"...but I'm scared."

Wow. Well worth the read.

http://cognoscenti.wbur.org/2013/07/15/heavy-meddle-9-steve-almond

Some quotes:

"Here are a few facts: I was born and raised in the Mormon religion. All members of my immediate family (and most of my extended family as well) are currently active Mormon members. I went on a two-year religious service mission when I was 19. Shortly after returning home from this mission I met a Mormon girl and married her in a Mormon temple (which, according to Mormon standards, is a really big deal). Six-years and two beautiful children later, I’ve come to realize that I no longer want to affiliate myself with the Mormon religion."

"In a nutshell, I’m scared. I’m scared to follow through with my feelings and personal convictions. I’m scared about losing my kids. I’m scared about dishonoring my entire family. I feel paralyzed by all of this fear.

"Here are a few questions: How can I gain the courage to do what needs to be done? If there is so much at stake, should I do anything at all? How might you handle this situation?"

The response is enlightening:

A part: "Likewise, it may be that you simply can’t silence your doubts and have to leave the church to hold on to your sanity. If this is the case, I only hope that those who love you can accept that you’ve lost your faith in Mormonism, not them. And I hope that they don’t make their love for you contingent on adherence to a shared dogma. That would be heartbreaking for all involved."

Wow.

What a well-written response. Thx for posting this.

Well, I threw in my 2 cents.

Enlightening and beautiful. Thanks for posting this.

Anybody else notice how it's always Mormons who have this family-shattering problem? People in my family and friends I know have shifted churches and it was no big deal. That "we alone are true" crap causes a lot of trouble in a we-love-the-family church.