Take Me to Church

One of my favorite humans sent me a video yesterday.

It was a member of the LDS Church speaking.

He is young-ish, probably in his 20's.

He was talking about how he really wanted to look into the reason why so many members of this faith are choosing to leave, choosing to not believe in it anymore.

It was very compelling.

It was very interesting.

Then, my friend asked for my thoughts.

My friend went through a time a couple of years ago where he became agnostic.

He was a faithful, diligent member of this faith his entire life.

But, began to question things about the Church and really started his journey of faith all over again.

I have mad respect for people who do this.

So often, we believe what our parents and their parents and their parents believed.

We follow what we are told to follow, taught to follow.

And there is nothing inately wrong with that.

However, there is something quite powerful in doing our own spiritual discovery.

What is it that WE believe?
What have WE had actual testimony of?

Personally, I struggle with the church aspect of my faith.

I struggle with the mortal, people-part of my faith.

Because of personal, very sacred experiences that I have had too many times to count, I have every belief, as surely as I am sitting on my bum typing this, that God is real.

I am His daughter.

Jesus is the Christ.

He atoned for me and for you.

The Holy Ghost is a member of the God Head who is extremely busy.

Prayer is an actual communication line between The Father and us.

He knows us.

He hears us.

He sees us.

He sees and knows far more than we do.

He is always right.

For real.

I know that tithing is a blessing in our lives.

No doubt.

I have a testimony of the Priesthood, and I am perfectly fine with the fact that I don't have Priesthood keys, because I benefit from the Priesthood power just as much as any male on Planet Earth.

Now, I don't know nor understand why black men got the Priesthood keys later than white men.

I don't understand for one minute the entire polygamy thing.

I don't know why really bad things happen to children.

I don't understand the whole pre-mortal, after-life deal - other than I believe that it's a thing, but if I spend time trying to figure it all out in my head, then I'll question it away. 

So, I leave it.

I know that I feel the Spirit of good and comfort when I listen to music and when I listen to the talks of apostles.

I believe that when I do good, I feel the Spirit.

When I don't do good (daily), I feel a negative, empty, scary feeling which is not the Spirit.

I go to church to take the Sacrament and to love on my Primary children. 

Then I go home.

I do my best to ignore the people part of the Church.

There are good people and bad people in all religions.

I don't care what religion you claim to belong to, you are no better or worse than any other human.

We all have the same value and worth.

We are ALL God's children.

Period.

The first two commandments, as I know them, tell us to love God the Eternal Father, and then to love all of His children with the same amount of love.

ALL OF GOD'S CHILDREN.

Not just the ones who do as we think they should.

Not just the ones who belong to the same religion as us.

Not just the ones who look and act like we do.

ALL of them.

The good, the bad, the ugly.

The addict, the single, the divorced, the widowed, the lost, the ones that look different than us, the ones who do have children, the ones who don't.

We are all broken.

We are all His.

Take me to THAT church!