For all the uncertainty and angst experienced by many who contemplate leaving the LDS Church, one thing is certain: They know that they don't know it is the "only true church" any more.

Active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints embrace their faith not only as deeply held theology and ritual but as a set of definitive answers to life's greatest questions: "Where did we come from, why are we here, and where are we going?" In Utah particularly, that shared knowledge undergirds a specific lifestyle, culture, social network and even unique terminology that some refer to as "Mormon-speak."

So when some Latter-day Saints find themselves wanting out — for whatever reason — they can feel they are not only losing their personal identity but their understanding of "pre-mortal life, mortal probation and the future existence in heaven," according to Bill Dobbs, one of several Utahns who helps those transitioning out of the LDS Church.

A former convert who resigned his membership in the church a few years ago, Dobbs understands that Latter-day Saints "are expected to know the gospel is true. They don't talk about believing. They talk about knowing. ... When you've spent years believing or knowing something you can no longer sustain by the evidence, that's pretty traumatic," he said.

Add to that worries about how a spouse, children, family, friends, employers and colleagues will react, he said, and you have a group of people who need a safe place to talk, to look for answers and to share their feelings.

"Not believing doesn't have any prestige in Mormonism. It's usually attributed to some moral failing of the person who doesn't believe. And that stops all dialogue. That's why people need a place to talk together about their anger, frustration and grief and get advice from fellow members about how to get along with families, what to do when son or daughter goes on a mission or gets married," Dobbs said.

While support for self-identified "ex-Mormons" has long existed within some other faith traditions, like the South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society of which Dobbs is a part, a relatively new network of nondenominational support groups has sprung up in the Beehive State, and chapters are growing across the country and even abroad.

"PostMormon.org" is not merely a Web site but an organization of former Latter-day Saints that was formed about five years ago in Logan by Jeff Ricks to help people making the transition from an active LDS belief and lifestyle to "post-Mormon" life, while trying to maintain relationships with family and friends who fear for their salvation.