Hampton Roads Post-Mormons
I’ve mentioned my involvement with the Post-Mormon Community (PMC) on postmormon.org a few times in prior posts and pages. I registered on the site after reading an article about one the the billboards the community uses to let people know of their presence. Since joining, a thousand more have flocked to the website to be among others who are discussing their experiences with Mormonism and helping each other heal after the devastation of having their beliefs, the foundation of their very lives, obliterated.Interest in the site is rapidly growing. In June of 2006, the usage statistics of the site showed over 6,000,000 hits resulting from over 260,000 unique visits, about double the activity of May.
The Post-Mormon Community utilizes billboards to advertise the site. These billboards are paid for by contributions of members. These donations are accepted by the PMC as a 501C Charitable Organization and the PMC discloses their financial reports on the site for public viewing. So far, the PMC has contracted billboards in Logan, UT; Idaho Falls, ID; Provo, UT; and St. George, UT. As of this post, the PMC is raising funds for a large billboard in Salt Lake City, UT.
The PMC also encourages people to meet together in their local communities. These groups, known as chapters, meet together for the “purpose of providing moral support, fellowship and socialization directed toward sustaining individuals and families who have left, are considering leaving or are questioning the beliefs of LDS Church. Chapters are not to be used for promoting a business, a religion, or anything unrelated to the main purpose of the chapter” (chapter FAQ). As of this post, 27 PMC chapters have been started.
As you may know, the LDS Church is more prevalent in the western United States than in the eastern part of the country. The first chapter east of the Mississippi River was the Charlotte North Carolina Post-Mormons. I am pleased to announce the start of the Hampton Roads Post-Mormons chapter of the Post-Mormon Community as the second PMC chapter in the eastern United States, serving the Virginian cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Franklin, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Poquoson, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg.
Post-Mormonism isn’t about being Anti-Mormon; it’s about being able to seek understanding about the world and oneself outside of the constrictions of any church of philosophy, particularly Mormonism. If you are interested in meeting up with other Post-Mormons in the Hampton Roads area, please send a private message to nxtoracle within postmormon.org, comment on this post, or send him an e-mail at nxtoracle[at]gmail.com
No responses yet
