“I could not let [Jeffrey] Holland’s 2016 insult to departing members go unchallenged. The following letter is in the mail to Salt Lake City:

“Dear Jeff, I (baptized in 1980) recently “bailed” (to use your term) from your church as has my wife (baptized in 1970) and all five of our adult children. We removed our names from your records in 2014 and have never looked back. However, we did not sneak out through the side door and we do not fit your stereotype. We are neither weak-kneed nor willy-nilly. We served faithfully in responsible ward and stake callings. We paid our tithing, held recommends, drove our children to early-morning seminary, read our scriptures, prayed faithfully, saw our oldest son serve a mission, and remained active until the very end. Your cute phraseology was unnecessary and insulting and wholly inappropriate for someone in your position. Many of us spent years or even decades suffering in silence before we were able to leave. To suggest that we did this for fun or on the spur of the moment is offensive. As you undoubtedly know, the history of your church has been whitewashed beyond recognition and all of the true, yet unsavory elements have been swept under the rug. The simple, faith-promoting stories told and taught on Sunday are unsatisfying and do not stand up to scrutiny. Your organization has failed to adapt to the information age and is now suffering as a result. Ultimately, the lies, deceptions, and half-truths became too much to bear. Our bishop had no answers and was wholly unfamiliar with the essays or any of the more controversial topics. Although kind and well-intentioned, he was unable to answer any of our questions or to allay any of our concerns. Our desire for honesty and our need to maintain our personal integrity left us no choice but to resign. Your ship is sinking. I know it and you know it. The angry and desperate tone of your voice says it all. The hull has been breached, the water is pouring in, and the more astute and well-informed members are heading for the lifeboats as quickly as possible. I have met many of these people. None of them are weak-kneed or willy-nilly. Like us, they expected to be treated with honesty and wanted to maintain their integrity. At one point I was proud to be able to say that I was a Mormon. It stood for something clean, wholesome, and respectable. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Today, identifying as a Mormon would mean that I agree with the antiquated, narrow-minded, racist, and discriminatory policies, practices, pronouncements, and so-called revelations that emanate from Salt Lake on a regular basis. I disagree and refuse to be counted among your numbers. I do not require a reply, but I could not let your offensive and fallacious characterization go unchallenged.”

J.B., Facebook Post – 4 May 2016