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Cultural Mormon is a word describing someone who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, usually born into the Church, but who does not believe all or part of its doctrine, or one who does not follow all of its practices. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ...

Cultural Mormons do not necessarily hold "anti-Mormon" sentiments and they often support the goals of the Church and find value in some of its teachings and practices. Many remain members of the Church for life. However, other Cultural Mormons consider their status to be temporary, as they work towards leaving the Church. An anti-Mormon political cartoon from the late nineteenth century. ...

Cultural Mormons can fall into three different categories:

1. Practicing Cultural Mormon - members of the Church who practice their religion for social reasons or to maintain harmony in the family.
2. Jack Mormon - members of the Church who rarely or never attend church meetings or otherwise practice the religion, but who maintain good relations with members and positive feelings toward the Church, and who may or may not harbor belief in the Church.
3. Ex-Mormon - those who are no longer members of the Church, but in some cases remain cultural Mormons in that they continue to value and live by aspects of a Mormon lifestyle, and may continue to associate strongly with friends and family members who are still Church members.

Many practicing cultural Mormons and Jack Mormons may keep their doubts a secret, and maintain a facade of believing in the doctrines. This is usually done to prevent conflicts within their families. One such group is the New Order Mormons, an Internet community whose members may belong to any of the above categories. The term Jack Mormon is a pejorative term that originated in the 19th century. ... Ex-Mormon refers to a former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or any one of the Latter Day Saint denominations, colloquially and collectively called Mormonism. ... New Order Mormons (abbreviation: NOMs) are an Internet community (see external links) of Cultural Mormons. ...

The Church expects its members to adhere to belief in its basic doctrines. Those lacking in belief are encouraged to repent, fast, pray, and seek guidance within the church to strengthen their testimony. Those who express a lack of belief to their bishop may continue to be members of the Church, though they will usually be denied a Temple recommend; the first three questions members are required to answer affirmatively to be issued a temple recommend concern whether their personal beliefs are in line with the teachings of the Church. The Church expects members who lack belief in church teachings to refrain from disseminating expressions of doubt or disparaging comments on church teachings, history or leadership, to remain in good standing. If they try to convince others to abandon their belief in the Church's doctrines, they can be subject to church discipline, which may include disfellowship or excommunication. In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. ... In Mormonism, the Bishop is the leader of a local congregation and an office of the Aaronic Priesthood. ... Temple of Hephaestus, an Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted) For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation). ... Doctrine, from Latin doctrina, (compare doctor), means a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system. ... Excommunication is religious censure which is used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ...

Practicing Cultural Mormon

Practicing Cultural Mormon is a term used for Mormons who no longer believe some (or many) of the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but who maintain membership and church activity for cultural and social reasons. The term Mormon is a colloquial name, most-often used to refer to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... St. ... The word culture, from the Latin colo, -ere, with its root meaning to cultivate, generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ...

The Practicing Cultural Mormons do not necessarily hold anti-Mormon sentiments and, like the "Jack Mormon", they often support the goals of the Church, and consider themselves "Cultural Mormons". Many remain members of the Church for life. Other Practicing Cultural Mormons consider their status to be temporary, as they work towards leaving the Church. An anti-Mormon political cartoon from the late nineteenth century. ... The term Jack Mormon is a pejorative term that originated in the 19th century. ...

A common reason for retained membership and activity in the Church is to promote family harmony and maintain friendships in the LDS community.^[1][2] Others value "much of the work the Church does: the service rendered, the correct principles taught. They appreciate the lessons and the love they have received in the course of long church membership."^[3]

Results of doctrinal differences

The Church does not consider disbelief in its doctrines to be grounds for disciplinary action. Church leaders teach that doubts can be resolved by "instruction, study, and prayer, which result in increased testimony, which drives out further doubts."^[4] However, disbelief in certain core doctrines (such as the role of Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer, or the leaders of the Church as prophets, seers, and revelators^[5]) can prevent a Cultural Mormon from participating in certain activities, such as priesthood ordinances and temple worship. Thus some members choose to keep their doubts a secret in order to continue to participate in such activities, or to avoid conflict with family and friends. In addition, disciplinary action may be taken when a member publicly opposes Church doctrines (e.g. Grant Palmer). A disciplinary council in the context of Mormonism is a trial during which members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may be excommunicated, or expelled, from the church for a number of different sins or misdeeds. ... Grant H. Palmer (M.A., American history, Brigham Young University) is a three-time director of LDS Institutes of Religion in California and Utah, a former instructor at the Church College of New Zealand, and an LDS seminary teacher at two Utah locations. ...

