I'm seriously considering returning to the Methodist church. I was reared in this church and I like church.

Just wondering if anyone else had been comforted by finding other options. I'm seriously confused spiritually, I admit that.

Thoughts?

Yes, I became an Episcopalian. Liturgical, historical with a tradition of honest intellectual inquiry. I am very happy.

Yes, I found a non-denominational Christian church. They basically just feel that all that matters is that you have a relationship with Christ. The church is simply for like-minded people to get together and support one another, but it's not requisite to attend church, pay tithing, etc. The Pastor is really big on not being works-oriented.
I'm in a 12-step recovery program, so I needeed a belief in a higher power. I always believed in Christ, just not the Mormon Christ. The Christ I believe in is forgiving and loving, unlike the Mormon Christ.
I hope that helps. I would just suggest that you try a few different churches and get an idea of what you like. The non-denomination route was the path I took because I still had this Mormon mentallity that denominational churches broke off from Catholism.

I am in the church of the NFL...

I'm in total support of the NFL. lol

...I belong to the church of the seventh day NFL.

HERETIC!!

Thank you. I too believe in Christ, a loving, forgiving being. I never had a testimony of the church. All I could ever say was "I love me some Jesus!" :)

How about Mathew 10:34-36?

And do you believe in the Trinity? If yes, then it would follow that you believe that Jesus and the vengeful murderous God of the OT.

I'm currently studying Buddhism (pretty far out there from a Morg perspective, I know) but I've had several experiences (dare I say spiritual) in my life that have led me to this new path.

Regardless, leaving the Morg taught me that there is likely not one singular path to happiness in this existence, probably many, and this philosophy resonates with me the most at this point in my life.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2013 12:58AM by pathos.

I hooked up with Mennonites in Toledo, O.
Nice people, similar beliefs, but they Don't SHOVE THINGS DOWN YOUR THROAT!

Hanging with people who have similar values is Nice.

I work at a Catholic school and while I'm not interested in conversion... I get enough of a church fix to scratch the itch when I feel it.

Totally understand that!

It's interesting to note that my BIL/bishop told me if I didn't want to participate in callings I should go join the Methodist church lol
Note: at the time I was suffering from clinical depression due to infertility and had major social anxiety. So kind......

I was very introverted before I left the LDS church. It took every ounce of courage in my body to stand up to my bishop and Stake Pres. and delineate my reasons for leaving. This gave me courage and confidence. I'm very extroverted now. I am very comfortable in my new faith and have no qualms about sharing it with others. I still get anxiety and depression from time to time, but it's not as bad now. I hated how LDS people would accuse me of having some unconfessed sin being the reason for my depression. The reason for my depression is having my sexuality repressed and then feeling guilty for doing normal things that kids do when they're exploring their sexuality. The other reason for my depression is having served a mission in Latin America and getting so sick from parasites (worms) that it triggered a depression gene in me.

Go join the Methodist Church? What did he mean? WE certainly have many things to be involved with but I do not know of any mainstream church that dictates WHAT you must be in charge of.I teach Sun. school and only once a mo. to 7-9 yr. olds. I can quit anytime I want. We are expected to do good works too. Our mission projects prove it. I don't think a Mormon Bishop has any idea what goes on in a mainstream church....especially they don't know about the Jesus we worship.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/28/2013 11:09AM by honestone.

I like the Episcopal church, as you don't have to formally join if you don't want to.

No I haven't hooked up with any churches at all. I go occasionally with friends to various denominations, and will participate in fundraisers for good projects some are doing, either in cash or helping practically. I even tutored a friend of mine through a bible study course she did. I am a professional tutor so the subject matter didn't matter, we simply discussed and I taught her memory techniques etc, which worked for her. I found it a little different, but fun. She did well.

I seemed to find my own balance inside at some point after leaving, with my own set of beliefs in a Higher Power that suited me, and I am fine with it all. I enjoy the company of Christians and even some Muslim friends, but don't feel any need to become part of anything. On the other hand I still live what most would call a quiet life. I am not into partying or anything like that. I am quite happy to be at home sewing or seeing friends when I am not working, and love the company of my cat. A lot of people would say my life is boring, but after years of DRAMA in my marriage (which I left 20 years ago), it is heaven!! I make my own decisions and do what I want. THIS is what I call happpiness!

Yes, I returned to the church of my childhood, Catholicism. I had all of my children re-baptized Catholic. Although we are marginal Catholics now, it still gives me great comfort to belong to the religion of my extended family. I have centuries of Catholic blood running through my veins.

;o)

My wife, kids (4) and myself are now Catholic. This was quite a process. We studied and attended for several years and all the kids + myself had to go through RCIA (this class lasts a full academic year) before you can be baptized and confirmed Catholic. This was a moving experience for both me and the kids. It has been a positive experience for all of us thus far and I'm happy we made this decision. Still, I am diving in with eyes wide open...

My children and I have returned to the Lutheran church. Their father and I met at BYU. We were good, obedient Mormons, but my husband found out that Mormonism is a cult, and he patiently led me and our children out. I had raised my children on The Bible, so they felt more comfortable in the Lutheran religion than they ever did in Mormonism. Mormonism doesn't make sense to small children. They all went to a Lutheran school Most of our ancestors were Lutheran, so we have come full circle, back to our family's original religion.

