Some may wonder exactly what a Jack Mormon is, maybe I should have covered this topic earlier? To cut to the quick, a Jack Mormon loosely associates himself with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also known as Mormon) but does not follow any of the day to day practices, like paying tithing, abstaining from smoke or drink, and has no problem indulging in the flesh (outside the marriage covenant).
Check out its definition on Urban Dictionary (on of my favorite Internet site sources).
A legitimate question springs to mind, why do you feel it necessary to associate yourself with the Church while you obviously do not believe in or practice Its teachings?
Good question, maybe because I know David Archuleta, John Heder, Ryan Gosling, and Amy Adams are card carrying Mormons. That’s reason enough for me and now you know what a Jack Mormon is.
This is also a reason why I’m a Jack Mormon (I share the same first name):
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The Chronicles of a Jack Mormon 
Someone who “loosely associates” himself with the C of JC of LDS? That definition’s a tad vague.
A better one: “Someone who was raised in or converted to the church but, inactive in the church or not, indulges in activities that to Mormons are taboo, such as alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, drugs, extramarital sex, Sabbath-breaking, profanity, etc.”
One good question: Is a baptized member of the church who has subsequently renounced LDS mythology, teachings and commandments – one who considers himself agnostic, or has, say, joined a different church – a Jack Mormon? Or an ex-Mormon? Both?
Or to put it in Mormon terms, do you need to still have a functioning LDS testimony to be a Jack Mormon?
Yes, I do like your definition better that’s why I provided a few from UD because it does tend to have multiple definitions. I want to make sure it was understood that Jack Mormons do associate themselves with the church but not the doctrine.
A Mormon who renounces is an Ex-Mormon and an Ex-Mormon only. Typically there is little desire to continue the association and I don’t believe you have to have a functioning testimony of the church to be a Jack Mormon. Having a functioning testimony implies action to adhere to the precepts of church doctrine. Mormons view testimony as a source of action, Jack Mormons do not act thus I don’t think they have real testimonies in the Mormon sense. This is just my opinion but believe I’m correct here.
Jack
Sorry about that, Jack – but had I followed the link to UD I reckon I never would have returned to read the rest of your post.
O.K., boiled down, you say that to be a Jack Mormon you have to be a member and be going to church, at least once in a while. Whether you believe in the church or not.
Sounds fair.
I wonder because I grew up in the church but fell away in my early teens (skepticism trumped spiritualism) and haven’t been to a church service now for many years. But my ancestral roots in the church go back almost to its foundings (circa Kirtland), and I’m quite interested in and (with qualifications) proud of the church’s history.
So as a renouncer and complete shunner of church services, I suppose I’m technically not a Jack Mormon, but an ex-Mormon. Still, I sometimes call myself a Jack Mormon and suppose I’ll continue to do so. As a term it’s a lot more fun and thought-provoking than ex-Mormon.
Cheers – OSweet
“Man, being reasonable, must get drunk; the best of life is but intoxication.” – Lord Byron
Agreed Byron, we’ve got you on a technicality but isn’t that just like religious dogma?? I’ve had many conversations centered around Jack Mormonism and they mostly just start in passing. People go bizerk over the term and you can really spawn into the doctrinal aspects of the Church, which I find incredibly fascinating.
Thanks for the comments.
Jack
if your only Mormon cause of celebrities you should actually give it a try I mean Im not perfect I’m Mormon but i believe in the stuff they say but I just wanted a nose peircing
When it comes right down to it, I hate paying Tithing. That business blows, so at the end of days I fry, who cares? Its my damn money!!
No, your money is actually your ex-wife’s, but who is keeping score?
#)(!K@()#! You PERU!
Jack,
Just caught your Blog and for a moment I thought you were acually making a joke of it. Then I read this and now I am thinking you really are not joking.
Here is my “Mormon” wisdom for you… Hold on, are you ready???
