- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
A lot has happened in my life recently; some of it has been very traumatizing but it has caused me to re-think many things. One of which is not allowing others to define who I am and how I choose to live my life. Intimidiating people have often been put into my path and I have sometimes allowed them to bully me. I do not want to live that kind of life anymore and am trying to stand up for myself and be my own person. As some of you know, the past two years my husband and I have not been active in the lds church even though we still retain our membership there. We have been visiting the local Nazarene church here in Port Orange, Florida. We have made many friends and enjoyed the fellowship and Christlike spirit there. We have attended Sunday school and Wed. night Bible study classes. The discussions have been interesting. Nevertheless, we realize that many of their teachings are not a rational theology to us and that we still believe alot of the lds teachings. Even though we do not know if the lds teachings are true, we long for a rational theology.
Well, last week the Nazarene Pastor we like so much is taking a Sabbitical for 6 months. The previous pastor is taking over. My husband and I do not like this pastor because of how and what he preaches. So, after much prayer and thought we have decided to part time attend Relief Society and Priesthood in the lds church again. Those were the only meetings we liked when in the lds church. So, I emailed the bishop, I had trouble with when we first moved here. Here is what I wrote him and his reply:
Hello Bishop XXXXX,
Not sure if you are still the bishop there, but I would like know if it would be acceptable if my husband and I came to Relief Society and Priesthood meetings once in a while in your ward? We still don’t believe or know whether the lds church is the one and only true church of Christ, but we do believe in some of the teachings of the lds church. In the past we have enjoyed Relief Society and Priesthood meetings and thought we might come to them on occasion if there was no pressure from you or members to have to accept everything in the lds church. If this is alright with you, we might come next Sunday. Are those meetings still held at 11:00 am?
Bridget Night
From: Bishop
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 11:22 AM
To:Bridget
Subject: Priesthood/ Relief society meetings
I would be absolutely delighted to have you come to be with us, it is what we have been hoping for. I will do all I can to make sure you are not pressured, only welcomed with open arms. Those meetings do start at 11:00 AM. Look forward to seeing you! Bishop XXX
So, I guess we will give it a try. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Bridget, I would say that’s a good start. My wife & I have gotten the same response in the last few months.
I hope it works out for you & your family.
Keep us posted.
Mike from Milton.
Some words of a cherished song come to mind:
Quote:Who knows where the road may lead us? Only a fool would say.
I hope this latest turn in the road works out well for you.Bridget, I wish you well
Just as a side note, my experience is different than yours so this may not apply but what made the church a completely changed experience for me wasn’t the change in the church but the change in me. My expectations changed. My understanding of the gospel changed. My tolerance for people not believing exactly as I do changed. My need to accept the culture changed. My notion of concepts like “sustain”, “obey”, and “sacrifice” changed. I could go on but I think the point is evident. I stopped looking to this institution as if it offered salvation and started looking to Christ alone for salvation. The church ceased being an ends and became a means. A useful tool with rites, rituals, well-intentioned but fallible leaders, and good-hearted (for the most part) community made of of individuals who are each trying, just as I am to return from exile and re-enter the Garden of God.
That has made all the difference.
I hope you find love, acceptance, and the embrace of God in the midst of the ward to which you are returning.
Much love,
Cate
mercyngrace wrote:Bridget,
I wish you well
Just as a side note, my experience is different than yours so this may not apply but what made the church a completely changed experience for me wasn’t the change in the church but the change in me. My expectations changed. My understanding of the gospel changed. My tolerance for people not believing exactly as I do changed. My need to accept the culture changed. My notion of concepts like “sustain”, “obey”, and “sacrifice” changed. I could go on but I think the point is evident. I stopped looking to this institution as if it offered salvation and started looking to Christ alone for salvation. The church ceased being an ends and became a means. A useful tool with rites, rituals, well-intentioned but fallible leaders, and good-hearted (for the most part) community made of of individuals who are each trying, just as I am to return from exile and re-enter the Garden of God.
That has made all the difference.
I hope you find love, acceptance, and the embrace of God in the midst of the ward to which you are returning.
