, I have tried three times to have my name removed from church membership rolls. Three separate attempts and I still don’t know if I’m counted among the 14 million members to whom the Mormon Church stakes claim.

I first attempted to resign during my freshman year of college. After sending a letter terminating my membership to the church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City, I assumed the matter was finished. I was an adult, albeit a young one, ready to move on with my post-Mormon life.

But then I was informed that the church sends an official letter once it accepts a termination request; I had received no such letter. Did this mean that I was still a member?  I feared that the answer was yes, so I decided to contact the bishop through my local ward. After trying and failing to speak with him on numerous occasions, I finally explained that I wanted my name removed.  The bishop grew quiet for a moment and then said, with a note of regret in his voice, “Are you sure?  You sound too young to make such a big decision. I don’t want you to do anything you might end up regretting.”

“Yes,” I told him, full of youthful conviction and not a little bit of resentment that he was speaking to me like a father grieving his wayward daughter, “I am sure about this.