LDSLiving-Surviving a Faith Crisis by Patrick Mason

http://www.ldsliving.com/Surviving-a-Faith-Crisis-with-the-Help-of-Church-Members/s/80563” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.ldsliving.com/Surviving-a-Faith-Crisis-with-the-Help-of-Church-Members/s/80563

It’s long but a lot of good nuggets in it.

Church members can experience a crisis of faith for a variety of reasons. Whether stemming from a discovery of an unflattering but true account of Church history, a negative interaction with a Church leader, or a recent change in the Church Handbook, each person’s reason is valid and should be treated as such. Here are ways those experiencing a faith crisis can cope, as well as ways loving members can support them.

There is no magic formula for remaining in the Church when doing so is difficult. But perhaps these suggestions will serve as a useful prompt as you ponder your own situation and your own inspired way forward, whether in your own faith journey or in your ministry to those you love.

There is no magic formula for remaining in the Church when doing so is difficult. But perhaps these suggestions will serve as a useful prompt as you ponder your own situation and your own inspired way forward, whether in your own faith journey or in your ministry to those you love.

Though difficult to quantify, I would suggest that we have a stronger corps of informed intellectual Mormons now than ever before, at the same time that we have a growing body of the intellectually disaffected. We have a larger, more active, and more spiritually committed group of Mormon feminists within the Church than at any time in our history, yet still we see so many for whom continuing gender inequality is a cross they simply cannot bear. There are more active and temple-worthy gay and les­bian members of the Church than ever, just as debates over sexuality and marriage have in recent years vexed us in unprecedented fashion. The people who choose to stay are not simply naive or blind or victims of false consciousness any more than those who choose to leave are inherently biased, blinded, or wicked.

Perhaps not quite as immediately damaging, but usually just as unconstructive, is for people to take evasive action when confronted with a friend’s or family member’s doubts. A response of “read your scriptures and pray,” while certainly good advice in principle, is often unhelpful in such cases for two reasons: For one thing, chances are the person has already tried reading her scriptures and praying about her questions. For another, a formulaic answer demonstrates a lack of concern for the person and his actual problems.