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People have just as many reasons for being active in the church as they do for resigning their membership. Share with us in what way(s) your family (spouse, children, parents or extended relations) affects your level of association with the LDS church by voting in this week’s poll. And please feel free to share your experiences and stories in the comments.
[polldaddy poll=4083297]
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Exponent II provides feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.
6 Responses
I checked two things because it’s a combination. I go regularly because I do think it’s an ethical and good thing for me to do so (for various reasons), and I also go because it’s important to my husband. At the same time, I also enjoy going to services of other traditions. Now that I think about it, I should have checked three things!
I went with the “I go to church with my family because I have faith that it is where I’m meant to be…” Though it can be a struggle, I feel blessed to have spiritual confirmations every so often that it is where I’m supposed to be (even as I wish it was a more comfortable place for me to be).
Thanks for the broad spectrum in that list, Corktree. There’s no question that family is the single most important unit in the church. The reasons why it’s so important are also expressed in this poll. Very nice. 🙂
I checked other. I go to partkae of the sacarment and therefore the atonement. My husband doens’t go and I don’t participate because we have so very little respect for the membership where we are right now. I know it sounds snobbish, but we are in a small branch and the branch president only attends once a month or so… my husband and I are both employed and feel more than a little … harrassed really- to bankroll branch activities and individiuals. Its hard to spend 3 hours with people who have 5 kids and and beg you for money to buy candy when we have worked hard to get high paying jobs and lived off of beans and rice in order to pay the $100,000 it costs in Australia to adopt from overseas… with no luck. We are in the proicess of trying to decide if we want to try to adopt again, which means another $100,000, so listeing to people whinge about how they can’t afford to go to a movie with thier kids come across to us as so selfish that we can’t stand it. And its not even that– I am so tired of every testominy being about how bad everyone has it. We all have challenges. Declaring your issues in Sunday school doesn’t induce me to help you… so… I guess I am more on the two-faced side of things where I just go, take the sacrament and ditch the rest– in order to keep sane and to protect my relationship with HF and my testimony. Is that even fair to say? I AVOID church meetings in order to protect my testimony? (I still pay tithing and go to the temple when possible).
Um, there was no option for “I’m not really active right now but one family member still guilts me into going and if it weren’t for this person I probably would go twice a year ” ?
I wondered about including a category for people who have their butt on a pew but their mind is in a galaxy far, far away. I suspect that some of us have perfected that into an art form, although I’m doing it less often these days. This could be known as “the lights are on, but no one’s home” approach to church. Then there could be a category for people who are have found inventive ways to spend the three-hour block in the foyer. Maybe they are racking up obedience points for being in the building. Been there too!