Survey Results - Why Mormons leave

[_Stormy Waters]

http://www.whymormonsquestion.org/2012/03/28/understanding-mormon-disbelief-march-2012-results-and-analysis/

[_Aristotle Smith]

Someone let me know if they address any of these concerns in general conference. I won't be watching it this time around, I value my sanity too much these days.

[_Stormy Waters]

Someone let me know if they address any of these concerns in general conference. I won't be watching it this time around, I value my sanity too much these days.

Quentin L. Cook said this, "Obsessive focus on things not yet fully revealed such as how the virgin birth, or the resurrection of the savior could have occurred or exactly how Joseph Smith translated our scriptures will not be efficacious or yield spiritual progress. These are matters of faith."

I think that's the closest they will come to addressing the Book of Abraham or Book of Mormon translation questions. Basically don't worry about it. It almost difficult to imagine an apostle or general authority diving into apologetics in the middle of conference. I can't imagine any good would come of it.

I disliked his other examples. I don't think there are many people who obsessively focus on exactly how the virgin birth or resurrection occurred.

[_Jonah]

Long ago I had a seminary teacher who taught us that the overwhelming main reasons why members left the church was because they were offended or wanted to sin. Even back then, as a kid, I wasn't buying into his load of crap. So I asked that teacher, "Can't people just leave because the church doesn't work for them? I mean like because they have never "felt the spirit", or the Joseph Smith story doesn't quite add up, or the "One True Church" doesn't have "One True Answers" to their questions?" He looked at me like I was growing a third eye out of my forehead. Then he told me that those were just "excuses" that former members used who were in reality either offended, or more likely, wanted to sin. I told him we would have to agree to disagree. Since I was the picture of what a perfect model LDS youth should be, I didn't mention to him that those were concerns running through my head at the time...and I had not been offended or was seeking to sin.

Strangely, I have knucklehead TBM family and friends who actually STILL believe this is why people leave the church. That former members were offended or would rather go drinking, have sex, or add an extra ear piercing. I guess it is easier for them to jerk themselves off with this line of reasoning than to deal with deeper problems. That is why I got a kick out of seeing this from the survey -

The general factors that respondents self-rated the most significantly to disbelief were:
• Doctrinal/theological issues
• Historical issues
• Loss of faith in Joseph Smith
• Loss of faith in the Book of Mormon

The issues that scored the lowest in terms of self-rated impact were:
• Desire to sin
• Being offended


Keep jerkin' away TBM family and friends. [*Loud Laughter*]