When Elizabeth Smart was found walking down a street in Sandy, Utah, in 2003, the world didn't just see a rescued girl. They saw a miracle draped in the specific, heavy cultural fabric of Salt Lake City. She was the quintessential "Mormon girl" from a devout family. Her survival, her recovery, and her eventual marriage were all viewed through the lens of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).
But a lot has changed in twenty-some years.
People grow up. They evolve. In Elizabeth’s case, she’s had to navigate a public life while her family dynamic shifted under the national spotlight. Her father, Ed Smart, famously came out as gay in 2019 and left the LDS Church. That alone sparked a firestorm of speculation. Everyone started asking the same thing: Is Elizabeth Smart still a Mormon?
Honestly, the answer isn't a simple yes-or-no checkbox. It’s a lot more nuanced than that.
The Short Answer: It’s Complicated (But Mostly Yes)
If you’re looking for a formal resignation letter or a "coming out" post as an ex-Mormon, you won't find it. Elizabeth has never publicly announced that she has left the Church. In fact, as recently as 2023, she participated in interviews where she was introduced as a member and didn't correct the record.
She still speaks about God. She still talks about prayer.
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However, "being a Mormon" in 2026 looks very different for her than it did when she was a fourteen-year-old girl being held at knifepoint. She has moved from a place of blind obedience to what many call "nuanced" faith. She takes what works for her and leaves the rest.
Why People Think She Left
It’s easy to see why the rumors fly. For one, Elizabeth has become one of the most vocal critics of "purity culture" within the LDS faith.
Think back to her famous 2013 speech. She talked about a school lesson where a teacher compared a girl who has sex to a piece of "chewed-up gum." Elizabeth sat in that classroom as a victim of repeated rape, feeling like that gum. She felt worthless. She felt like her "purity" was gone, so why even bother being rescued?
The Ed Smart Factor
When her father announced he was gay and leaving the Church, it was a massive shift. The LDS Church has a complex—and often painful—relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. Elizabeth, ever the advocate for unconditional love, stood by him.
She told the media: "My parents taught me as a young child that they would love me unconditionally no matter what happened."
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Seeing her support someone who left the faith led many to assume she was right behind him. Then there’s the lifestyle stuff. People on the internet love to "garment-check" famous Mormons, looking for the lines of religious undergarments through their clothes. Because Elizabeth often wears sleeveless dresses or athletic gear that wouldn't hide those garments, the "Ex-Mormon" Reddit threads are constantly buzzing with "I knew it" posts.
Faith as a Survival Tool
To understand why she stays (or stays connected), you have to look at her time in captivity. Brian David Mitchell didn't just use a knife; he used religion as a weapon. He claimed to be a prophet. He twisted Mormon scripture to justify his crimes.
For some, that would be enough to make them sprint away from religion forever.
For Elizabeth, it was the opposite. She used her "real" faith to combat his "fake" faith. She told KUER in a 2023 interview that she always knew God wasn't cruel. She’d pray every day. That internal connection to a "kind and loving Heavenly Father" was the only thing Mitchell couldn't take from her.
Is Elizabeth Smart Still a Mormon by Definition?
If you define "Mormon" as someone who follows every single rule of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elizabeth might not fit your mold. She’s an advocate. She’s a rebel in her own quiet way.
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- Public Association: She still identifies with the community and the culture.
- The Nuance: She openly rejects the "chewed gum" analogies and the shame-based teachings that once kept her silent.
- The Practice: She hasn't been active in a local "ward" (congregation) in a way that the public can track, but she maintains a spiritual life.
Basically, she’s a "Social Mormon" or a "Nuanced Mormon." She lives in the tension of loving her heritage while calling out the parts of it that hurt people.
What This Means for You
Watching Elizabeth’s journey is a masterclass in reclaiming your own narrative. She didn't let a kidnapper define her, and she hasn't let a religious institution dictate how she views her own worth.
If you’re following her story because you’re navigating your own faith transition or trauma, here are a few things to take away:
- Identity is yours to define. You don't have to quit a community to change how you participate in it.
- Speak up against harmful traditions. Elizabeth proved you can love a culture and still say, "This specific teaching is wrong."
- Unconditional love is the priority. Her support for her father shows that family and empathy can coexist with differing religious paths.
Elizabeth Smart remains a member of the LDS Church on paper, but in practice, she belongs to herself. She’s a survivor who has turned her "chewed gum" into a shield for others. Whether she’s in a pew on Sunday or not, her faith seems to be doing exactly what she needs it to do: providing a foundation for a very happy, very loud life.
Actionable Next Steps: If you want to understand the shift in LDS culture she’s helped spark, look up the "Elizabeth Smart Purity Culture" interviews. Many local LDS leaders have actually changed how they teach abstinence because of her advocacy. You can also follow her work with the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which focuses on real-world prevention and recovery rather than outdated analogies.