This is not the first mass exodus from the LDS Church. It has been happening yearly for a number of years. This was better organized than most of the previous resignations. The last number of mass resignations have been organized by the Utah Atheists. This event was organized around the issues of prejudice, primarily against the LGBTQ community, and was centered around a recent LDS statement on gay parenting. The big concern here was based in a decision to NOT allow children whose parents are in a same sex relationship to become members of the church.
So instead of hundreds showing up, as in previous years, thousands showed up to openly resign, or to make a statement in solidarity. Actual numbers resigning are not known, but it appears to be about 1,500. This is not a new thing, because the LDS Church does not simply remove people from their records as members without a specific process, and there are many people who have tried to be removed unsuccessfully for years. These events were organized, in part, to address this issue. So, this event even had a lawyer present to help you have your name removed.
This may say something about our society’s trend toward an expected egalitarian position on all issues racial and sexual. Some would add religious as well, but I think this event itself begs to differ. The culture of religion is not seen as deserving the same freedoms by many people as racial and sexual cultures today. (But that is another subject. It is not a judgment statement in this post. It is simply an observation.)
This may also say something about the trends against organized religion, and the growth of the “nones” and the “dones” in recent years’ polling.
It definitely says something about the LDS Church itself, and its disconnect with cultural issues some of its members. People raised in the LDS church are primarily the ones leaving, and they have been feeling for quite some time that the church did not speak for them. This truly may have been mostly about the LDS Church, and may have little commentary on “organized religion” in general.
Burning Religion 