When the church is more important to you than your....

[_just me]

When the church is more important to you than your wife/husband, parents, children, etc. how lonely is heaven gonna be for you?

[_Stormy Waters]

Sad as this is, it is expected of all Bible believing Christians. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. Your family is expected to come second, even to the point that you are expected to sacrifice them to God if required.

[_Blixa]

When the church is more important to you than your wife/husband, parents, children, etc. how lonely is heaven gonna be for you?

You'll definitely need a Lonely Planet guide!

[_Mercury]

When the church is more important to you than your wife/husband, parents, children, etc. how lonely is heaven gonna be for you?

For my soon to be ex, pretty lonely. Her being enamored with Mormonism has cost my children their fathers constant presence. I feel for those who have lost the love of another because of their spouses inability to see anothers love as valid just because they don't believe in the goddamned church. Family oriented church? Sure, as long as you are a slave to the church.

[_malkie]

When I told my wife, some time ago, that I wanted to resign from the church, she immediately said: "I don't think I can stay married to you."

It wasn't quite the reaction I expected - though perhaps it should have been.

My wife seems to have got over it, but I'm not sure that I can.

[_Sethbag]

My wife seems to have got over it, but I'm not sure that I can.

This whole thing reminds me of that scene at the end of Ocean's Eleven where George Clooney's character is talking to the casino owner and asks him whether he'd give up Tess (Clooney's ex and the casino owners girlfriend) if Clooney could get his money back. And he said yes. And Tess saw him say it on closed-circuit TV from her room. After that, there was just no way she could respect him again in their relationship.

The LDS Church claims to be all about family, but that's not quite true. The LDS Church is all about the LDS Church, and then about families, if there's anything left over.

[_Drifting]

When I told my wife, some time ago, that I wanted to resign from the church, she immediately said: "I don't think I can stay married to you."

It wasn't quite the reaction I expected - though perhaps it should have been.

My wife seems to have got over it, but I'm not sure that I can.

It is the expectation that I would be met with a similar reaction that keeps me from expressing what I really think about Mormonism (and why) to my SignO.

Sadly the Church teaches that it is better to enter the Celestial Kingdom as a divorcee than risk a lower level of glory with an apostate spouse.

[_ludwigm]

I can't imagine any establishment/organization I could put before my family.

... God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son...

My parents were atheists, but they used to send me to Bible class (secretly, because during the wildest socialism it was risky).
After I learned the Abraham story, (and there were good illustrations about), I've asked my parents "What kind of father is this man"...

They were diplomatic.
We get out the big "Grimm" volume and read together the "Hansel and Gretel".

They: - Do you fear the witch?
Me: - I don't, this is only a fairy tale.

Then my father said "Maybe the Bible is another märchen, maybe not. Anyway, you should learn it. My teacher was "aunt Elsie", an old family member, lay nun, who never read anything anti-religious, or anything On Index (for example Émile Zola).

I may have been 7 or 8 then, and that Bible class produced to me the first stepstones out of any and all religion.

[_Drifting]

I can't imagine any establishment/organization I could put before my family.

... God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son...

This is where I part company from the God in the scriptures.

God could stand before me in all His glory and command me to sacrifice my son or command me to let another man marry my wife - and I would point blank refuse regardless of consequence. What kind of man tricks one of his children into believing they need to murder their own son to satisfy him? Imagine your Dad commanding you to kill your child (his Grandchild).

The problem God has with me is that I love my wife and children more than I love Him.
And arguably, if the scriptures portray Him accurately, I'm a better example of a parent.

[_LDSToronto]

When I told my wife, some time ago, that I wanted to resign from the church, she immediately said: "I don't think I can stay married to you."

It wasn't quite the reaction I expected - though perhaps it should have been.

My wife seems to have got over it, but I'm not sure that I can.

Hey, Malkie,

I know that it hurt like hell when your wife said she didn't think she could stay married to you. Please don't blame her. The church creates this sense of panic through its teachings, and your wife was most likely reacting the only way she knew how. If anything, blame the church and celebrate the fact that your wife has come around in spite of what has been pounded into her brain.

H.