LOSTONE Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 I am not planning on leaving church. I very much enjoy attending church and serving there. The people, message, opportunities to learn and serve are all great. I enjoy it alot. I am just wondering if someone who is a believer and baptized and all, left church, is that a bad thing? Even if they kept their faith strong and read the Bible and continue to practice their faith and all, would they me in a bad place in there relationship with God? With their salvation?
ksfisher Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 I find that it's easier for me to keep my faith strong if I'm around others who share the same faith. 1
Kenngo1969 Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) Leaving church is not inherently, malum in se "bad," in the same way that say, murder is bad. But all churches aren't created equal, and one must find what speaks to him and feeds his soul. And while certain forms of worship are intended to be intensely private, personal forms (e.g., "[W]hen thou prayest, enter into thy closet and shut thy door" (Matthew 6:6)), and while salvation certainly is a one-at-a-time thing, the communal aspect of being part of a faith community is intended to facilitate your relationship with God in ways that, e.g., being "alone with nature" (my example) cannot. My $0.02. Edited October 28, 2014 by Kenngo1969 2
KevinG Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 People should follow their conscience, but be very careful they are not making important decisions for superficial reasons. 3
ERayR Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 People should follow their conscience, but be very careful they are not making important decisions for superficial reasons. And once they have made the move, move on. 1
Robert F. Smith Posted October 22, 2014 Posted October 22, 2014 I am not planning on leaving church. I very much enjoy attending church and serving there. The people, message, opportunities to learn and serve are all great. I enjoy it alot. I am just wondering if someone who is a believer and baptized and all, left church, is that a bad thing? Even if they kept their faith strong and read the Bible and continue to practice their faith and all, would they me in a bad place in there relationship with God? With their salvation?That comes under the heading of "To thine own self be true," or "Let your conscience be your guide." One must do whatever seems right, regardless of consequences. Life is a process, not an end in itself, and any given person will take several different paths in life. The maturation process alone will do that, without any intentional effort. People usually know whether what they have done is "bad" or not, and there is no purpose in giving someone a guilt trip for doing what they think is right. God is very understanding of the inner man. He judges by the heart, rather than by outward appearance. One's relationship with God is between that person and God. A very private matter.
Avatar4321 Posted October 23, 2014 Posted October 23, 2014 That's between the individual and God. But I would say it's not likely a good move.
LOSTONE Posted October 23, 2014 Author Posted October 23, 2014 Question: Would church object to people leaving because of less congregation members to contribute financially? I totally get that a church needs money to keep open as they have operation cost like any place does, but would money be a motivating factor to keep members at / in church?
Kenngo1969 Posted October 23, 2014 Posted October 23, 2014 Depends on the church. Call me naive, but I would hope that most churches hope butts stay in the pews for what church can do for the immortal souls of churchgoers, rather than for what churchgoers can do for the church. (Although that factors in, as well: remember what Paul said about the body of Christ, that the hand shouldn't say to the foot, "I have no need of thee," and so forth.) As for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Half of our detractors speculate that the Church must be hurting for money anytime a high-profile leader gives a sermon on tithing, and the other half of our detractors speculate that high-profile leaders are living high on the hog. Call me crazy, but I don't buy either theory. 3
EllenMaksoud Posted October 24, 2014 Posted October 24, 2014 I am not planning on leaving church. I very much enjoy attending church and serving there. The people, message, opportunities to learn and serve are all great. I enjoy it alot. I am just wondering if someone who is a believer and baptized and all, left church, is that a bad thing? Even if they kept their faith strong and read the Bible and continue to practice their faith and all, would they me in a bad place in there relationship with God? With their salvation?I thought I quit a time or maybe two but I'm still here. 1
KevinG Posted October 24, 2014 Posted October 24, 2014 Question: Would church object to people leaving because of less congregation members to contribute financially? I totally get that a church needs money to keep open as they have operation cost like any place does, but would money be a motivating factor to keep members at / in church?No. Having been accountable for tithes and offerings I can tell you at no time did my leaders ever discuss the financial impact of members status. Mormons who encourage you to stay really do care about your eternal welfare, or at the least would miss your social presence.The nastiness about the LDS worrying about the donations of lost members is purely a cynical anti-mormon creation. The church is scalable, and in areas where platoons have shifted out, or smaller, they can sell real estate, and combine wards, to make manageable and affordable stakes. It is one of the joys of being "modular" like we are.
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