Practicing Cultural Mormon is a term used for Mormons who no longer believe some (or many) of the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but who maintain membership and church activity for cultural and social reasons.

The Practicing Cultural Mormons do not necessarily hold Anti-Mormon sentiments and, like the "Jack Mormon", they often support the goals of the Church, and consider themselves "Cultural Mormons". Many remain members of the Church for life. However, other Practicing Cultural Mormons consider their status to be temporary, as they work towards leaving the Church.

In contrast to the "Jack Mormon", they often participate actively in the church, usually to avoid conflict in their families.

Practicing Cultural Mormons will sometimes reveal their unbelief to their families or other members of the Church within their ward, though it should be emphasized that the Church does not consider lack of belief in its doctrines to be acceptable. The church is adamant about maintaining unity in doctrine among practicing members.

If an unbeliever is discovered, they are encouraged to repent, fast, pray, and seek guidance within the church to strengthen their faith (or "testimony").

However, there have been reports of unbelievers revealing their doubts to their bishop and continuing to be members of the Church, though they will usually be denied a Temple recommend. This will depend on their willingness to not discuss their unbelief with other members of the Church. If they try to convince others to abandon their belief in the Church's doctrines, they can be subject to church discipline, which may include disfellowship or excommunication.

Because of the difficulty in maintaining membership in the church as an unbeliever, it is more common for Practicing Cultural Mormon to keep their doubts a secret, and maintain a facade of believing in the Church's doctrines. Those who make this choice are by definition difficult to identify, but have recently had an increasing presence on Internet message boards where they can discuss their issues anonymously. One such group refers to itself as the New Order Mormons...a name patterned on the term "New Order Amish", which are Amish who maintain cultural ties to their religion while disbelieving many of its core tenets.

• Primary websites:
  • New Order Mormons - A website for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who no longer believe some (or many) of the doctrines of the LDS church, but who want to maintain membership for cultural and social reasons. Includes a forum for discussions or support.
  • Zarahemla City Limits - in-depth commentary and thoughtful essays addressing issues in Mormonism from a Cultural Mormon perspective.

Mormonism