What do you call yourself now that you aren't mormon?
I consider myself Christian.
tom808Thoughts on the label, "former Mormon," taken from the discussion thread titled, Exhibit A:
I don't identify with the label 'former mormon.' My religious heritage is a bit like an old and outgrown pair of childhood pajamas (nearly thread bare and tattered)--which lay neatly tucked in the back of my drawer, rich with memories, history, perspective, sentimental attachment...and ocassionally give me pause for real reflection. I did not LEAVE my pajamas but merely out grew them. I cannot throw them away...but it would be ridiculous to wear them and pretend they still fit.
Women may better relate to this phenomenon. Women (in many cultures) inherit our father's last name and are called accordingly until we marry a man (btw I'm not entirely thrilled with this tradition just so you know). Once we marry, we don't cease to be the person we were-- but we grow into a new and more mature identity. When I married, I took my husband's last name but my maiden name became my legal middle name. Hence, my name is growing but I don't/cannot cast off what I was before. It's a little like rings in a tree measuring growth over time. I have a 'mormon ring' that forever tells the story of where I've been.
Even if I were to have my name removed from the records of the church...my mormon identity would stay with me. I am mormon like some folks are Irish. It ties me to my family and helps explain where I came from.
With that said...please feel free to add my story to the rest. No doubt it is a common tale and will perhaps normalize for others what they may be feeling once they realize thier pajamas no longer fit.
moonshineI don’t really call myself anything. If asked I’d probably say a former Mormon.
ashmonster2000I call myself a lot of things but mostly an Ex Mormon Atheist Apostate. Really covers all the bases.
greensockninjaI label myself "Jeremy". "Human". "Husband". "Father". "Friend".
I no longer consider myself Mormon or Ex Mormon. I'm just Jeremy. A fellow human. A fellow seeker. A fellow wanderer and explorer in this vast and amazing Universe we all find ourselves in.
Inspired by a comment made by a friend, Scott, I'm borrowing and altering his words to drive home this point:
For me, having been a Mormon is like the other stages of my life. It’s something that I was, and it’s something that I did. It had its positives and negatives. But my current self is not defined by my former relationship to that church. I lived in New York City – I’m not an ex-New Yorker. I attended and graduated from BYU but I’m not ex-BYU.
I’ve graduated and transcended from Mormonism. It’s a part of my past but it no longer is a part of my present and future. To me, it’s something like my missionary journals…I’m reminded of my past from time to time seeing the journals on my bookshelf but it no longer has much power or much influence over my present life and my future.
jeremyrunnells