Being a Member of the Church by Record

So it's been a little while but I just wanted to vent a bit.

I read some varied stories of MoHo's and actually other members of the church talking about their experiences with Bishops. Some members can do almost anything and still hold a calling, some hardly think a bad thought before they are "X"ed.

My blog talks of my journey of leaving the church. For me, things happened the way they needed to for me in the long run. It is not the way I thought it would have gone down and there are many people who wonder if my bishop did the right thing. I personally feel like he did what he felt was right which is about all he could do, and for that I am thankful.

I see many members of the church without a testimony of the gospel. As a convert this confuses the heck out of me. I had to testify to an appointed minister that I knew the church was true in its entirety to be permitted to enter the waters of baptism and receive the Holy Ghost. I still hold a very strong testimony, but an increased testimony of what God wanted for me led me to leave the church because I felt like I would be living a lie and not fully be able to sustain the leaders of the church and the counsel they would have for me.

I really don't care what people do and if they want to stay a member of the church or not, but when people don't have a testimony at all, or are just hanging on to the church until something better comes along (like a same-sex partner), I do see why many Bishops feel a need to take action.

If you are one of those people who feels like your Bishop is being to harsh, take a deep breath and know your salvation is in God's hands and turn to him for counsel and love. He has the answers and knows you. Also if you are seeking acceptance as a gay son or daughter of God, the church might not be the best answer at this time. Seek out things that interest you in outside groups that can give you that acceptance so that you may focus on other spiritual things from church.