I get the implication. As I indicated in my comment, I already knew that you and/or others would tell me that, just as I've told other people who were "falling away".MG 2.0 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 10:01 pmIt’s interesting the order that these two things occurred.malkie wrote: ↑Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:18 am
The first big crack in my beliefs came at that time when I realised that I simply didn't miss going to church in the way I thought I would and should. I started searching for what could make me feel that way. My search eventually led me to the website of Richard Packham, a retired teacher & lawyer. It was all downhill from there.
Regards,
MG
What then? Is it better, when something is not making you happy, to ignore all of the possibilities other than keep going?
That's what LDS missionaries should tell people - if you don't find joy in your current religion, do not look for anything better - stick with your Catholicism, or Evangelicalism, or whatever. People who are leaving Scientology, for example should just stick it out.
Without going into details I can tell you that that realisation came with a heavy cost.
Something else I discovered that was interesting was that it became clear that I was a number, a cog in the machine. I had not been inactive for long when one of the ward leaders came to my home and chewed me out for not keeping up my calling - I was letting the organization down, and they needed to find someone to replace me.
Then several years later the HP group leader told me how sad he had been that I became inactive - I had spoiled the group activity statistics by not attending sacrament meeting or the priesthood class.