Top 3 reasons why people leave

The SITH (stone-in-the-hat) and M2C (Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs) theories are based on the assumption that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery misled everyone about the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon. That's why certain LDS scholars who promote SITH and M2C avoid quoting what Joseph and Oliver taught on this topic and instead quote and discuss what others said. 

So long as these LDS scholars insist on promoting SITH and M2C as the only acceptable interpretations of Church history and the text of the Book of Mormon, more Latter-day Saints will lose their faith, as yet another survey of former LDS shows.

Given that the Book of Mormon is the "keystone of our religion," this should come as no surprise.

6. Many say they left the church because of historical issues.

The top three reasons for leaving in the 2023CFLDS were 1) history related to Joseph Smith; 2) Book of Mormon; and 3) race issues.

https://religionnews.com/2024/03/07/who-is-leaving-the-lds-church-8-key-survey-findings/

And yet, apparently the authors were surprised. For this one survey response, the authors expressed skepticism, as if they hoped for a different answer:

However, Coates says he is somewhat skeptical, comparing these questions to asking divorced couples why their marriages failed. He says it’s difficult to know what potential conscious or unconscious biases are at play.

“We think this portion of the survey is only useful in answering the question ‘What do former members prefer to respond when asked on a survey why they left?’” he said.

Obviously, the entire survey is only useful in answering the question "What do former members prefer to respond when asked questions on a survey?"

If Coates was "somewhat skeptical" about the answers to this question, he should have been "somewhat skeptical" about every answer on his survey.

But as we all know from talking with former LDS, seeing the online discussions and podcasts, and talking with active LDS who are wavering, SITH and M2C contribute to doubt because both theories undermine the reliability and credibility of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

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When people cite Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon as the main reasons for leaving, they usually refer to (i) polygamy and (ii) the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.

We don't discuss polygamy on this blog, but we do discuss the origin and setting of the Book of Mormon.

To repeat: So long as our scholars insist on promoting SITH and M2C as the only acceptable interpretations of Church history and the text of the Book of Mormon, more Latter-day Saints will lose their faith, as this survey shows.