PURPOSEFUL STRANGERS: A STUDY OF THE EX-MORMON NARRATIVE The presentation focuses on the narratives of so-called Mormon apostates and the burgeoning ex-Mormon movement, placing them within an appropriate sociological framework and identifying common trends and structures for these narratives as a literary sub-genre. My research illustrates that there may be little difference between a ‘liberal’ Mormon and an ex-Mormon in terms of knowledge of difficult historical, doctrinal, and cultural issues. Therefore, I also assert that liberal Mormons need to ‘come out of the shadows’ to dispel the myth of Mormon doctrinal and cultural homogeny and more effectively reach out to those who would become ex-Mormon.

SETH R. PAYNE and ELISE EGGETT JOHNSON