Why Mormons Leave

Resources

Where to go next, depending on who you are and what you need. Nothing here is paid placement. Sources are labeled by where they stand, so that you can read across the disagreement.

If your shelf is breaking

Start with people who have been where you are.

  • Mormon Faith Crisis · Open Stories Foundation

    Our sister site for the person it is happening to: guides by situation, a five-question compass, a map of the stages, scripts for telling people, a directory of therapists and communities, and the Gift of the Mormon Faith Crisis podcast with transcripts.

  • Mormon Stories episode recommender · Open Stories Foundation

    Which of the two thousand Mormon Stories episodes help most for thirty situations and topics, ranked from the transcripts, the titles, the categories, and how widely each video is watched. The lists on this site come from it.

  • Mormon Stories faith crisis resources · Mormon Stories Podcast

    The podcast's own starting page for people in transition.

  • THRIVE · Dr. John Dehlin and Margi Dehlin

    A program for rebuilding a life after religion, built around the things the survey found people lose (community, meaning, identity).

The history, from several sides

Read the Church's account and the critics' account of the same event before deciding what you think.

  • The Gospel Topics essays · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

    Thirteen essays, 2013 to 2015, on the First Vision, the Book of Mormon translation and DNA, the Book of Abraham, plural marriage, race and the priesthood, Mother in Heaven, and more. The Church's own statement of the difficult facts.

  • Church History Topics · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

    Shorter entries on seer stones, treasure seeking, Masonry, the Kinderhook plates, Joseph Smith's marriages, Mountain Meadows, and dozens of other subjects.

  • The Joseph Smith Papers · The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

    Every surviving document from Joseph Smith's life, transcribed, imaged, and annotated. The primary sources.

  • LDS Discussions · Mike, with Mormon Stories

    The most thorough plain-language treatment of each truth claim, presenting the Church's response alongside the problem. Critical stance, heavily sourced.

  • Mormon History Synthesis · Open Stories Foundation

    A sourced database of the contested episodes, with timelines, key people, and commentary labeled by camp.

  • CES Letter · Jeremy Runnells

    The 2013 letter to a Church Educational System director that became the most widely read summary of the issues. Critical stance.

  • Letter For My Wife · Anonymous

    A longer, gentler treatment of the same ground, written by a husband for his believing spouse.

  • FAIR · Faithful Answers, Informed Response

    The principal apologetic organization. Read its responses to each issue; the survey found that many respondents did, and found them unpersuasive, but you should judge for yourself.

  • Mormonr · B. H. Roberts Foundation

    A newer faithful-perspective site presenting primary sources on contested questions in a question-and-answer format.

For families and marriages

Research and data

Mormon Stories Podcast

  • Mormon Stories Podcast · Open Stories Foundation

    More than two thousand interviews since 2005 with historians, scientists, former leaders, and ordinary members and former members. Transcripts are searchable.

  • The stories page · This site

    The episodes that best show each reason from the inside.