Article 5- “Split Over the Mormon Church, But Maintaining Some Ties”

This article was surprisingly heartbreaking, dealing with the issue of the Mormon community and those who choose to leave the church.  It begins with a story about a Mormon couple who is getting married, and the parents of the groom are unable to attend their son’s wedding because they are no longer Mormons.  Many years have passed since the Bergeson’s left the church, and recently Mrs. Bergeson joined the website group www.PostMormon.org.  The site is set up to help people that are questioning the Mormon faith and those who have left the church be able to deal with the aftermath, such as being shunned by family members, just coping with new difficulties, or even being excommunicated.  Although PostMormon is more for support, other sites like www.exMormonFoundation.org and www.exmormon.org additionally offer arguments against the Mormon faith.  The reaction from the Mormon church has been one of tolerance and friendliness, in hopes of overcoming their past image of persecution of those who speak out against the Mormon faith. 

Even though PostMormon may have a negative connotation, I think that it is a great site for building a community of people struggling with their faith.  Just as the church is a community for people with solid Mormon beliefs, there needs to be something for people who do not completely agree with that faith or for people who just need to ask questions without feeling insecure.  I really enjoyed Mrs. Bergeson’s opinion when she said she “appreciated reading about other people’s philosophical approaches and humor, all of which help sharpen my beliefs and shape them into something that has worked for me.”  I think that ultimately spirituality is something unique to everyone, and if a person does not entirely agree with every aspect of a religion they should not be obligated to believe it anyway.  It may be convenient to put everyone in a few religious boxes, but the reality is that everyone is different and everyone also has the right to find their own community for religious beliefs.  By joining a community like PostMormon, people are able to find a community that may be more open to alternative religious ideas. 

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