3 ms·
What about "former mormon"?
by benatkin 3y ago
What about "former mormon"?
- mlyle 3y agoSo I guess your objection is that "lapsed" doesn't convey sufficient intentionality?
- benatkin 3y agoI'm not even objecting to it. I just was asking for context around the use of that term. I've found sufficient context. It's a combination of the fact that most people don't see a (big) distinction between lapsed mormon and other terms like ex-mormon and there being previous articles using the term lapsed mormon about her. But yes, that is precisely why I don't use that term for myself. I didn't just drift away from the church, at first. Later on I drifted away from the lifestyle, but that was after I stopped going to church, and I stopped going to church because even after asking clergy and my family I couldn't resolve issues with my faith.
- heleninboodler 3y agoI think you might just have to accept that when a lot of people use the term "lapsed mormon," they are using it as a synonym for "former mormon" and that challenging the terminology isn't really very productive.
- dendrite9 3y agoI find the distinction interesting as someone who spent time around many Mormons and former Mormons. I knew some who rejected everything and said they were ex mormon, there were a couple who said they were no longer practicing Mormons, and others described themselves as raised mormon, or previously mormon. There were a few who were 'no longer tithing' but there was some nuance to that declaration that I think I missed as an outsider.
- heleninboodler 3y agoI don't doubt that analyzing the distinction is interesting, but it seems pointless to object to common usage by asking justifying sources to be cited.
- TeaBrain 3y agoI'd agree that "former mormon" would be a better descriptor. However, "lapsed" does not seem technically incorrect to me, even though it may be more nuanced, and could possibly lead to an incorrect idea of the situation.