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Just out of curiosity, what is the current official view of those who want to leave the LDS church? I was a member, and when I left in the 80s they didn’t have a way to remove your name from the rolls quietly. If you went to the Temple you had to be excommunicated by a High Council vote. Is that still in force? And no, I am not going to encourage others to leave. That’s not something a person can be “talked into”.
The handbook itself mentions very little (anyone can look at it these days). You can more easily find the process by a Google search. I do believe the same process was in place int he 80s, perhaps your bishop/SP couldn’t figure it or there was a reason they wanted to a church court (as they were called back then). As I recall the versions of the handbook at that time specified resignation was not to be used as a substitute for excommunication. Jeff green may be a recent and somewhat publicized resignation, but the last few years seem to have seen a surge in such resignations often for the same reasons he gave. Excommunication (withdrawal of membership is the current term) and resignation are essentially the same in that the individual is no longer a member and from my experience/observation the church ignores them. Perhaps I have been in this StayLDS world for too long because i would be hard pressed to label someone an apostate. I guess the term applies to anyone that leaves the church (for any reason) but that doesn’t seem quite right. I understand that the process has been somewhat streamlined since the 80’s. I think you can do it online with a form letter now.
I am unaware of any need for a High Council vote. That just seems really inefficient to me. Who would ever vote against “letting” someone leave the church? and if you only ever vote yes, then why vote at all? Just process the paperwork and move on.
If you were no longer a member and wanted to continue to participate in the church then I imagine lots of awkward situations/conversations. If I remember correctly, individuals in this category are not to offer public prayers or to attend priesthood meetings. I also imagine that the church leadership would prefer that you not partake of the sacrament.
Back in my mission days, whenever we went out bothering inactive members we had a form that they could sign if they didn’t want anyone from the church contacting them again. To my understanding, if signed they would be removed from church records and their membership revoked. Interestingly, despite an abundance of people who wanted us to go away, no one ever signed it. Most people who leave the church just leave. People who make it official usually have a reason, which is probably the reason for any scrutiny there might have been. Though I believe Roy is correct with there being a form. I can’t say for certain though as I’ve never gone looking for it.
I do think that as Roy says that if you started hanging around and coming to church they’d inquire and once they figure out your status would put limits on participation (no prayers, talks, etc.). Unless they thought you were interested in rebaptism they’d probably otherwise leave you alone as long as you follow the rules. Whose view? “Official” implies the organizational view, especially with organizations built on a “mission”. In that case, the same as any organizational view of anyone who wants to leave: “They don’t get it, so it is a them issue, not an us issue.” That view is common to the organization’s most ardent participants, as well, since they themselves as part of the organization.
I have seen it with companies, not just religious institutions. It is a product of human psychology and, often, unavoidable. For those who are part of the organization in some way but don’t “share the vision”, the healthy approach is understanding and acceptance – and personal involvement “boundaries” that can vary radically from others who don’t share the vision.
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