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Under What Circumstances Should Someone Resign From The Church?
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Will’s recent comments regarding the ferreting out of “apostate” Mormons from Church got me to wondering/soul searching.

Under what circumstances should someone resign their membership from the Church and cease being associated with it?

Is disbelief/lack of belief substantial justification? Prolonged inactivity? Disagreement over certain policies?

Under what circumstances should “someone” resign their membership?

Edited to add:
If “someone” doesn’t believe the Church to be “true,” and has family/friends that would have no overbearing issues with membership resignation, is it dishonest/cowardly for “someone” to not resign?

Possibly when those wanting to ferret out the non-conformists become too rabid and numerous.

Doctor Steuss wrote:If “someone” doesn’t believe the Church to be “true,” and has family/friends that would have no overbearing issues with membership resignation, is it dishonest/cowardly for “someone” to not resign?

Not at all. People leave churches all the time, or stop believing in their tenets or subscribing to their practices, without formally resigning. I doubt most converts to Mormonism formally resign from their former denominations or even tell their former congregations they've moved on to something else.

Formally resigning is a personal, individual thing, and only the person involved can make the decision whether it is best for him or her. For many, it is simply moot. For others, it is essential.

Why should anyone have to resign at all? What kind of organization continues to claim a relationship with people who have disassociated with it.

Of course I am referring to those who have quit going.

I was planning to resign a few years ago when I moved into my new neighborhood where I wouldn't know the bishop. Come to find out, he's my neighbor, and he's a good kid. I don't even know if they ever got my records...he sees me drinking beer, etc., so he may just assume I'm a nevermo. Since they leave me alone, I don't want to wake the sleeping dogs unnecessarily.

If the process were as easy as "I hereby resign my membership from COJCOLDS, I have my reasons why, and don't need any further contact," and they'd honor it, I'd do it tomorrow. Sadly, it ain't that easy....

My reasons have nothing to do with my family -- they all know I'm a heathen!

moksha wrote:Possibly when those wanting to ferret out the non-conformists become too rabid and numerous.

You are not trying to slam either Will or the future actions of President Packer are you Moksha?

moksha wrote:

moksha wrote:Possibly when those wanting to ferret out the non-conformists become too rabid and numerous.

You are not trying to slam either Will or the future actions of President Packer are you Moksha?

No.

Doctor Steuss wrote:Under what circumstances should “someone” resign their membership?

When you get sick of the love-bombing. lol.

Will's argument is stupid. The Church is rather like the Hotel California: you can check in, but you can never leave. Suppose you do resign.... What next? Does the Church really purge your name from its records? No. It continues to maintain a file on you in case you change your mind---i.e., in order to expedite the restoration of all your blessings and etc. Further, other members can continue to do work in your name, further entangling you within the Church bureaucracy.

So: the "circumstances" don't matter, in my opinion, since "resignation" doesn't put you completely out of the Church. There are all kinds of reports, moreover, stating that resigned members have continued to be pestered by well-meaning TBMs, have continued to receive mail, etc. The bottom line is that until the Church decides to actually do what is asked of it by these members (i.e., genuinely "removing" the name from all records), then Will's and others' argument is a bunch of hot wind. Go ahead and resign; go ahead and get yourself ex'ed---the Church will still have you in its books. Forever.

moksha wrote:

moksha wrote:

moksha wrote:Possibly when those wanting to ferret out the non-conformists become too rabid and numerous.

You are not trying to slam either Will or the future actions of President Packer are you Moksha?

No.

LOL!

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So, to those who have responded to in the non-affirmative in regards to my “someone;” under what circumstances do you think someone should resign? Is it mostly just a personal choice that doesn’t really have an “criteria” beyond personal convictions/feelings about resignation?