Top three issues

[Bernard Gui]

I’m asking only for a list, not a discussion. That would be for other threads. 
 

IYO, what are the top three issues that cause members to question and possibly leave the Church?

[Fether]

1) Misunderstanding doctrine and teachings (often times because of culture)

2) Saints being un-Christlike

3) People not wanting to live the gospel

Edited July 7, 2021 by Fether

[pogi]

Disillusionment over historical issues.

The gay issue

Their pet social/cultural/political agenda does not align with the church.

(Not necessarily in that order)

Edited July 7, 2021 by pogi

[pogi]

21 minutes ago, pogi said:

Disillusionment over historical issues.

The gay issue

Their pet social/cultural/political agenda does not align with the church.

(Not necessarily in that order)

I realized that 2 and 3 go together, so I have to come up with a third.

If we split 3 into different beliefs/agendas, they might include gay issues, women's issues (women and the priesthood, women representation in the church, or historical women issues in the church like polygamy), fundamentalist beliefs (Mormon sectarianism), political extremism, or even just political loyalty to party over prophet etc.  Any one of those will work.

Edited July 7, 2021 by pogi

[Meadowchik]

1. Rejecting church's claim of being the mediating authority between mankind and God.

That's pretty much it.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Meadowchik

[MrShorty]

My top three:

1) Prophetic fallibility and epistemology -- how do we decide what is "true" when prophets and scripture make mistakes.
2) LGBT issues (and other sexual issues).
3) Women's issues (egalitarianism vs. complementarianism)

Bonus: Jana Riess's top three from the Next Mormons Survey:

1) "I could no longer reconcile my personal values and priorities with those of the Church” (38%)
2) “I stopped believing there was one true church” (36.5%)
3) “I did not trust the Church leadership to tell the truth surrounding controversial or historical issues” (31%)

Of course, if you know about her book, you know that she also breaks the reasons down by gender and by generation to see how things vary depending on how you slice up the survey population.

[CV75]

49 minutes ago, Bernard Gui said:

I’m asking only for a list, not a discussion. That would be for other threads. 

IYO, what are the top three issues that cause members to question and possibly leave the Church?

Political ideology (often the vehicle for cultural and social expression, and often leveraging feelings of pride and enmity).

Materialism (often generated by information and sensory overload).

Instant Gratification (related to materialism)

 

Edited July 7, 2021 by CV75

[SeekingUnderstanding]

Church leaders don’t have any better access to God than the rest of us (Priesthood ban and explanations, mess of polygamy, November policy and reversal of November policy)

 

 Church is always 30-40 years behind on social issues: civil rights, birth control, women working, gay rights

 

 Church’s historical claims don’t stand up to critical scrutiny: (Book of Abraham, Book of Mormon, priesthood restoration)

Edited July 7, 2021 by SeekingUnderstanding

[CA Steve]

We tend to focus on the vocal minority who leave. That group may actually have specific reasons for leaving, but this is a small percentage of those actually walking away.

I think the majority of those leaving are doing so without a conscious reason. They simply no longer feel the need to attend.

A big cause of that is, in my opinion, the massive cultural shift happening due to social networking. The pulpit is not able to compete with the phone.

[Metis_LDS]

What I have witnessed.   1.  Not fitting in with culture.  2.  Members offended the person.    3.  A specific issue like the Book of Mormon or Temple etc.....  

[JLHPROF]

1. Societal changes  - ie. people believing current societal norms and morals and social trends are correct even if they contradict the gospel.

2. Personal self centeredness - ie. some aspect of the gospel not making them happy, being hard or painful, or interfering with what they want in life and their control.

3. Misunderstanding of God or doctrine - ie. The attempt or failed attempt to make God or his word fit with their world view and expectations.   To make God's ways their ways. Square peg into round hole.

Every reason for leaving falls into one of these.  In the end it comes down to God's ways or our own.

Edited July 7, 2021 by JLHPROF

[SeekingUnderstanding]

13 minutes ago, CA Steve said:

We tend to focus on the vocal minority who leave. That group may actually have specific reasons for leaving, but this is a small percentage of those actually walking away.

I think the majority of those leaving are doing so without a conscious reason. They simply no longer feel the need to attend.

A big cause of that is, in my opinion, the massive cultural shift happening due to social networking. The pulpit is not able to compete with the phone.

I’m not sure vocal minority is the best way to put it. I think the vocal minority you speak of could be better defined as those who were once wholly converted to the cause versus those who were more casually converted. I think you are right that the majority of those who leave and join the church fall in the latter category. 

[pogi]

37 minutes ago, CA Steve said:

We tend to focus on the vocal minority who leave. That group may actually have specific reasons for leaving, but this is a small percentage of those actually walking away.