Internet communities

Because of the fear that divulging their unorthodox beliefs will result in stigmatization and increased attention, some Practicing Cultural Mormons prefer anonymity. Many therefore participate in Internet communities, where they can discuss their issues anonymously. One such group refers to itself as the New Order Mormons, a name patterned on the term New Order Amish (Amish who maintain cultural ties to their religion while not accepting some of its core tenets). Amish who maintain cultural ties to their religion while disbelieving many of its core tenets. ...

Humanistic Mormonism

Humanistic Mormonism is a movement of Free Thinkers, Cultural Mormons, Disfellowshipped or Independents people related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Latter Day Saint groups that emphasize Mormon culture and history, but do not demand belief in a supernatural god, or the historicity of the Bible or the Book of Mormon. It is based on Humanism and can be summarized in some points. The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... The term Latter Day Saint most commonly refers to (but is not limited to) members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which, its members believe, was founded under the direction of Jesus Christ by the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the most-recognized architectural symbol of Mormonism For other uses, see Mormon (disambiguation). ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library of Congress. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, named after the prophet/historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ... Humanism[1] is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appeal to universal human qualities—particularly rationalism. ...

• A Mormon is someone who identifies with the history, culture and future of the LDS way of life.
• People possess the power and responsibility to shape our own lives independent of supernatural authority.
• Ethics and morality should serve human needs and our choices should be based upon consideration of the consequences of our actions rather than pre-ordained rules or commandments.
• The Bible, Book of Mormon or other religious texts are purely human and natural phenomena. Biblical and other traditional texts are the products of human activity and are best understood by scientific analysis.

The Humanistic Mormonism Association exists to give support, enlight, diffuse humanity and serve humanity. The purpose of the Association is to keep the Mormon Ethos and Culture linked to humanistic ethics. Some Humanistic Mormons are members of the LDS churches, others are active members of the priesthood, some never go to church gatherings, some hold private or public humanistic services in chapel and stakes.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ http://www.newordermormon.org/why_we_choose_to_stay.htm
2. ^ http://mormonstories.org/?p=88
3. ^ http://zarahemlacitylimits.com/peggy_rogers1.htm
4. ^ http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1994.htm/ensign%20november%201994.htm/the%20importance%20of%20receiving%20a%20personal%20testimony.htm
5. ^ http://www.fairlds.org/Mormonism_201/m20115.html

See also

Latter-day Saints Portal

• Ex-Mormon
• Jack Mormon
• Humanistic Judaism
• Cafeteria Catholic

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1065x800, 99 KB) Summary Christus statue on Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah Taken by Ricardo630 in August 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms... Ex-Mormon refers to a former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or any one of the Latter Day Saint denominations, colloquially and collectively called Mormonism. ... The term Jack Mormon is a pejorative term that originated in the 19th century. ... Humanistic Judaism is a movement within Judaism that emphasizes Jewish culture and history - rather than belief in God - as the sources of Jewish identity. ... A Cafeteria Catholic is a derogatory term used to describe certain members of the Catholic community that selectively subscribe to only certain parts of the faith as a cafeteria goer would pick and choose only those items that appeal to him or her. ...

External links

• New Order Mormons - A website for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who no longer believe some (or many) of the doctrines of the LDS church, but who want to maintain membership for cultural and social reasons. Includes a forum for discussions or support.

• Zarahemla City Limits - in-depth commentary and thoughtful essays addressing issues in Mormonism from a Cultural Mormon perspective.

• The Post-Mormon Community - An organization for those who have left the Church and no longer believe in it, but who consider the Church to have given them much that is good, who emphasize a positive approach to life after the Church, and who oppose anti-Mormonism.

• New Order Mormon Discussion Forum: "A forum for those who have chosen to remain connected with the LDS church for personal reasons and in spite of church history or present practices."