PostMormon Community

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article or section is in the middle of an expansion or major revamping.
You are welcome to assist in its construction by editing it as well.
Please view the edit history should you wish to contact the person who placed this template. If this article has not been edited in several days, please remove this template. Consider not tagging with a deletion tag unless the page hasn't been edited in several days.

The PostMormon Community is a community to help support individuals who have left or are leaving Mormonism (LDS Church). The primary support mechanism of the community is the PostMormon.org website.[1] Discussions on the website often go beyond concerns about the Mormon church, and is a lively and even zany social forum often addressing personal, religious, social and philosophical questions on a more general level.

In addition there are PostMormon chapters across the United States, Canada, Europe, Ecuador, New Zealand and Australia. [2] The chapters have no set format, and their organization and format is determined by the local members to best meet their needs. Some chapters meet monthly for a meal or family friendly activity, while others have a monthly meeting with lectures, group discussions and music.

The PostMormon community is probably best known to the wider public outside of the ex-mormon circles for using billboard and newspaper advertising in Utah, Idaho and Oregon[3] to raise public awareness. Their second billboard advertisement in Idaho Falls, Idaho, was taken down early by Lamar Outdoor Advertising, after the owner of the property on which the billboard is situated requested it come be taken down. The owner of the property is an active member of the LDS Church[4]

Contents

[edit] History

The PostMormon community was was founded by Jeff Ricks in 2002 in the Cache Valley area of Utah.[5] Initially it was a support group for former members of the Mormon church, and a place for them to cultivate new friendships in this predominantly Mormon community.[6]

The community website was created in 2004[7] and has become an anchor for the community. The website's bulletin board is heavily trafficked, and is a place for members of the community to chat, vent, and support each other.[8] There are also pages for each chapter to help them coordinate their activities.[9]

In 2005 the PostMormon Community registered as a corporation[10] and in 2006 they were granted non-profit status.[11] In 2007 they started using billboards in places around Utah to advertise their group. The most recent billboard was put up in St. George, Utah.[12] This was the 7th billboard they have advertised on.

[edit] Criticisms of the PostMormon Community

The most frequent criticism of the PostMormon Community is that it is an anti-mormon organization whose purpose is to tear down the faith of active members of the church.[13] At least part of that criticism comes articles on the PostMormon website that discuss genetics problems with the Book of Mormon, controversy surrounding Joseph Smith's translation of the Book of Abraham, as well as satire on the PostMormon website that makes fun of the LDS Church, and exit stories of individuals who have left the church. Some discussions on the community discussion board could be considered by faithful members of the church as sacreligious or disrespectful of LDS Church beliefs and doctrines.

[edit] See Also

[edit] References

  1. ^ PostMormon Community Website
  2. ^ Map of chapters
  3. ^ Billboard story
  4. ^ Idaho Fall billboard comes down early
  5. ^ St. George newspaper article about PostMormon.org
  6. ^ 85% of population Mormon in 1990
  7. ^ The 2004 version of the PostMormon website in the Way Back Machine
  8. ^ The community forum
  9. ^ The Cache Valley Chapter web page
  10. ^ Articles of Incorporation
  11. ^ Non profit status
  12. ^ 7th billboard in St. George, Utah
  13. ^ Grace for Grace - Strengthening Against Apostasy

[edit] External Links