I think the majority of those leaving are doing so without a conscious reason. They simply no longer feel the need to attend.

A big cause of that is, in my opinion, the massive cultural shift happening due to social networking. The pulpit is not able to compete with the phone.

I was going to mention this as well but theN I re-read the OP which specifically asks about reasons that people question and leave - in other words, there is a conscious reason to question. 

Certainly out in the mission field, the reasons vary significantly.  In many areas the church is still fresh and leadership skills are lacking.  A lot of dropped balls and missed opportunities.  It is hard for a brand new member to want to continue attending when they see the disorganization and much infighting and disagreement.  At least that was my experience in the Philippines where less than a quarter of members are active.

Edited July 7, 2021 by pogi

[cinepro]

2 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

I’m asking only for a list, not a discussion. That would be for other threads. 
 

IYO, what are the top three issues that cause members to question and possibly leave the Church?

1. Polygamy (women)

1. Book of Abraham (men)

2. Book of Mormon lack of evidence/ face-in-a-hat translation method (everyone)

[bluebell]

From what I've seen it's been 1) personal ideologies conflicting with church teachings (I think this especially impacts liberal saints), 2) getting pushback from church leadership when vocal about personal ideologies and ways they believe the church is wrong, and 3) learning historical things they didn't know and falling down that slippery slope to the conclusion that unknown history means the church is a big lie.

[let’s roll]

Lack of an experience with Deity directing them to utilize the Church in pursing their discipleship. 

I doubt this would be given as a reason by many who have left but I believe if you asked them if they had had such an experience 95%+ would say no.  I also believe most would concede if they had had such an experience they would abide.  For those reasons, I’d characterize it as the prime reason people leave.

I suppose we could opine regarding the top three reasons for staying in the Church for those who haven’t had such an experience.

 

 

[JustAnAustralian]

2 hours ago, Bernard Gui said:

IYO, what are the top three issues that cause members to question and possibly leave the Church?

From those that I've observed leave:

Lack of interest/Don't need the church

Messy parts of church history (including "doctrinal" statements by church "leaders")

Not following practices accepted in secular society (top level female leadership, same-sex marriage etc)

 

With #2 and #3 sometimes flowing back into #1

Edited July 8, 2021 by JustAnAustralian

[Ipod Touch]

* Dallin Oaks lying to the press in the late 90s and early 2000's and being compelled to retract his statements

* Joseph Smith is not a translator as he claimed.  Every opportunity to show that he had legit translation ability has fallen flat.  The BoA facimiles being the most egregious examples

* Parts of the BoM read like revolutionary war tracts espousing the liberalism upon which the US was founded.  I think it is highly unlikely that an ancient civilization in the Americas developed a philosophy and mode of government so similar to that of the late 18th century

[Duncan]

1)social issues, i.e. not fitting in, church is too far, beef with someone

2) personal beliefs conflict with the church's

3) apathy, people like the church for friends and benefits but the theology is another matter

[2BizE]

1) Book of Abraham has zero to do with the papyri used to “translate” it. Did Joseph actually translate anything?

2) Joseph Smith Pedophilic and predator behavior with girls and other men’s wives.

3) Perpetual lying and hiding of important church history causes members to view church leadership as irrelevant.

You are on a Mormon board. Do NOT accuse religious leaders of crimes they have not been convicted of. 

[JLHPROF]

36 minutes ago, 2BizE said:

1) Book of Abraham has zero to do with the papyri used to “translate” it. Did Joseph actually translate anything?

Doesn't change the truth contained within.  I don't care where it originated.

2) Joseph Smith Pedophilic and predator behavior with girls and other men’s wives.

No pedophilia or predator behavior occurred unless you stretch those terms beyond their meanings.

3) Perpetual lying and hiding of important church history causes members to view church leadership as irrelevant.

I don't see the cause and effect you describe, although I do agree Church history was whitewashed to create a narrative more easy to accept.

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by JLHPROF

[juliann]

1. No longer satisfying or uplifting. 
2. Policies that are uncomfortable or feel wrong, like exclusion of gays or women, or history. 
3.  Loss of belief. I think we tend to make that more complicated than it is. Stuff can just stop making sense. And I do think it takes conscious and consistent effort to maintain a relationship with God. 

[Ipod Touch]

3 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

1. Rejecting church's claim of being the mediating authority between mankind and God.

That's pretty much it.

You are a regular ole' Martin Luther. 

[The Nehor]

1. They got the recipe for funeral potatoes and don’t need the church anymore now that they can make their own.

Pretty sure every other reason is just a smokescreen for that.

[strappinglad]

1. Black and white thinking, seeing the bath water.

2. discouragement about unable to live up to demands , real or not. 

3. OK I'll take the hit, the Nephite disease.