Experiences in Non-LDS Churches
Since coming out, have you visited or joined any non-LDS Church? How has your experience been?
posted by Affirmation at 19:49
21 June 2006
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15 Comments:
When I met my partner, who’s a Mormon like me, he was attending the Episcopal Church. First it was hard for me to get into all the liturgy of the Episcopalians, but my partner liked it because it reminded him of the temple’s heavily regimented “liturgy.” Finally it all grew on me—especially intelligent sermons which explore what the scriptures REALLY could mean to us, instead of recycled clichés. After moving to another state we found vibrant, gay-affirming Episcopal congregation which is involved in issues of peace and social justice. In this church we found respect, acceptance, and all the things a Mormon ward would never give us. We continue to be gay Mormons, but we attend and contribute financially to our Episcopal church.
I attend a liberal, unprogrammed Quaker meeting. It's a huge difference from what I grew up with. No one tells you what to think. Each person's truth comes from within. Women are viewed as equal to men and our truth is viewed as just as valid as men's. I have no desire to ever attend a Mormon church again.
I am a "Convinced Friend", a convert to unprogrammed Quakerism. Even though I have been Convinced since the late 1980s, I remain enthralled by and in awe of the Quaker process of "corporate revelation", whereby ALL Friends seek to be clear on Divine Will, from the bottom up and with 100% committed consensus (sometimes requiring YEARS before the revelation is accepted), as opposed to the Mormon way, which is top down, whereby one white, heterosexual man claims to receive the revelation and everyone below him raises their hand automatically and agrees that it's Divine Will in 30 seconds or less, without ever really even questioning it at all. YAWN.
As a convert to the LDS Church, I did a lot of shopping around for a faith when I finally came to the LDS Church. In my search, I attended mass at the Catholic and Episcopal churches; attended services through the Baptists, Assembly of God, Methodists and Congregational churches. They all had their own uniqueness and I appreciate them for what they provided. In the end, however, I was convinced the LDS church was true and therefore, joined.
I am not active today in the LDS church because I'm gay and am not accepted as I am. However, I still hold a soft spot in my heart for the LDS church and its basic teachings (love one another, etc.). And I do miss the feeling I once had that they were the true church.
After leaving the church because of being gay, I had no desire to explore other churches. I have a loving relationship now with God, myself and my partner and I don't need anyone's approval for who I am. I know myself.
I tried MMC here in Alabama, but after 35 years as a Latter Day Saint I couldn't latch on to the spirit of those meetings. I missed the humble approach of the LDS church leaders. I wish there were more gay LDS in this area.
I'm not gay, but I know many expats of the lds church attend my church- Community of Christ, formerly named the Reorganized Church of Latter- Day Saints. All the same doctrine, none of the guilt. :)
I have attended MCC portland for almost 10 years now,I left the mormon church before they could remove me.It took some time but I fell in love with Metropolitan community church of portland,I had not attended any church for about 5 years prior,I did not know anyone I was the only one in my family attending a different church but I felt so liberated so free
After getting X-ed it took a while to find a religion that I liked. I missed meeting with others and the uplift that a group setting can provide. My sister finally found a group called the Essenes (ancient religion that focuses on healing and ancient Christian texts). They even have an account of 2 lesbians in their ancient scriptures (and they weren't stoned to death!)I joined them a year ago and welcomed me with open arms even knowing I was homosexual. I love it greatly and wish it was not half way across the nation from where I live. I only get to travel to it about once a year but it is worth it then. They also have a love for the Earth and creation that was sure missing in Mormonism.
Best luck to all spiritual searchers.
After I got ex'd from the mormon church, I spent about a year visiting all manner of Salt-Lake area churches. Everything from Baptist and Catholic and MCC to the Unitarian and Quaker services.
Some felt like nothing more than "Jesus Info-Mercials" - tacky slide presentations and constant begs for money. Having been a tithe payer my whole life, and being used to the donation aspect being almost hidden, as it were, it was strange to have the plate passed every time I turned around.
I have since reconciled myself to the fact they HAVE to raise money somehow, and it seems efficient to just collect it from those in attendance.
I eventually settled on the Unitarians, mainly because of the intelligent insight of the pastor. I attended regularly for about a year, and then, one day sitting there, I realized something: I did not know one person in the congregation. Despite trying to get involved, and volunteering here and there, I had no friends there, and I realized that the thing I was most missing from mormonism was the sense of fellowship and belonging. I decided that if I could not find that in the only church that spoke to me spiritually, I was just done with organized religion. At this point, I do not even consider myself christian; I suppose I am, at this point, agnostic.
But my first year out of mormonism was terribly lonely, as I greatly missed my mormon spiritual family. I guess you learn to live without the things you cannot have.
On a positive note, I feel like only now do I have real religious freedom: no one can tell me how to interpret anything, or what to do, in order to be "saved." And that whole "eternal marriage" thing? -- hello, for us gay people being chained to someone of the opposite sex sounds a lot more like hell than heaven! Glad I'm done with THAT!
:-)
-- Craig.
