So last week I found myself sitting in sacrament meeting. I had a very interesting range of emotions that I found quite interesting and would like to reflect on:

First I was anxious. I hated being there, and felt a knot in the pit of my stomach, but then again, I always did have that feeling in church. Most of all it felt like a complete waste of time.

Second I found that it was very interesting to look at all the priesthood leaders with their imagined authority without buying into their authority like I used to. All of a sudden they were just funny old dudes who thought they were really important.

Third, and most profoundly, I found that I was completely unmoved by the testimonies I witnessed. I used to ALWAYS cry in church. I don't think my past emotional response was because I could relate to what they were saying, but because of simple empathy. Now I couldn't even feel empathy as I listened to testimonies about how god helped one woman find a list she had lost only 15 minutes after she had prayed for it (sorry starving people, god is busy). And another woman who had a testimony that she had guardian angels protecting her from dying in a car crash EVERY day. I think the face palm was so severe that empathy could not even enter into the equation.

Overall, the whole experience just felt ridiculous. From my perspective it was a useless ritual.

Thats all :) So glad to currently enjoy sleeping in on Sundays, going to yoga, and drinking coffee!

I can't even fathom going back. I am not closed to the idea -- I would go to hear my brother or his kids sing. But I don't relish it. It seems riduculous now.

Is this the same donbagley who went back to the mormon church?

You are thinking of Don Bradley. Not our don b.

Ah. My apologies.

I knew that Bradley name was too close for comfort! heh heh

My junior high age daughter went to church with a friend this past Sunday (while we went wine tasting--haha!), and she said it was "SOOOO boring."

(I told her she'd be better off NOT telling her friend--or anyone--what her dad and I were up to that day because Mormons aren't actually interested in the truth.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2013 04:23PM by morgana.

I went back once after two decades of Sunday's off. At first, the noise level was amusing. Noboby could hear anything coming from the stand. Then as the noise level peaked it became alarming, as in what if the fire alarm went off and I couldn't hear it!
I never went back.

Held by her mouth to say "I know the church is twoooo", watching the kids in front of me eat Cheerios on the floor and the back rubs next to me, I had to zone out.

After all these years, I can't see how they could possibly pass that off as church - it sounds more like a bowling alley than a church meeting...kids screaming, thinks knocking about, people shuffling around, etc. Fitting that the hillbillies of the spiritual world would consider an environment like that refreshing.

I can totally relate to your reaction to testimonies. I noticed a change in my reaction as soon as my mind was made up to leave the Church (I kept going for 9 more months b/c I was living with my parents and didn't want to deal with the drama until after I moved out). All of a sudden, the testimonies I was hearing were amusing and ridiculous, and I definitely wasn't going to let them manipulate my emotions.

Props to you for going- I'm not sure there is anything at this point that would convince me to go back even for one Sunday. Well, maybe a big wad of cash ;)

I also relate to people crying in their testimonies and feeling nothing. I notice now how meaningless it seems. I can't shed one tear. (I go for family once in awhile but I'm working on just saying no .. Don't judge :))

I always get a kick out of testimony meetings - I actually try to look up videos of testimonies on YouTube just because of how much they amuse me. To me, testimony meetings just seem to sad and desperate - when they start to cry, I am fighting back the giggles. Testimony meetings are great theater, and each performer is trying to be more righteous than the last.