I feel more comfortable going to other churches. What can I do?

Question

Gramps,

I know that the church is true in my heart and I want to go to the Celestial Kindgom, but I also don’t agree with a lot of things that happen and have happened in the church. I have been to other churches and feel more at peace there than in an LDS church. I want to believe in the church and its purpose but I’d rather leave behind the church to be in a place I feel I belong, which I have already started to do. I’m searching for some advice about this and hoping you can help.

Heidi

Answer

Heidi,

I believe many people come to the point you’re at and wonder why or how.  That is really at the heart of what your question is all about.  And I’m afraid there is little I can say or do to help you out on that front.  I don’t know your history or what specific things have happened to make you feel uncomfortable at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but more comfortable at another church.  I can’t tell you how you feel.  YOU know how you feel.  There is nothing I can say about your testimony.  That’s between you and the Lord.

What confuses me about your post is that you state that

• You KNOW the Church is TRUE.
• You want to ACT as if it is NOT true.

I can’t speak to your level of comfort or peace that you feel in any particular place and time.   But I’m just looking at those two statements and find it incongruous that you feel at peace when acting inconsistently with your beliefs.  This is contrary to human nature and God’s truth.

We feel at peace when

• We act according to our own personal set of beliefs.
• We act according to the truth of God (in harmony with the Holy Ghost).

We feel the greatest peace when we merge our personal set of beliefs with the truth of God and we act accordingly.

Sometimes, we know God’s truth (externally) and we recognize our own personal set of beliefs (internally) conflicts with that external knowledge.  At that point, we need to make a decision.  Do we find peace because we want to act according to our own ideas?  Or do we want to find peace by changing ourselves to be in harmony with God’s will and act accordingly?

I’ll pray for you that you may find the peace that you truly seek.

Gramps