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Heber13 wrote:
For me, I can’t see I go back to seeing things as I saw them before. It would be like asking a teenager to go back to believing in Santa Claus, when that isn’t reality.
Each time I’ve gone inactive I’ve felt the same way.
You’re right, TBM would need to be defined. I guess for me, it’s a quick way of writing “I’m all in. I’m willing to set aside those things that are weird or that cause doubt for the sake of faith and my relationship with deity and my commitment to the basic principles of the gospel. And I will try to keep all the commandments.” Certainly, my faith has also evolved and I don’t see things exactly as I did before. I just think it’s interesting how many times I have gone in and out of the church. And I don’t know why.
My point is though, that I feel my faith is maturing. I just accept that I will probably be in and out of the church all my life, and that’s ok.
Because there is The Church, which all mankind is a part of and the LDS church, which I am a part of. I can never leave The Church, but I can leave the LDS church. The question is, why stay? Because it’s the closest thing to The Church that I know.
The paradoxes and contradictions are puzzling and in a way add to the mystery of it all. If everything that makes you uncomfortable about the mormon faith were in fact not a part of the discussion, would you still accept the Gospel message. Would you submit yourself to priesthood authority?
I think most of us would since that is what most of us did. Before we found out about the peep stones, plural wives, blacks and priesthood, views on gender, etc. It would probably be a good exercise to write down everything that gives me doubt in the church and everything that gives me faith. And that ask the question, “What is important.”
I think you are on a good path, unknown. Taking a break or going inactive for times when you need it is one way to cope with the mysteries or just the exhaustion of it all. And recognizing you are choosing to be “all in” at times is also part of your faith. When you choose to be a part of something good, even if flawed and good, you can get blessings and rewards for that involvement. It becomes your faith and your religion.
I have learned to buffer the cycles by honestly stepping back and seeing what I am choosing to do as part of my faith, what I call true, what I want nourishment from. We can choose to overlook some things that don’t bother us and be honest with ourselves that the mysteries are there, and why others are completely justified in how they look at it all.
Unknown wrote:And that ask the question, “What is important.”
:thumbup: There are also times it digs in our brain…and we choose to not let go of some things, like temples and masonry. And so we dig, learn, get frustrated, try to frame it and put stories to it and see how we feel…and that is a good season for us also.
Heber13 wrote:
There are also times it digs in our brain…and we choose to not let go of some things, like temples and masonry. And so we dig, learn, get frustrated, try to frame it and put stories to it and see how we feel…and that is a good season for us also.And that is the season I am in. There is the additional challenge of dealing with the consequences and how it affects loved ones. They may not agree with my beliefs or actions, whether or not they are in the church themselves. Then it really comes down to choice. Do I modify my behavior and not be so open about all of my beliefs in order to preserve relationships? I guess ultimately, that’s probably the best choice, unfortunately. It’s too bad that I can’t do what I want and believe what I want without worrying about how the people I love are going to feel about it or whether or not it will jeopardize those relationships.
Unknown wrote:It’s too bad that I can’t do what I want and believe what I want without worrying about how the people I love are going to feel about it or whether or not it will jeopardize those relationships.
Marriage and family life are full of compromises. It is a joyful burden.
There is a kindness we practice when we filter things we know will not make others feel good or be happy to be around us. There are skills you can develop to be honest and genuine, but in the most kind and thoughtful way possible, which means that sometimes you hold your tongue and listen more to others than want them to listen to your thoughts. Quote:Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
Even when you are “right”, you sometimes let others tell you what they think is right and be ok to let them have that.
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