Do what you want. Pay tiths or don’t pay them. Drink or abstain from strong Drink. You say in the end it’s you that burns, but you are wrong here. There is no burning excatly. See in the end you are going to sum up your experience here on this earth and answer honestly to yourself and God if you have reached your potential. If you have not.. well you will have to deal with the disapointment that you have not reached it and you will know exactlly how far you missed it by. After all it is your life,so your greatest potential was your goal that you have chosen to go after. How do you think you messure up right now? Me?? Well I still have a long way to go, but I am on that road and heading in the direction to acheive my goal. Again, do what you really want, and in the end you will only have yourself to blame or congragulate. It is your choice.
Sorry to have drawn it out so much but I hope you really do understand the tone is not condemming but strait from me as one brother to another.
Oh, on the money issue.. It really is not yours. What you don’t pay to Taxes is still the governments if not God’s. Look at the Dollar, or any US coin and you will see the name of who it belongs in bold letters: United States of America. Some say in God we trust. So in the end all of that money is going to the Government and God.
Peace,
-D
I like the site. It is pretty crazy how many of us Mo’s did all the stuff our Parents told us to do up to the Mission and Temple Marriage and then just stopped going. For me personally, it was having to pay tithing that really caused me to stop. Uncle Sam already gets enough of my money so why give it to a church that is just going to hammer me about getting my home teaching done and getting more suckers to join!!!!
What is funny though is that even though I’m “inactive” when people ask me what my religion is I still always tell them I’m “Mormon”. I do wish that the Chuch would just allows gays, because some of the best missionaries that the church has are the gay guys. I mean the Mo’s got Choir, Road Shows and Testimony mtgs, what more can you ask for!!!
I totally agree. I, unfortantly, am an inactive member. I love the church and everything about it. When I was active, I followed the W of W and paid my tithing and went on 2 sort term missions. When I heard about gays going to hell, I left the church. I try very hard to do the right thing, but I just wish that the members that are gay could have the same or atleast close to the same as hedrosexual members do.
I really think their stance on Homosexuality is unfortunate, it makes them look unfeeling and backward. Jack tells people he’s Mormon still, it’s what shaped my value system and there were so many great experiences which stemmed from growing up Mormon.
Are you for real? A Jack Mormon. Come on ! This is an organization which comes from Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost ! You are just sinning against the Holy Ghost – which is the biggest sin you can commit ! Once you’re baptized and you start going against Church teachings which come from the prophets – and essentially from Jesus himself – you are now on Satan’s side, folks ! Like it or not, Jesus is the one who’s going to judge. I can only advise and recommend. Once you’ve sinned against the Holy Ghost THERE IS NO REPENTENCE. You’re now being led as a Son or Daughter of Perdition.
Funny because with your lack of mercy and forcefulness, you are more Satanic than the rest of us. Jesus bled out of every pour in his body so that we COULD be forgiven, even after we know better. He understood that we are humans and therefore make mistakes and succumb to temptations. You on the other hand, fail in that regard. Try a little understanding and love if you want to be Christ-like, instead of your current callous, Satanic stance.
Margie,
There is always a chance for repentance. It is expressed not only in the Bible (jesus tells of the prodical son returning home) that is a parable of the “Sinner” returning to God the Father, but also in the Book of Mormon, one BOM referance is that of Ammon, he found himself in that pit of dispare and turned his way to God. This is repentance.
I am sure if Jack or anyone else was in sin they would know it, but what they may have forgotten is the joy of being “At one” with God, and that is the reason for the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
God bless,
-D
Locked in a dark room our eyes adjust to the dimmness and we think not of the light of day. After a while, we forget the light of day, and we know not if it is day or night, for we cannot see outside of our dark room.
I have been there, I have left that room and returned several times, but I always want for the light.
-D
Oh I love this topic 😀
I totally agree with ditchu. We’re not perfect I used to smoke cigarettes I cant quit yet I dont do drugs and dont drink at all though. Also I play in a crazy progressive band and anyway I concider myself to be a devout mormon… come on people what all these things have to do with your faith? dont wanna pay tithing dont pay it, wanna drink? go drink then that’s your personal choice, your personal responsibility. Only Jesus will judge us.
Peace 😛
Two Mormon precepts I agree with: We are that we “might have joy.” Also, we are here to “prepare to meet God.”