I was born into Roman Catholicism and practiced it like the majority of American parishoners: as a matter of culture rather than spirituality. Anyone who has ever met a not-so-religious Catholic understands this. We have our children baptized and confirmed as a matter of ritual initiation without much thought of the spiritual ramifications. We celebrate the feasts of Christmas, Easter, Lent, Advent, Epiphany, etc, without much thought of Jesus himself rather just with relaxing with loved ones.
At age 16, I went in search of "pure religion" without even fully investingating my own Catholicism simply dismissing it as a cultural entity with a spiritual facade. Two delightful LDS missionaries preached to me and had me baptized and confirmed in June of 2000.
I devoutly pledged myself: abstaining from that which is forbidden in the Word of Wisdom, keeping the Sabbath, accepting calling upon calling.... until finally I realized that I was attracted to the Y chromosome :)
Understanding that there would no longer be a place for me in strictly defined Mormonism, I became inactive and slowly began to slip into the "sinful life": began to smoke, drink, break the sabbath, have pre-marital sex, etc.
Just prior to concluding that all religion is evil and devastating to the Gay person, I got the urge one Christmas eve to attend church, any church.
It being 11PM on Christmas Eve, I could only think of one church that would be open giving service and that was the Catholic Church down the block. That night I felt the spirt for the VERY first time in its fullness. Prior to this I feel that I had in fact felt the spirit's presence in Sacrament Meeting and at my Baptism, but not as profoundly as I did that night in Mass.
I've re-converted back to Catholicism since and this time fully LEARNED my faith: I've been confirmed and attend regularly.
Now it may seem that I'm advocating specifically the Roman Catholic Faith in absolute terms, but this is not the case. I'm hoping that my testimony of my experience with the spirit will lead all Gay bretheren to the realization that religion IS FOR US. That we should not let even a large majority of judgemental people hinder our spiritual growth.
One doctrine I walk away with from Mormonism that has never left my thoughts is the idea that "Our Heavenly Father has a special and unique plan for EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US". For me that obviously meant following Catholicism, for you or others, that may even mean STAYING WITH MORMONISM AND USING YOUR TALENTS TO CAUSE CHANGE FROM WITHIN.
I hope that everyone has a chance to read this and it encourage them to devote a part of their existence to God in some way, any way... even if you travel the world performing Christ-like actions with no devotion to any particular church.
"Blessed are they who are persecuted for Righteousness sake, for their's is the kingdom of God" (From the Gospel of Matthew)
Your's in Christ.
I left the LDS church in October 2005 because I know that I am gay and know too that I cannot change that fact (nor do I particularly want to). I am out to no one but at the same time felt it was important to not remain in a religion whose basic precepts were at variance with my own reality.
Since then I have visited with the Unitarian Church here and whilst they were very nice the lack of a central doctrice/creed was difficult for me to accept, and the absence of a community spirit as such was also difficult for me to get used to.
I have not tried any other churches/religions since but hope someday to find a religious/spiritual community that I can feel a part of again.
Community of Christ appends their D&C in their World Conference often, and they added this to it in 2007: "It is not pleasing to God when any passage of scripture is used to oppress races, genders, or classes of human beings. Much violence has been done to some of God's beloved children through the misuse of scripture. The church is called to confess and repent of such attitudes and practices."
Many years ago I said to my best friends in the Church: If I ever become innactive I will never join another church, becuase of this church is not true, then the other ones are absolutely wrong.
Now I realize Iw as being a fundamentalist, just how I had been taught to be. However, I never joined any other church or religion. I have read the torah, the koran and other christian and non-christian boks, but my heart is still with LDS church.
I say to everyone I know that I am a Mormon, but I am inactive. People don't understand me. Obviously.... It's like if you are a Jew you are a Jew, there's no such thing as being inactive. You know what I mean. I haven't read the scriptures for years. But I have then in my book shelf in my room, and every now and then I grab them, open them and close them again. I believe in the gospel, but the church is wrong in doing this discrimination. I believe the same way the church recognized black people into the priesthood one day they will see that they are the sinners by doing this to sa many of us, who are the children of God. I love you all!
29 March 2008 (months later than the rest of the posts).
I first came out to my Mormon Bishop in 1992. When a friend and professional colleague realized the depression I had as a result of the bishop's reaction, she told me about their gay intern from theological seminary and their voting to become Reconciling in Christ (accepting Gays and Lesbians in full fellowship). I started attending there as well, and for eighteen months I attended both churches--which made Sundays hectic. I welcomed the liturgy and the big role music plays in the worship at LCH. I had long felt the Mormon Church's lack of liturgy and following of the church calendar made a serious gap in worship.
Soon I was singing in the LCH choir. Every Sunday, we sing at least a number at the offering and one at the communion in addition to a psalm and a short scripture passage prior to reading the Gospel. The repertoire includes German, English, Latin, even Russian, from the Renaissance to modern works.
In addition to the music, the warm acceptance of lesbians and gays in the congregation has made LCH an important part of my life. They are very accepting of differing beliefs as well, so my almost agnostic positions are still allowed. They are unusual indeed.
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