Question
Gramps,
I was a member for 3 years and chose to leave after a bad temple endowment experience. I became Catholic last year, but I can’t leave the church behind, and I have tried for a long time. I have been going back and forth for about 4 years since I left and removed my records in late 2022.
My question is, how can I know if the back and forth is my emotions, God, or Satan trying to deceive me into going back? “Just because something feels good doesn’t mean it comes from a good place.”
Jacob
Answer
Jacob,
Leaving a religion is rarely just an intellectual decision. It’s deeply personal, emotional, and spiritual. That is especially true if your decision was influenced by a painful experience in the temple. If you’ve spent years going back and forth, removed your records in 2022, became Catholic, and yet still can’t seem to leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints behind, it’s understandable to wonder what’s happening inside your heart.
Those are sincere questions, and according to Latter-day Saint doctrine, God has provided a way for us to know the difference.
You mentioned a statement people often make, “Just because something feels good doesn’t mean it comes from a good place.” There is wisdom in that. Our emotions alone aren’t a reliable guide to truth. We can become emotionally attached to people, traditions, or experiences that aren’t necessarily right, and we can also feel uncomfortable when God is asking us to grow. If our feelings were all that mattered, it would be difficult to know what was truly from God. Thankfully, the scriptures teach that revelation is much more than emotion.
When the Lord instructed Oliver Cowdery, He explained,
Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost. (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2)
That simple verse teaches an important principle: revelation comes through both our intellect and our spirit. The Holy Ghost doesn’t simply make us feel good. He teaches truth to both our understanding and our hearts. Sometimes that witness comes as peace, other times as clarity, quiet confidence, or a growing assurance that something is true.
President Russell M. Nelson emphasized the importance of personal revelation when he taught,
The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children. (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives)
Heavenly Father wants each of His children to receive personal guidance as they sincerely seek Him rather than relying solely on emotion.
Latter-day Saints believe Satan can imitate emotions. He can stir up fear, resentment, discouragement, confusion, or even counterfeit spiritual experiences. What he cannot do is provide the confirming witness of the Holy Ghost. Elder Boyd K. Packer explained this beautifully when he said,
The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear. (Personal Revelation: The Gift, the Test, and the Promise)
He wasn’t describing ordinary emotions but a spiritual witness that reaches deeper than feelings alone. It enlightens the mind while softening the heart, bringing light instead of confusion.
That raises another important question. If you once believed the Church was true but later left because of a difficult temple experience, what should you make of the fact that you still feel drawn back after all these years?
From a Latter-day Saint perspective, the answer isn’t necessarily found by focusing on the temple first. The temple is one of the most sacred parts of the restored gospel, but it is also one of the most symbolic and unfamiliar. Many faithful members have admitted that their first temple endowment was confusing or even overwhelming. That’s not because there is something wrong with the ordinances, but because they teach eternal truths through symbolism that often takes time to understand.
Instead, the Church would encourage someone in your situation to return to the foundation of their testimony. Ask yourself the same questions the missionaries invite investigators to consider. Is God truly your Father in Heaven? Is Jesus Christ your Savior? Did Joseph Smith really see the Father and the Son? Is the Book of Mormon what it claims to be? Was priesthood authority restored?
Moroni extended a remarkable promise to every sincere seeker:
By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10:5)
Notice he doesn’t promise that we’ll simply feel something pleasant. He promises that, through the Holy Ghost, we can know the truth. If those foundational truths are true, then the temple deserves another look, even if your first experience there was difficult.
Sometimes we want absolute certainty before we’re willing to investigate again, but God often asks us to seek first and promises that understanding will follow. The Savior taught,
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. (John 7:17)
Often, spiritual knowledge comes after we’re willing to sincerely act in faith.
It’s also fair to ask whether your feelings are simply nostalgia. Perhaps you miss the friendships, the familiar routines, or meaningful experiences you had as a member. Those are reasonable possibilities. Missing something from your past doesn’t automatically mean it is true. At the same time, if you’ve sincerely tried for four years to move on but keep finding yourself returning to the same questions, it may be worth asking why.
Throughout the scriptures, God often works through repeated invitations rather than dramatic signs. Again and again, He patiently calls His children back to Him. That doesn’t mean every recurring thought comes from God, but invitations to seek Christ, pray, repent, forgive, and draw closer to Him are consistent with the way the Holy Ghost works. Satan’s influence tends to move people in the opposite direction, encouraging bitterness, hopelessness, pride, confusion, or endless distraction from spiritual things.
Jesus gave us a simple way to evaluate spiritual impressions when He taught,
By their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:20)
Paul described those fruits as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23).
As you evaluate your recurring thoughts, ask yourself what they produce. Do they draw you closer to Jesus Christ? Do they increase your desire to pray, study the scriptures, forgive others, and become a better disciple? Or do they leave you feeling trapped by fear, anger, or despair? The fruit often reveals the source more clearly than the feeling itself.
It’s also important to remember that God respects your agency. If He is inviting you back, He isn’t manipulating you or forcing your hand. The Lord persuades, invites, and patiently waits for us to respond. Church leaders have consistently taught that testimony is something we continue to build throughout our lives. Even lifelong members continue to pray, study, and seek confirmation from the Holy Ghost.
So how can you know whether the Church is true? According to Latter-day Saint doctrine, there is ultimately only one answer. Study the evidence. Read the Book of Mormon again with an open heart. Pray honestly—not asking whether you simply miss the Church, but asking God whether it is actually His restored Church. Don’t seek an emotional experience alone. Seek truth, and be willing to accept whatever answer God gives, even if it comes gradually instead of all at once.
Moroni’s invitation remains one of the greatest promises in scripture. He invited readers to ask God “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ,” and promised that God “will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4). Latter-day Saints believe that promise extends beyond the Book of Mormon itself. As we sincerely seek God, He can confirm truth through the quiet witness of the Holy Ghost.
President Russell M. Nelson reminded us that;
“The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children.” (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives)
That promise is available to every sincere seeker, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey.
Finally, don’t assume that one painful temple experience has to define the rest of your relationship with God. If the Church is true, then one difficult experience—even one that hurt deeply—doesn’t change that truth. And if it isn’t true, then sincere investigation has nothing to fear. The Restoration itself began because a young man was willing to ask honest questions and trust that God would answer.
Perhaps that’s the most important lesson of all. Don’t let your last experience determine your next decision. Let God determine it. If you sincerely seek Him with humility, patience, and a willingness to follow wherever He leads, Latter-day Saints believe He will answer—not merely through passing emotions, but through the quiet, unmistakable witness of the Holy Ghost to both your mind and your heart. That testimony can become strong enough to withstand confusion, disappointment, painful memories, and even years of uncertainty.
Gramps