Many of us focus too much on the former, and often forget about the latter (except at funerals). Prepare to meet God, people . . . prepare to meet God. Not just for him, but for you!:)!
I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life!
I do not belittle the prophets or the church, I just chose to step away. My parents are still practicing, good for them if that’s what they want to do, but all 4 of my brothers are inactive and happy! I am a good person and I have a great career, I have a glass of wine or 5 with my girlfriends, I live happily with my boyfriend and we are on the way to getting engaged (and guess what…he’s 29 & I’m 24! imagine that!) God am I happy that I didn’t run off and get married at 18, 19 or even 21!! I do not discriminate on any religion…because after all, I WAS raised Mormon, so who would I be to discriminate after what I’ve been through. I still have probably hundreds of great Mormon friends who I cherish! But I chose to go my own way!
Since I was around 14 years old, I knew the church wasn’t for me. That’s when girls start growing up and wanting to wear tank-tops, shorts, skirts, tub-tops, etc….and when I went to mutual one Wednesday night in a tank-top and shorts (living in SoCal it gets hot!) and one of my young women’s leaders yelled at me in front of everyone and told me to go home and change becuase of what I was wearing…that was the first time I thought to myself(at 14 yrs old) “I don’t understand?! I am such a good girl, I am such a good mormon! I am paying my tithing, I am going to early morning seminary, I am going to church every sunday. Why does what I wear depict who I am?”
There was another time a few years later when I went to mutual, this time it was a pool party! woo hoo! and I had just got out of volleyball practice. I rushed over to the pool party still in my volleyball spandex, knee pads and all because I was so excited. Until our new bishop pulled me aside and told me that what I was wearing was inapropriate and immodest for mutual and that I am not ever allowed to wear my volleyball uniform ever again. EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS A POOL PARTY AND EVERYONE WAS HALF NAKED ANYWAYS! WTF!!! and this next part just puts the icing on the cake….The next Wed, mutual rolls around and we were in the CHAPEL this time, rehearsing some singing performance… and in walks the new bishop with his 14 year old son, who was wearing a full football uniform!!!!!! In the chapel!!!!! I cried to my mom and my mom was actually pissed and stood up for me, but wtf come on! I was so sick of the discimination, I was so sick of everyone judging me that as soon as I went away to college…I WAS DONE! and I went to college in utah! hah go figure! I havn’t been back to church since high school!
anyways…those are just 2 of the many reasons that I left!
If I’ve learned anything from being LDS it’s that no one’s perfect. I’m so sad to hear stories like yours where you felt belittled or called out . But I think that fault lies with the individual (low on tact) and not the doctrine and core principles of the Gospel itself. Perhaps that’s something easier learned since I didn’t grow up in the faith. But I hope you can forgive. I think there are so many who wish they could apologize for things spoken. But there are so many who just don’t realize the impact their words have on others. I hope you aren’t just happy but that you can have JOY. (2 Nephi 2: 25)
Two competing notions: 1) men are that they might have joy, and 2) this is the time to prepare to meet God.
Exaltation is the ultimate prize. A decent analogy is getting a post high school education through sacrifice and ending up with a better job than having fun in one’s late teens – early 20s, and ending up in telemarketing at age 40.
ARE YOU HAVING TOO MUCH JOY AT THE EXPENSE OF PREPARATION TO MEET GOD?
Paprika.
You are too quick to equate FUN with JOY.
FUN is too closely related to foolishness, frolick, Shanagins. But JOY can be experienced even in difficult times, by those who have avoided this foolishness of youth, and the frolick and all. JOY is not the same as FUN. FUN is at best temporary, when JOY can last forever. FUN does not exist with sorrow (though sorrow often follows FUN) but sorrow can acompany JOY.
God bless,
-D
What do you call an ex-Mormon who still believes in much of the core teachings, but finds the church to be in opposition to those teachings. I’m not refering to “fundamentalist,” which means, to my understanding those who believe the church’s main error is centered on “celestal” or plural marriage.
My view the church’s problem is with racial discrimination. I also find that there is a dualistic ethic. Members relate to members differently that to non members. Christ taught differently.
