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email from an investigator named Cody:
After reading your essay on how to stay in the Mormon church,
I felt compelled to write you. Why? Because I am currently
investigating the church. I have been close to being baptised a
couple of times, but I seem to get hung up on several little things.
Those little things have made me worry that I wouldn’t be able
to be a member of the church; that I would be too much of a
troublemaker, if you will. Lucky for me, your essay touched on
pretty much every aspect that I have been wrestling with. So,
thank you for sharing your ideas. It gives me peace of mind to
know that I could still be a member but walk the middle path.
It’s good to know that does exist and you’ve given me confidence
that maybe it is time for me to move ahead.
Thanks again!
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: I will have a good day, regardless of whatever else happens. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing, Brian. That is interesting it would resonate with someone not yet in the church, and actually help them decide it is OK to move ahead. I like that message. :thumbup: I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for “HOW TO STAY IN THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
AFTER A MAJOR CHALLENGE TO YOUR FAITH” I really apprieciate it.
-Email from some guy named David
Love these! They make my day. I wonder if there are more essays we should consider. I have thought a lot about the notion that people conflate their own family experience with the whole church. Often their issues are controlling or unsupportive family members who use the church as a weapon. Just some thoughts. I really like the thoughs of Don Bradley in that SLTrib article posted recently, I wonder if we could leverage that and expound on some of it. Good Morning, I found your web page on accident as I was searching for information for Mormons, like myself, who were in the process of trying to come back after a period of innactivity. Though I was not the intended tarfet audience, I did read the entire essay. My own experience with becoming innactive was more due to personal things that left me traumatized mentally and spiritually, and not so much anger toward the church. When I began to examine the essay, and tie in my own view of things, I realized two very major points stuck out to me.
First, even though I am a convert, I could not in my own experiences, take the “mormon” out of me. The church became the bar by which I judged other organizations,people, and ultimately myself. Second, I was forced to look at myself. “Tend to thine heart for from it comes the issues of life.” I forget the Bible scripture this quote was from, but, I heard it by chance recently. After reading this essay Iam forced to actively seek out the root cause to my prolonged inactive state, or lack of urgency to seek out help from the church to return. Though initially I did not blame the church for my leaving, it seemed hard to get any meaningful response to my cries for help. However, I know see that church leadership is extremely busy, and I could in retrospect have done more to seek out assistance.
I never intended to leave the church, and I am finding the road back challenging at best; painful at worst. I thank Heveanly Father for allowing you to put this out there for people like me to find. I do not want to be a Middle of the Road Mormon. If anything this lesson has strengthened me in my walk back into faith. I never have aspired to become the super mormon; rather, a faithful servant with a strong testimony. I have found great ideas on how to keep my focus on the basics, and not let the “sparkly things” or politics that would steal my attention away from me and my service to God, family, my ward, and my community.
Again, I just wanted to say thank you for this essay. I was never looking to leave the church purposely. However, this has showed me why it is so important to stay faithful, and work to fulfill my covenant with Heavenly Father the best way I am able. Thank you for such a wonderful tool.
-Nicholas Steiner
Very interesting. Thanks Brian. Its interesting that total strangers feel it helpful to post their feelings and thoughts to a board like ours. In other words, they don’t just read the essay and like it, they respond and share their story. I like that. I think it shows there is a need for people to want to reach out socially to others…even if we are behind a computer screen and they have no idea who they are talking to.
Fascinating. Thanks, Brian. I love these, Brian! Like! :thumbup: A recent “thank you” letter sent to the admin email account:
I’m sure you get thanks all the time, but I really wanted to say it too. Your post “How to Stay in the Church” has helped me tremendously. While I hadn’t considered leaving, I have had questions about different aspects of the Church and about religion in general. My biggest question has always been – How could so many people of different religions “know” that their church was “true?” They have had their “feelings” or “confirmations” just as I have, so how could one church be the only one that is true?
I love the Mormon Church so much, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have questions or concerns. I choose to believe in the church and so I would try to talk myself out of feeling those things and tried to force the puzzle pieces to fit together. Now I know I don’t have to! I can still love the Church and believe in the core doctrine, but I don’t have to believe in everything! Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving me that freedom. I hope someday I can give others that freedom too (I will be careful about this….)
A funny story about how I came upon this web site – one click led to another, but it started off as a google search for “The Mormon Kid!”
Best wishes to you and with much appreciation,
Jasmine LaBurn
Here’s one of the more uplifting “thank you” letters I think we’ve ever received:
Hi there,
I’m an investigator of the Church who, after feeling good about my decision to be baptised, began to doubt Mormonism in general. I read many accounts of people who left the Church and why, as well as some bizarre/creepy things about what goes on in temples. I was about to go to the missionaries I’d been meeting and tell them I’d changed my mind. But then I found your site and the essay ‘How to Stay in the Church’. I must say thank you for posting the essay! It presented some good points about how it doesn’t have to be all or nothing but that there can be a middle ground. I definitely don’t accept everything Joseph Smith taught, and I don’t necessarily believe the Church is the “one true church”. I also rather stubbornly cling to my past beliefs regarding the nature of God and how we may know Him. However, I do believe that Mormons are among the kindest people I’ll ever meet and the Church teaches good family values, charity, and definitely sticks to its guns despite pressure to adapt to society, as many other churches do. And I do believe there’s truth to the Book of Mormon and the Plan of Salvation. So I’ve decided to go ahead with my baptism.
Thank you so much for helping me to see an alternative approach to the LDS Church and for reminding me of the many positive aspects of it!
God Bless,
Jack
That’s a good way to head to church. Thanks, Brian!
As hard as it is to hash over the same old, same old, so much when new people join the discussion, the knowledge that there are hundreds of lurkers who read regularly and are helped by this site is a big reason I continue to love it. It’s a simple thing, but my Sunday School lesson recaps get almost no comments – but the views now are well over 1,000. My Harry Potter post only has 4 comments, but it has been viewed over 40 times.
It helps to see those sort of numbers, and messages like this help tremendously.
Another simple thank you letter:
Your site has helped me so much. You are a Godsend to me. My heart has been opened to a new way of thinking and my faith renewed.
Thank you!!!
-from a guy named Ron
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