I was just thinking of a really good question to ask. You are thinking to yourself that you would maybe want to join a religious group because you think it may benefit you somehow but you don't actually know what. Then, a week later, you completely forget you thought about it, and then you remember it. This time, you are unsure on if you actually want to be a spiritual or religious kind of person. Finally, if you really do think about on attending religious activities or ceremonies, you don't have the confidence to do this because you may think that if you're family didn't know, and you think that if you told them then they would laugh at you, then you can't tell them. Does this mean that person doesn't actually know what they actually want, or do they just lack the self belief and self confidence to go through with it?

Cameron from Edinburgh, Scotland, 1/21/2012

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El Santo Gringo from La Jolla, California:




Hi Cameron. I'm happy you posted your question here and that you're thinking about enriching your life with spirituality and meaning. Religion is an incredible force for good in my own life and in the lives of billions of others. It's very easy to get caught up in the mundane tasks of this world. Religion helps us keep a more eternal perspective. It gives deep meaning to our lives. It motivates us to be better, kinder people. I certainly would not be the person I am today if it weren't for the influence of religion in my life.

Aside from these incredible spiritual blessings, there are tremendous secular benefits to religious participation as well. You might find this page about the secular benefits associated with the Mormon faith to be helpful, for example.

It's unfortunate that your family is not supportive of your spiritual seeking. If you were to become religious, perhaps in time your family would come to see it as a powerful force for good in your life. Regardless, while these family concerns are certainly important, religion could be a great blessing in your life regardless of your family's opinions. We all should try to find what's best for us and pursue it regardless of the opinions of others.

It's common to feel some hesitancy when contemplating a major life change like making the transition from a secular to a religious lifestyle. It seems to be a natural human tendency to cling to the status quo. However, as I'm sure you know, the status quos in our lives are not always ideal, and if we fear change, we can miss out on many rich blessings. I think your hesitancy is understandable, but I encourage you to keep an open mind.

Mormon Missionaries
Mormon missionaries in Alagoas, Brazil.
You can see what religion is like without having to commit to it completely. One way to do this is to chat with the Mormon missionaries. There are over 50,000 Mormon missionaries in the world who visit people in their homes to teach them more about Jesus Christ. Most people who are interested in Mormonism learn about our basic beliefs from these missionaries. You can request a missionary visit online.

You can also learn the address of the Mormon chapel nearest your house online. Please don't hesitate to visit us any Sunday morning (9:00) to see how we worship! Mormons love visitors.

I hope this answer helps. Contact me if you have any more questions. I'm very happy to help.

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Anon from Riding Mill:


Totally in the same predicament as you. The LDS seem to have got on my radar somehow (don't know how) & curiosity is getting the better of me. So what to do? What slows me down from making direct contact is I'm in an atheist household so no support likely there (I count myself as an atheist but starting to miss what I used to experience in religion). Sorry I don't have any answers, but at least there's more than one of you feeling this way. What I've been doing is looking around on the internet until I am maybe a bit more sure, but you have to take what you come across with a pinch of salt because there's always going to be the good, the bad and the downright ugly out there on the internet. Hope you find your answer.
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