Mormon apostasy online. A netnographic study on apostasy from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Previous studies have shown that, during the last decades, religion has expanded to being a part of the world online. It serves as a place where religious devotees can maintain and strengthen their religious identity as well as it yields doubters an opportunity to question religious authorities and provides the individual with communities where a new religious identity can be formed. This thesis examines the process of apostasy, religious deconversion, by analyzing exit-narratives posted online of apostates from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as The Mormon Church. The material consists of 10 exit-stories published on the Youtube-channel Iamanexmormon where apostates recapitulate their stories in front of a camera. By analyzing both the visual and the auditory, the question: how is apostasy and the apostasy-process from the Mormon Church depicted online, being treated. As the results show: apostasy is depicted as an inner journey full of shame, guilt and depression, it is triggered by either a doctrinal or social issue but it is also described as a release-process from an organization which is repressive of identity and internalizing of its members. Going through an apostasy-process is characterized as a pursuit of autonomy and the apostates encourage others to make the same journey as they once did