Other churches

[Rebel]

Has anyone that has lost their faith and moved on to another church had anything positive to say about their new church ?? I would be interested to hear it as I am that close to resigning and going church shopping.

[trophywife26.2]

Had a positive experience with attending UU occasionally, but being from a Mormon background makes me personally too jaded to regularly attend or commit in any way. Good luck

[Korihor]

Mrs Kori and I have attended another church that we enjoy. I think if you forced them to choose a denomination it would be baptist, but they really don't go for any type of label. They're just Christian.
Here's their website - " valleylife.church "

If you're looking for another church, I wouldn't focus on the denomination/etc, but just find people you like to be around.

We met the pastor of this church at the gym we go to. We really enjoy this gym, made some good friends. Turns out, lots of them go to this church as well. It seems like we have some default community. Even though my views are agnostic, this church has zero issue with that. Yes, they would like me to be Christian theology. But they're really cool if I'm Christian lifestyle and not Christian faith. Totally different than LDS views. Even if I'm not Christian faith, the sermons have a strong universal message that applies to everyone and just focuses on being a better person.

But most important part is we simply like the people here. The sense of community rivals that of our LDS ward.

[ulmite]

Find one that believes in music!
I haven't gone church shopping yet, but I have attended a few Roman Catholic masses (in Europe, so my experience may not apply). It's easy to show up whenever you want and sit in the back, pretty much unobserved, if you want a more introverted church-going experience. I have little experience with social environments in other denominations.

[Rebel]

Has anyone ever tried to satisfy your LDS spouse by attending your ward with your spouse then later that same day attending a different faith service to satisfy yourself?????? I thought this might be an interesting compromise.

[moksha]

Years ago before I rejoined the LDS Church, I used to enjoy visiting a variety of churches with friends every Sunday. It was sort of a social thing because we always went out to brunch afterward. If you are looking for a new church home, seek out one with both an inspirational message and a friendly congregation.

[redjay]

In the back of my mind I think about attending another church with DW, but I'm pretty much jaded. Also it would be inconceivable for my parents, insult to injury.

[Give It Time]

Has anyone ever tried to satisfy your LDS spouse by attending your ward with your spouse then later that same day attending a different faith service to satisfy yourself?????? I thought this might be an interesting compromise.

My brother doesn't believe and my SIL has nearly no testimony. They attend an LDS ward for cultural/social reasons and then head over to a Methodist Church for spiritual (probably social, too) reasons. I think this practice started out with his doing this as a compromise for her and then she joined in. However, she's been rather NOM-ish the entire time I've known her. Don't expect this to change a TBM person.

[Mad Jax]

Has anyone that has lost their faith and moved on to another church had anything positive to say about their new church ?? I would be interested to hear it as I am that close to resigning and going church shopping.

I'm trying to balance not being "that guy" while still being supportive and truthful, so I'll just come out and say that the other churches I've been dragged to have been as phony and non-convincing as ever. However, I went in with a different attitude and wasn't looking for a new religion or new stripe of Christianity. And they were everything I tend to hate in a church; clapping, hand waving, and guys trying to hold hands with me while swaying to the awful music. Everything short of glossolalia and snake handling. No thanks.

That probably isn't much help, but it's the truth of my experience. My advice is to know what you might want in a weekly service and investigate what kinds of churches offer that. Then you might have a good spiritual experience, if that's what you're looking for.

[PalmSprings]

....My advice is to know what you might want in a weekly service and investigate what kinds of churches offer that. Then you might have a good spiritual experience, if that's what you're looking for.

This, whatever works best for you. Personally, I like the atmosphere of Catholic churches (especially in Spain and France) because you can just go in there and meditate. The architecture and history are a bonus in my book. However YMMV.

[document]

Has anyone that has lost their faith and moved on to another church had anything positive to say about their new church ?? I would be interested to hear it as I am that close to resigning and going church shopping.

I have. I went to many, many different congregations until I found the one that I really enjoyed. It took a while in several other churches to realize everything that I wanted in a church, and there were just so many to choose from I didn't have to compromise. I found it after quite literally dozens of congregations. I'm very happy where I am, and I genuinely enjoy going to church.

It also helps to realize that Mormonism is a unique beast and it approaches religion (especially Christianity) quite differently from other groups. For example, my Mormon friends look at my church and think I'm completely naive about the history of my church because the founder was a corrupt monarch and a murderer. They fail to understand that our founder isn't a prophet and we haven't built a narrative on "truth", but that our religion is based upon a particular cultural heritage with a theology based in reason, scripture, and tradition.

So, abandon the lens of Mormonism, don't compromise in what you want, and do what brings you spiritual happiness.

Has anyone ever tried to satisfy your LDS spouse by attending your ward with your spouse then later that same day attending a different faith service to satisfy yourself?????? I thought this might be an interesting compromise.

Yes, I did this for a year of our marriage. It was not fun. My church day was:

9 AM - Warm up at church
9:30 AM - Warm up and practice with choir
10:15 AM - Church services
11:45 AM - Run home from church services and get kids dressed
1:00 PM - Go to Mormon church
4:00 PM - Come home tired and grumpy

Things were so much easier when we agreed upon a religious tradition. When we were both LDS, it worked. When we were both in our new church, it worked. When we were in separate, it was haaaaard.

Heck, having us both in the same church now that we are divorced is much easier. For a while she attended another church during our divorce process (really good idea, it was hard).

[Corsair]

I can see the appeal of being in another church community. I fear that many of us need recovery time from church PTSD after decades of the tyrannical boredom of LDS church services.