I live with Navahos. They are not Lahmanits. Wisdom about smoking, drinking, tattoos, etc., are good for all, jack, ex, and others, but they are of a different order of magnitude compared to say, “love thy neighbor.”
Okay this is an issue I get to talk to people about almost every single day due to the fact that I’m a “jack-mormon” who drinks, smokes, has tattoos, has sex, recovering drug-addict and I wear my CTR ring all the time (and yes, it’s on my long-island iced tea holding hand!). I grew up in the church and, like HappyJackMo!, I was also badgered for stupid, STUPID things like wearing sleeveless shirts and, my favorite hypocritical, antithetical judgement, hanging out with non-mormon friends. What kind of bullshit is that anyway? If we are supposed to be spreading the gospel to those who have not yet found it, how is there any better way than through examples of how our families function and how we act in tough, developmental year situations? Now that I’m older I have had many of my old non-mormon friends say that they always wished they had been in my family or had a family like mine, who were so close and who did stuff together all the time and stuff like that. So now those friends associate having such a nice, loving family and home with being mormon, making them curious about our gospel and interested in learning more about it. Yet at the time all my mom and my bishop and young women leaders cared about was what effect these non-mormon friends would have on me. Funny how in the end it was my mormon friends that got me into drugs, and I started drinking and partying in high school (my best friends at the time who I went and partied with were all mormon as well) because it was the “cool” thing to go and do! I’ve found that the problem with the church is definitely NOT the doctrines or teachings or any beliefs, it’s the holier-than-though, self-righteous hypocrites within the church (there’s always at least 5 in each ward) who sit there and judge everyone and condemn people left and right (which is the absolute LEAST Christ-like thing you could ever do!). One of our (see I even say OUR because I am still LDS, even though I am too WEAK to overcome Satan’s temptations) biggest core beliefs is that God gave us free agency to choose our own paths; we aren’t forced to have to do anything. So why these “super mormons” think they are so righteous as they force you and HUMILIATE you into following the doctrines of the church is completely beyond me. I find that I am actually a lot better off spiritually than these people. I will have less to pay for when I finally do meet Him face to face than those of you that are strong enough to abstain from temptations of the flesh, because while I am too weak to resist, I have stayed Christ-like in how I treat other people (even as a tweaker drug-addict I never stole, never once didn’t help someone less fortunate than me, never once hurt anyone besides with disappointment [i.e. my parents]) and I am always giving people who aren’t as fortunate as we all were to grow up with the gospel hope that their is a God and that they CAN be forgiven for anything they’ve ever done and there is a meaning to life and so forth and so on. I have made some very bad choices in my life and I don’t go to church anymore because THE MEMBERS and their judging eyes, but I completely believe in the church, have a great TESTIMONY that it is true, and am PROUD to be LDS! If I ever have kids, you better believe I am taking them to church every Sunday. Growing up in the church is SO much fun, I would never deprive them of that. It’s being grown-up and in the church that ruins it. So, yes I am a “jack-mormon”, and I think I am a perfect example of one. We are LDS people who have succumbed to the temptations of Satan but still believe in the LDS church and it’s doctrines. Whether we desire to get back into the church or not is irrelevant, all that matters is that we were once baptized and still believe in the core principles of the church. I’d much rather be a “jack-mormon” than not a mormon at all!
Cicily, thanks for sharing that. I know everyone has their trials and challenges in this life. And I know what you mean about those who have judging eyes. And in the end the Lord will judge us all accordingly. I think you’re the perfect example of a Jack Mormon! ;o) I’m glad you know what Joy there is to be had in the truthfulness of the doctrine. But I think you owe it to those around you to be an example too. Although this is just some online post I strongly feel that you are meant to be a great example of the Lords work. You’ve touched me, sincerely. Never let any other individuals imperfections take away or diminish your opportunity to live your faith the way that Heavenly Fathered intended for you to live and ENJOY it!! Show others your strong will, steadfast testimony and hopefully forgiving heart. Do as the Lord would do. Your loyalty is powerful, don’t hide it under a bushel (Mathew 5: 14-16). Best to you.