Why I am not a Mormon

[_GoodK]

Surprisingly, no one has ever asked me. I often meet people who ask me if I am Mormon. Usually I get asked because I am in a Mormon crowd or I meet someone who knows my family, but once I answer the reasons don't seem to matter.
Even BYU professors, who take interest in the personal identity behind the moniker GoodK, don't seem to care why I am not a Mormon. They seem content with knowing I am an "atheist" and commenting accordingly, as if that were good enough of an explanation, in their favor.

So, as Dennis Prager would advise, clarity is often better than agreement.

I'm going to share a few reasons with those BYU professors, F.A.R.M.S contributors, and specifically for those particularly arrogant on-line message board posters whom insist that only sin or contempt contribute to apostasy. I'm not going to behave like Tal Bachman and write a letter to my bishop or stake president, because my issue is not with them. I have yet to recieve a call from either of them asking me why I wasn't in church the last 400 Sundays.
My issue is with those that see it fit to condemn me for leaving the church, and for reasons they don't understand or care to understand.
I'm not going to spend time trying to make each argument. Each is certainly debatable and open for discussion, but what I want is to be clear to those members that know me on some sort of personal level - and even those that don't - on the reasons why I am not a member of a church I frankly miss being a member of.

1. Christianity. It can't be true. The Bible, and the existence of God, is easily the biggest reason why I am not a Mormon.
2. Joseph Smith Jr is not a saint. Even if he was never "convicted" of fraud in the money digging trial, even if he "didn't consummate" the marriages to his other wives, even if he didn't intentionally defraud those who had money invested in his bank, he is not the saint that the church portrays him to be.

The reason why this is number 2 on my list is not because of the issues nearly as much as it is about how the church responds.
For instance, in 1st Nephi 12:18 Nephi mistakenly refers to "Jesus Christ" a generation before he would have known him by that name, contradicting 2 Nephi 10:3. Instead of the Church officially explaining this the way Royal Skousen has, someone edited it to read "Messiah" and all is forgiven.

Ignoring any wishy-washy explanation from Skousen or those apologists who attempt to explain this away, the church's decision to change the
word in the text is highly suspect.

3. The Church omits details and tries to implicate those that bring unflattering information forward as dishonest, vindictive, "anti", or otherwise worthy of contempt.

My best friend, returning from his mission over a year ago, in <snip> at BYU, with parents serving as <snip>, had no clue a top hat was involved in the translation process. He literally became upset when he saw the South Park episode depicting the translation in this way and said in a defeated, sad voice that made me feel guilty "that's not true." He wouldn't watch any more. He knew he had to avoid this information at all costs. He was conditioned to object to any information that the church had not commissioned. This sort of roundabout secrecy makes me suspicious of the higher ups in the Church and where their hearts really are.

4. The church wants money. Lot's of it. Why? We don't know. They won't disclose their finances.

5.The Book of Mormon is not a translation of an ancient text. Neither is the Book of Abraham.

6. The prophet of the church seems more interested in meeting with politicians than communicating with the lowly members of his church.
He actually had the audacity to issue a letter, urging members to refrain from sending in letters that pose doctrinal questions!
His counsel is consistently under-whelming (don't gamble, don't look at porn, don't borrow more than you can pay back, lobby to keep gays from marrying...) yet he is out of reach to the average member of the church who would like nothing more than to shake hands with the prophet.

Politicians and lucky career-Mormons get the chance, but faithful members like my parents (who have likely given an obscene amount of money to the church through tithing) would never get the chance to meet their leader. I have told my parents many times that I wanted to meet the prophet myself and just shake his hand, so I could know what kind of man he was. I was told, in other words, that I have a better chance of meeting L. Ron Hubbard.

So there you have it, in that order of importance, a brief synopsis of why I am not a Mormon.

Now I imagine this won't get a second glance from those that it is directed towards, but one can only hope. If anything, I'd like members of the church to stop
demonizing those that left, including myself. The reasons why I am not a Mormon have everything to do with the church and what it claims to be. I never set out trying to find an excuse to leave. I miss the comradery of teachers quorum, of morning basketball, of mutual activities.
I grew up in a wonderful ward and stake. If I could suspend all skepticism and go back to believing, I think I would.

I don't need to tell anyone here that some of the kindest, good natured people are members of the church. For the last few years I really believed in the church, my testimony relied on the character of a select few people. I feel bad for anyone who is taken for a loop by any kind of multilevel marketing fairy tale, but Mormonism seems to do so much more to intrude on the lives of those that become involved.
In no way do I fault the members for the scam that has been pulled over on them. I don't think they know. But the guys at the top, they should know. And that's who I want to talk to. I want them to know why I am not a Mormon.

[_Boaz & Lidia]

All good points, Goodk points :)

I wanted to comment on just one:

The Book of Mormon is not a translation of an ancient text. Neither is the Book of Abraham.

Yes, the Book of Abraham has gone from what Smith called it, that being a translation, to merely a supposedly divine personal impression or interpretation that he felt while looking at the pictures and text.

For us outsiders, we know it was nothing more than a hoax to prove his unseen translation abilities that many members at that time were doubting.

[_LifeOnaPlate]

Thanks for the testimony.

[_Rollo Tomasi]

Thanks for sharing, GoodK.

[_Roger Morrison]

Amen, Goodk. I can relate to that. Warm regards, Roger

[_beastie]

Thanks for the testimony.

Note the old tried-but-true tactic - when believers want to belittle, they pretend that the critic is engaging in some sort of "religion".

[_LifeOnaPlate]

Thanks for the testimony.

Note the old tried-but-true tactic - when believers want to belittle, they pretend that the critic is engaging in some sort of "religion".

Of course it's religion.

[_beastie]

Of course it's religion.

See?

The propensity of believers to insist that things like science and atheism, and, in this case, an explanation of loss of faith, is actually religion is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

[_marg]

GoodK,

So what if Christianity and Mormonism are man created religions and not true as to what those religions claims they are. What difference does that make as long as one doesn't hurt others and as long as one finds greater personal benefits believing and belonging than not doing so? Why is "truth" so important to you? Is your decision solely about you or do you also consider the greater good of all?

[_harmony]

#4 is reason enough. That lack of fiscal transperency will eventually lead to the church shrinking.