Deconversion from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Quest for Identity

Abstract

Deconversion from the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is often an arduous process and can lead to a sense of losing one's identity. This article describes the stories of people who deconvert from the LDS church while making sense of the link between deconversion and identity. The manuscript is based on 18 interviews with people leaving the LDS church. While some of the deconverts had achieved a stable sense of identity at the time of the interview, others were still struggling with this task. This article attempts to understand these differences while also paying attention to the role of gender. The study also has implications for pastoral care and social work practice.

Establishing the temporal relationship between religious commitment, sexual identity struggles, and religious struggles among sexual minorities.

“…Like other conservative religions (e.g., Judaism, Islam), being part of the CJCLDS influences not only members' weekly service attendance but also the things members do/do not consume, members' sense of values, and members' sense of community/ outgroup. Because being part of the CJCLDS tends to entail both religious practice and worldview, individuals who were raised part of the CJCLDS may still consider themselves "Mormon" or "ex-Mormon" long after their formal participation has ended (Jindra, 2022). Further, the process of deidentification is more complex than simply stopping attending services and may include a much more protracted process of moderating their commitment to their religious community and finding other ways to meet needs once met by religion such as embracing a sense of personal spirituality outside of religion or building other communities that provide meaning (Jindra, 2022).…”