All of the Christian church I've attended are better than the Mormon cult. They are religions, and teach unconditional love. Even before we left Mormonism, I would work in some of Christian charities. They were more worthwhile than arts and crafts and busywork and cleaning the building. The work was volunteer, so no one forced me to be there when I was sick or my children needed me. I met some very, very nice people volunteering, and they were still my friends, though I was a Mormon. They are still my friends, now. It didn't seem to matter what religion we were, because the charitable work I did was with a coalition of several different churches.

The non-denominational church in our neighborhood is very nice, but too small. I have PTSD, and don't like to get too close and intimate with people, and have them notice my comings and goings.

Christian churches are different enough from the Mormon cult, that I don't suffer flashbacks very often. The sermons are energizing and uplifting--what a change!

We go to the Methodist candlelight service every Christmas Eve, with friends. We started going when we were Mormons, because we felt it was weird to not have any Christian service at all on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. It made Christmas a Holy experience for the kids.

At the point I'm at, I don't see myself going to another church. I haven't resigned yet and may not be able to for a long time. Kudos to all who have been able to attend another church.

You can do it. I wrestled with it for years. One thing that my therapist said to me made sense. She said "maybe you don't want to spend eternity with these people?!"My first thought was oh hell no, don't want to spend my time on earth with them either!!
There's no sadness in heaven.... We'll be ok! :)
Peace, love, and light to all

I understand that as well.

That's my place as well. I would rather attend the church of nature and enjoy the great outdoors on Sunday. Sitting on my porch now reading Rfm with my morning coffee. So beats leaving early for church meetings and being stuck at the church all day.

I attend the Unitarian Universalist church, and I love it!

I love attending churches and not having to "know" its true, not having to pay tithing at all and just giving "offerings" if we want to.

For me its so nice to sit there and hear how very different regular Christian churches believe from the Mormon church. Its very deprogramming and therapeutic plus no one forces it on you like the Mormons do.

I also attend the Unitarian Universalist church. I have not joined it, but I contribute in several ways. I love the liberal sermons.

My husband and I are becoming Catholic. The personal worship experience of the Mass is very fulfilling for me. I'm an introvert and I love being able to go to Mass and leave without have to socialize with others. I love the RCIA program. I have learned a lot and am encouraged to ask any question. They definitely want you to learn so you can make an informed decision to become Catholic. I say, if you want to attend church, find one that works for you and do it on your terms.

Run this one past NormaRae when she gets back from holiday in the Pacific NW. She is really active in a local UU congregation and apparently loves it.

As for me, no. I just can't deal well with the God thing, which is weird because I love hymns, gospel music, and Christmas stories. I know--it's stupid. But still... I've sought solace at a local Presbyterian church because they have such a friendly group and such professional clergymen and a kick-ass music minister. However, I never "worshiped" there. Funny thing, though: DW also liked to go there for the music, too, and would always want to head there for the Christmas programs. I loved how they served Starbucks, and on Christmas morning they had Starbucks and cinnamon rolls.

Not a Religion but Center For Spiritual Living works for me when and or if I can make it.

Mormonism is a recent advent in the world of religions. While the litmus test is easily applied to JS and his follies because of access to information from the internet, there should be some evidence here of what the need for ANY religion is. The search for MORE than what we can obviously measure with our mortal senses has been an underlying factor in the creation and maintenance of ALL religions. The NEED for religion should be suspect, even more than the various entities that populate the history of mankind.

Do other intelligent animals sharing this earthly experience seem to need to pay homage to an imaginary being deemed as the source of their existence? NOT THAT I AM AWARE OF! Do they do the same things we do;are born, cared for as infants, eat, sleep, have sex, contribute to familial and social gatherings, share intelligence, and eventually die; yet have no need for an unseen "GOD" to honor and fear believing there is an adjudication for the measurement of their life experience? Does your family dog love you CONDITIONALLY, depending on how it sees itself in the imaginary eyes of a supreme being? Mine don't! They just LOVE! WOW, what a difference it makes to be free from the need to quantify and qualify oneself.

Humans are different because we esteem our intelligence as being HIGHER than animals. We can build things, model our societies, project ideas, and assimilate mass amounts of information. The reason is we ask ourselves the simple question of; "WHY?". This reasoning seems to be the conduit for expansion of awareness, yet it is also the source of contention due to varying perspectives in the wide screen of life. To escape this constant noise of exploration and gathering, we seek solace in gatherings of like minded participants in life. You see, we are still "herd" animals. We find safety in groups, in fact, we so deeply embrace these sources of reconciliation of like mindedness, we are often willing to defend the indefensible so called "truths" just to have the idyllic delusion of safety in a life AFTER the experience of death. WHAT A HORRIFIC GAME TO BE PLAYING WITH YOUR OWN MIND, LET ALONE THE EFFECT THIS HAS ON COUNTLESS GENERATIONS OF IMMEDIATE DESCENDANTS AND THE RIPPLE EFFECT IT PROFFERS FOR THE UNSEEN AND UNIMAGINABLE TIMES TO COME!

If our human experience is but a speck in the immensity of universal life, why do we feel the need to justify our thoughts, actions, emotions, and dedication to a series of BELIEFS, (that's be-LIE-fs for clarity), that have absolutely no concrete evidence of influence or validity?

The mores of society and family life perpetuate our species, and our sciences and social welfare concepts establish norms in life terms as we SEE them, but the indistinguishable need for clarity is entirely subject to the beings of humanity. Why is that?

OOPS! There goes that "WHY" thing again.

Now THAT is food for thought!