A recent Pew Forum study confirmed something I have suspected as I look at Internet activity (blogs, message boards, etc.) of ex-Mormons.
“Of those who leave Mormonism after being raised in the faith, half (15% of those raised Mormon overall) convert to a new religion, while the other half (14% overall) become unaffiliated. This is similar among those raised Catholic; about half of those who leave the faith (18% of all those raised Catholic) switch to another religion and half (14%) switch to no religion. Among those raised Protestant, 28% switched to another Protestant family, 7% joined a non-Protestant faith and 13% became unaffiliated.”
In other words, someone who leaves Mormonism is just as likely, statistically speaking, to leave religion altogether as they are to become affiliated with another church.
For more information, see The Mormon Mirage 3rd Edition: A Former Member Looks at the Mormon Church Today(Zondervan, 2009). Also available as an audiobook and as an expanded-text E-book for Nook, Kindle and other reading devices.
