What's out there for ex-Mormons, and for Mormons who stay with the church but who have unorthodox beliefs they want to explore?
There are six main groups: PostMormon; Exmormon Foundation; Foundation for Reconciliation; Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons; Mormons for Marriage; and Family Fellowship.
Support is important for many disaffected and atypical Mormons because Mormonism is not a Sunday-only religion -- the church reaches into almost every section of a member's life. Mormons are expected to attend service every Sunday, but that's just the beginning. They also go to organizational meetings, camps, missionary farewells and missionary homecomings. Plus, there are many activities for women, men, teenagers and kids, and there's seminary, a Mormon-education program for teens that takes place early every morning throughout high school. These activities take anywhere from five hours a week to dozens.
PostMormon
The aptly named PostMormon group is for people who have left or are considering leaving the church. There are 4,608 registered members in the United States, Europe and Australia. However, there are probably thousands more who align with the group but don't feel comfortable registering, said member Steve Curtis, 30, a business analyst who lives in Dublin.
Furthermore, "there are many more out there who have left Mormonism who have not found our group, or who simply didn't need the support system when they left," Curtis said.
The Bay Area chapter has about 50 members, a dozen of whom meet every month. They chat, host potlucks, watch sporting events -- anything that will help them feel the familiar warmth of community.
One anonymous Bay Area member, who was raised Mormon and left the church after divorcing her gay husband, said that many fringe and ex-Mormons fear reprisal that may come from joining groups such as PostMormon.
"We have too much to lose in that our families would reject us, or that our families would be shamed and stigmatized by church members if they did not condemn us for publicly breaking with Mormonism," she said. "This is not a faith system that allows your actions to affect you as an individual only. Everything you do is a direct reflection on your parents and extended family, even if you want no part in it."
The PostMormon website has received about nine million hits since it was launched.
For more information, go to www.postmormon.org.
Exmormon Foundation
Calling itself "Life After Mormonism," the Exmormon Foundation is a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to supporting those in transition from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is for people who have been excommunicated, who have left voluntarily, or who are part of the church but question the teachings.
The group started in 2001 and hosts an annual conference that attracts about 300 people. Information: www.exmormonfoundation.org.
Foundation for Reconciliation
Foundation for Reconciliation is an organization of "LDS members, former members and others who believe in the equal value of every soul regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or worldly condition," according to its website. The organization has a board of 14 people but no official membership.
The group was strengthened, its members say, as battles waged over California's Proposition 8 campaign. On the anniversary of Proposition 8's passage, the group sent a petition to the president/prophet of the LDS church asking for reconciliation between the church and its gay members. More than 2,000 people signed, according to member Janeen Thompson. Signing the petition was also meant to show support for the people who have been hurt by what they feel are homophobic practices in the church.
According to Foundation for Reconciliation's website, "We are not anti-Mormon and are not affiliated with or sympathetic to any anti-Mormon groups or agendas. We simply want to affirm our love and devotion to the Christian principles upon which this church was founded."
For more information, go to www.ldsapology.org.
Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons
Affirmation is a fellowship of gays, their family and friends who share the common bond of the Mormon experience. According to the Affirmation Web site, "Its purpose is to provide a supportive environment for relieving the needless fear, guilt, self-oppression and isolation that LDS gays and lesbians can experience in an era where willful ignorance about human sexuality is too often a reality."
The group, based in Palm Springs, hosts national conferences, retreats, workshops, and provides crisis talks. There are about 500 active members.
For more information, go to www.affirmation.org.
Mormons for Marriage
The three goals of Mormons for Marriage are to let the public know that not all Mormons are against gay marriage, to share an open view on homosexuality with more conservative Mormons, and to take progressive action in favor of equal rights for gays.
A statement on the group's website reads: "Just as progressive LDS Church members in the 1960s and 1970s had an opportunity to speak out on the denial of priesthood to blacks -- this is our chance, in our day, to express our thoughts and feelings (respectfully) in support of gays within the LDS Church, and of gay marriage within the U.S. (and abroad)."
The rules of the group are that all communication must rise from "love and understanding," criticism of the church is not allowed, and the majority of participation needs to be from current, active members of the church.
The group has about 350 members and its website has received around 25,000 hits since its 2008 inception.
For more information, go to www.mormonsformarriage.com.
Family Fellowship
Family Fellowship focuses on helping members strengthen their bonds with homosexual friends and relatives. Members may be Mormon or ex-Mormon.
The group started in 1993 and about 1,000 people have subscribed to its mailing list. Family Fellowship hosts four national meetings a year, attended by about 150 families, and also hosts less-formal social gatherings.
According to Family Fellowship materials, "We share our witness that gay and lesbian Mormons can be great blessings in the lives of their families, and that families can be great blessings in the lives of their gay and lesbian members. We strive to become more understanding and appreciative of each other while staying out of society's debate over homosexuality. We seek to put behind us all attitudes which are anti-family, which threaten loving relationships, and which drive family members apart."
