Mormons quit church in mass resignation ceremony

[SoCalDem]

From last month, but I missed this story completely

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-06-30/news/sns-rt-us-usa-utah-mormonsbre86000n-20120630_1_mormon-culture-church-spokesman-president-brigham-young

Mormons quit church in mass resignation ceremony
June 30, 2012|Jennifer Dobner | Reuters



SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A group of about 150 Mormons quit their church in a mass resignation ceremony in Salt Lake City on Saturday in a rare display of defiance ending decades of disagreement for some over issues ranging from polygamy to gay marriage. Participants from Utah, Arizona, Idaho and elsewhere gathered in a public park to sign a "Declaration of Independence from Mormonism." "This feels awesome," said Alison Lucas, from West Jordan, Utah, who took part in the rally amid soaring temperatures. "I don't know if I would have had the courage except in a group." The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is known for its culture of obedience, and the mass ceremony was a seldom-seen act of collective revolt.

After gathering in the park, participants hiked a half-mile up nearby Ensign Peak, scaled in 1847 by church President Brigham Young to survey the spot where his Latter-day Saints would build a city.

At the top, those gathered gave three loud shouts of "Freedom," cheered, clapped and hugged.

snip

[Ilsa]

1. Good for them!

I think they were lucky, too. There was a strong enough number of members willing to defy authority, find others who quietly felt the same way, and coordinate with them for the exodus.

That church is too authoritarian for me.

[SheilaT]

2. It is my opinion that too many people

remain as members of churches even when they disagree with their church's policies. So long as members stay, they are giving silent assent to those policies. I just wish more people would understand that their church, no church is going to change so long as they stay.

[demosincebirth]

3. I'm not in lock step with my church. RC.