Much love,
Cate
That is extremely helpful! Thank you all for your comments. I will keep you posted.
cool! I hope you the welcome you’re looking for. I have journeyed through most religions. I find wonderful stuff, and awful narrowness in all. I stay LDS, because this is my tribe, and because there are some amazing
rationaltruths in the LDS church — some of which I like and find unique. While the original shelf on which I put my WTF items has long been broken, there is another shelf: a very tiny one, in which I put things that are just absolutely harmful in the church — that one is quite full and wobbly right now: Proposition 8 (P8), the 14 fundamentals (14F), and benevolent sexism (BS) are way too much for that shelf to handle so I’m a bit worried if ‘staying’ is really sustainable. Because of the second shelf, Staying requires a lot of selectivity. I really hope it works out for you, for me, and for others who wish to stay.
we’ll all stay tuned…
I think this is an excellent middle way path – and I hope it will work for you BN btw Mercy —- that was a great post.
I’m not there.
I hope it works, bridget – and I second m&g’s comment. Hopeful for you Bridget Night! :thumbup: After attending the Nazarene morning Sunday School class from 9:30 am to 10:30 am we headed on over to out ward in New Symnra Beach for the 11:00 am. RS and PT classes. We were apprehensive and nervous as we entered the building. In the foyer, we were greeted by some members and found out that because today was the 5th Sunday of the month, there was a combined RS and PT meeting in the chapel. The bishop and his counselors greeted us and were very nice and personable. A few sisters came up to us and were also very welcoming. One of the students at the Chiropractic college my husband works at remembered him from the college and was very friendly. They talked about Chiropractic research for a bit and then the meeting began. It was put on by the stake with the latest updates and information on emergency preparedness. They did a very good job and it was helpful in knowing about this new area of Florida we live in as we are still fairly new here. Apparently, this is the lightening capitol of the US (even though I saw much more of that in Iowa). We also deal with Hurricanes, Fires, and tornadoes. There was alot of talk about getting licensed in using Ham radios and staying connected. My husband and I have always admired the lds church’s organizational and welfare skills. The stake leaders that presented mentioned how that had never really taken food storage and emergency preparedness seriously until recently when they all felt impressed that it was time to take it more seriously because hard times were coming.
So, all and all, it went well for our first time back in 3 years. I will continue to keep you posted.
One last thing…It was funny when my husband said after the meeting: We should ask these guys to come speak at the Nazarene church about emergency preparedness. Every church needs this. Sorry…I just remembered that my husband was the ONLY man in the building without a white shirt on. He wore a bright deep peach shirt with a peach and grey stripped tie. Don’t know if anyone noticed! Well, we attended our second Sunday RS and PT. We had sincerely prayed before we went for the Lord to guide us. Not one person greeted or said hello to my husband in the high priest group. They never even asked him to introduce himself and acted like he wasn’t even there. It was a business meeting on home teaching and they were complaining that the bishop never gives them the information they need. My husband used to be hp group leader and so he asked if there wasn’t a members clerk that would give them that info. They said they did not know. My husband said it was one of the most awkward dysfuntional meetings he had ever attended. RS was fine and a lesson on preparedness. The teacher read the whole lesson with little discussion. The old RS president who I knew, just glanced at me and said, “Oh, your back?” and then took off. The singing was lackluster with no enthusiasum. So, not the best of signs, but we will go a few more times and give it a chance.
i thought of going today, with a deep blue shirt on and no tie…but then i reconsidered and stayed home…allergies have developed into a nasty cough…i guess my excuse for this week. as i travel a lot, i used to visit wards and branches. while i think there are a lot of good hearted, well meaning people in the church, many units exhibit the type of stunning mediocrity and dysfunction you seem to be experiencing now. it got depressing for me, so i don’t attend while on the road any more. i don’t miss it.
when home, i go with my wife, but haven’t been staying past SM lately.
i know that disaffection leaves a hole for many, and maybe this is why other churches seem attractive. for me, i get benefit in attending whatever is available, if i am so inclined, but i cannot imagine affiliating with a church going forward. i think a pleasant sunday brunch with friends, or just to walk through the magnificent temple of nature is enough.
while i do continue going to my ward when home, on the road, going to one church seems to me like eating at the same restaurant every sunday. yes, you might make some friends and get ok service, but the fare will get tired after a while. particularly as a result of correlation, the LDS church more resembles “McChurch”. now that’s a scary thought for my restaurant choice each sunday!
:wtf: Bridget, please read the following post. I thought of it when I read about your experience today: “Someone Needs You Every Single Day” (
http://thingsofmysoul.blogspot.com/2009/12/someone-needs-you-every-single-day.html My only advice is to change the reason for your attendance at church to match what my friend shared in the post above – no matter what church you attend. I’d like you to try it in the LDS Church first, obviously
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.