Purpose in life

Pros of Mormonism from the perspective of the
Believer	Ex-believer
Many believers love Mormonism because of the purpose it brings to their life. Because this life is the time to prepare to meet God, all lives are important. Mormonism can take the mundane and make it grand. Every daily interaction with friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers is a chance we have to be an instrument in God’s hand. Callings, meetings, prayer, scripture study, and so on are all opportunities to advance towards our own salvation and further the Lord’s work. Believing that you are a Child of God and God’s chosen people gives many people purpose in a life that might otherwise be void of meaning. Believing that you are working for an eternal family provides a hope to many and is a driving force that keeps many people going through hard times.	Some Mormons who lose their belief struggle greatly to find purpose in life. When they believed, they knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing with their life and why it was so important. Some ex-believers miss the purpose that they once found as a believer: Mormonism can take the mundane and make it grand. Every daily interaction with friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers is a chance we have to be an instrument in God’s hand. Callings, meetings, prayer, scripture study, and so on are all opportunities to advance towards our own salvation and further the Lord’s work. Believing that you are a Child of God and God’s chosen people gives many people purpose in a life that might otherwise be void of meaning. Believing that you are working for an eternal family provides a hope to many and is a driving force that keeps many people going through hard times.

 

Cons of Mormonism from the perspective of the
Believer	Ex-[believer
Many believing and nonbelieving Mormon women feel great angst and sadness that their purpose in life, according to Mormonism, seems to be limited to motherhood now and forever.	Many believing and ex-believing Mormon women feel great angst and sadness that their purpose in life, according to Mormonism, seems to be limited to motherhood now and forever. For some women, this was what pushed them out of the church.   As some ex-believer consider their purpose in life outside of Mormonism, they find more time to develop and invest in personal passions and desires. Some find great satisfaction in choosing for themselves what is important and what to dedicate their time and energy towards. This can happen within Mormonism, but there is often an assumption that church activity is more important than almost everything else. There can also be less time to pursue other passions. For many this can be confining and prevent individual growth.   To many people, it seems that Mormonism emphasizes the eternal perspective, which has the consequence of focusing less on the here and now. When some people leave Mormonism they find joy in being able to focus their efforts  and purpose on what is happening now with real people, rather than things like temple work and expectations of seeing people after death.