
and collective well-being.
We do not apologize for our inability to fully understand reality
or the nature of our own existence. As Albert Einstein said:
"The
most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom
this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder
and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
Some ask if we are
anti-Mormon. Our answer is, no, we are not. We feel we are not because we acknowledge and want to keep all the good that came into our lives through Mormonism. We feel we are not because it's not our purpose to encourage people to leave the Church. We feel we are not because many of our family and friends are Mormons and we certainly are not anti-family and friends. But as an organization, we are open about the Church's misrepresentations and the way in which its dogmatism and authoritarianism have proven detrimental to many individuals, families, and communities. As Winston Churchill once said,
"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things."
We do not advocate another form of Mormonism or any other
religion and believe that loving one's neighbor begins with
giving up the claim to have special access to truth. We feel
that arrogance attends the illusion of “knowing the
truth” and that such arrogance leads to a narrow-minded
tribalism that impedes personal growth and fosters a divided
community. Some of us choose to continue their spiritual journey through traditional religious means and others of us identify ourselves as atheistic or agnostic. We respect these choices as
we do those of the well-informed among our family and friends
who choose to remain traditional Mormons. We feel sad for
those who choose ignorance of any kind and strongly disagree with
the few within Mormonism who encourage ignorance and spread
misinformation.
Life is wonderful. We are overcome by feelings of gratitude for
the glimpses we occasionally have of its majesty and mystery.
And we revel in the opportunity to connect with each other
and those of many other walks of life in ways more satisfying
than anything we had previously experienced. We would welcome
the opportunity to get to know you and invite you to join in
the conversation in
The Community Forum on this site.
Sincerely,
The mission of PostMormon.org is to provide and maintain systems that facilitate the growth and development of a safe and supportive community for those who leave or are considering leaving the Mormon Church.
Welcome home!
