Non-Mormon Mormons

Lately, a growing trend has emerged among some within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: individuals who still identify as “believing members” while simultaneously rejecting foundational doctrines of the restored gospel. These are folks who claim allegiance to the Church, but then turn around and promote ideas, movements, and philosophies that clearly contradict scripture, the living prophets, and the covenants they’ve made. 

That raises a serious and honest question: Can someone truly believe in a faith while denying its core truths? 

We live in an age where identity is often a matter of self-curation—customizable, adjustable, built for maximum comfort. And the temptation to mold discipleship into something that fits our personal politics, social views, or philosophical leanings is strong. But discipleship in the restored gospel is not a lifestyle brand—it’s a covenant path. And that path is marked by revealed truth, not public consensus. 

The Articles of Faith aren’t a spiritual buffet. They're declarations of belief. We believe in God the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We believe in ordinances performed by priesthood authority. We believe in continuing revelation through prophets. We believe marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. We believe in chastity before marriage, fidelity within it, repentance, and that salvation comes through Christ’s Atonement—not through self-actualization or moral relativism. 

But today, there’s a push—even from within—to revise or reframe the gospel to better match the culture of the day. Whether it’s gender, sexuality, priesthood, or prophetic authority, the pattern is clear: some expect the gospel to evolve with the world rather than expect themselves to be transformed by the gospel. 

Let me be clear—questions and wrestles of faith aren’t wrong. We all have them. But there’s a world of difference between sincerely seeking truth and publicly lobbying to change doctrine. One reflects humility. The other reveals a desire to fashion God in our own image. 

Jesus was blunt about this kind of thing: “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). That same principle applies now. You can’t authentically claim belief in Christ’s Church while rejecting its prophetic foundation or lobbying to reshape its doctrine into something more socially palatable. 

We’re seeing this play out in real time through a new class of “LDS” influencers—podcasters, content creators, commentators—who openly preach false doctrines while still claiming a seat at the Lord’s table. Whether it’s praying to Heavenly Mother, prioritizing personal authority over prophetic authority, or undermining the Family Proclamation, the pattern is strikingly familiar. 

And it's not new. The Book of Mormon laid this out clearly. There’s a difference between Korihor’s atheism and Nehor’s counterfeit gospel. And of the two, Nehor’s distortion—because it masqueraded as faith—proved far more corrosive to Nephite society. 

President Nelson said it best: “When the opinions or theories of men conflict with divine revelation, choose the side of the Lord.” That choice isn’t always comfortable. It won’t always earn applause. Sometimes it’ll put you at odds with friends, colleagues, even family. But discipleship was never supposed to be comfortable. It was always meant to be committed.