Official Renouncement of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

It’s not every day that one might come across a post like this, an official renouncement of a church. As it is, I wouldn’t be the first person to turn around and away from a church. Many people have different ways of and reasons for leaving a commitment. Some people write official letters or simply walk away without writing a letter. I have done both in renouncing my membership with the Mormon Church officially called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My decision to officially sever my relationship with the church was posted in a letter to the Headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA in May, 2013. Since, I haven’t received acknowledgement of or reply to that letter. In case the letter was sabotaged in transit, as has been much of my life in the last several years, let this post be a declaration to it, a reminder of sorts. I grew up in my nuclear family to learn the tenets of the Mormon Church. It had coloured much of my outlook in life and of course all of Christianity. It defined much of what I considered right or wrong. It, Latter-day Saints Church doctrine, was the most effective tool of indoctrination in my life through reading the Holy Bible and its other scriptures especially The Book of Mormon. It had also been a source of support and socialization. However, I have discovered that it was the source of much of my pains and anguish. Christianity didn’t promise its adherents to be a bed of roses. However, it hasn’t prided itself of being a fortress of wickedness disguised as a ‘school.’

Many people have reasons for leaving their churches. The Latter-day Saints Church has received many aggrieved members of other churches who have had to seek refuge at its doors or congregations. Unfortunately, it has found it difficult to lose members, understandable of a people who are in the serious business of winning membership. My decision to leave the Church is stemmed out of a systemic blackmail and indiscreet loss of privacy owing to what I considered hypocritical assessment of my commitment. I have had relationships ruined because of my membership, friendships lost and ambitions defeated. If I was ambitious enough, I could consider a civil rights abuse lawsuit against it especially because of the Latter-day Saints Church missionary work that I was engaged in Salt Lake City, Utah, but I would let that be. I have the ugly habit of letting things be and having my rights abused. As it is, I wouldn’t be surprised that I could have signed something or someone away without being given informed consent in the church. It’s that ridiculous. We are made to ‘sacrifice’ all we have for the church. I wonder what it would feel and sound to be told that we are ‘being used’ and not sacrificing, after all.

I am happily engaged in this decision of leaving the Mormon Church. I apologize to everybody whom I had proselytized this religion on regular basis or as a full time missionary volunteer with the religion. I regret any inconveniences my utterances may have caused them. I did not engage in any conversation to deceive and what I shared was done out of a commitment to fulfill an obligation. I owe all of Christianity an apology as I’ve found it a regrettable misadventure. I mean that I’m not Christian and in renouncing the Latter-day Saints faith, I renounce religion including Christianity. I haven’t done it out of malice, but out of a commitment to the knowledge that the black nation has failed its people. If our forefathers’ religion is false and Christianity is the best and the only way, I say that I’ve renounced it all. I know nothing better than walking away from a people’s faith that ‘taught’ us a correct way but has encouraged moral outrage and degradation among every race and people. Adults teach children to do what they wouldn’t do. Adults have the monopoly and hypocrisy of sin, how disappointing.

I continue to seek mutual respect, equity and peace in my dealings with other people. These terms are of course relative and have continued to be manipulated in such a way that conflicts and terrorist acts have been justified and even sustained, all calling on the names of their gods. It behooves us to use common sense when it’s understandable to live the daily life of a community. Let it be said that I have no tolerance for the hidden things which belong to the Lord. I am capable of keeping confidences but not inclined to joining up to conspiracies and blackmail. I’m the victim of a tradition that withheld my vaccination card, gave me medications that I knew nothing about, possibly an object of an unsolicited/uninformed experiment (which would be falsely authorised). The Mormon Church could be recreating my life and reality without my consent. It could own its members’ lives and may have them replaced at will due to its doctrine of proxy and vicarious ordinances.

Hence, this post is my reply to every member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: The church isn’t true, I know no true religion devoid of human manipulations. I needn’t to have seen the golden plates to know whether Joseph Smith was being truthful or an outlandish and psychotic liar. I know much about accomplices and accessories to believe that alibis recreate histories. I know that I had ashamedly accepted through The Book of Mormon many dogmas and tenets of Mormonism as an act of God, which I have since renounced. May those who continue to use others in diverse ways and guises be reprimanded by their own consciences if they’ve got any. And may every lesson left untaught before another and meant for him or her remain irrelevant and only a conspiracy.

I wish those who may have joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church because of me great speed out of it, but if they enjoy it, they are welcome to continue fellowship knowing full well that I wasn’t replaced; no vacancy was left behind. And that they don’t have my blessing. This is my witness that I have lived my life knowing that my experiences have made me who I am and I would have wanted out of the Mormon Church earlier. I didn’t bring the Aba Nigeria Temple to Africa and have never claimed responsibility for it no matter my previous commitments to the Church. I wish not to be called “Sister” in reference to the Church and I need it that way. And in the event of my death, I don’t want to be recognized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor have them participate in my funeral as when I die, that’s the only dignity they would have granted me. Thank you.

Faithfully,

Ijeoma Monica Njoku.