When I was young, elementary school age, I went to church with my cousins. It was a certain Christian church in my small town in Southern California. It was a big white building on our Main Street, and in my small town, we drove by it a lot. I was familiar with the church building because I would go there for piano lessons and recitals. There were events sponsored by that church that we attended quite a bit.
I was raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but as a kid, I had lots of experience with other religions. My parents didn't shield me from any other beliefs, they instead brought me to other churches and let me see for myself the wonderful variety of religious beliefs. My grandparents were Episcopalian, and I went to their services quite a bit as well.
This particular Sunday at the Big White church, I remember being gathered in a room with dozens of children. The pastor came in to teach the kids. He started to talk about my church. I was shocked when he started to talk about "Mormons" and how evil and wrong we were. I raised my hand.
I'll never forget the look on his face when I told him I was a member of that church and that we were good people. I don't remember what I said in detail but I remember him saying, "Oh." and changing the subject. I was so young, but I already had felt the Spirit of the Lord so strongly in my church, I had to speak out. My presence there that day changed the trajectory of his teachings.
I couldn't believe what they were being taught and it made me sad. My church taught about the teachings of Jesus Christ and trying to be a good person. We taught about seeking truth and learning for yourself what the Holy Ghost feels like and what God has to say to you.
The feeling that has stayed with me over decades now is how grateful I am to be part of a church that doesn't demean other churches, but welcomes truth and loves others. We study scripture and strive to understand the nature of God and His Son Jesus Christ. Our focus is on them.
As I got older, I was bullied in my high school ceramics class by a boy who knew what religion I practiced. Rather than debate him, I shared with him the Articles of Faith, a set of statements that clearly outline the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These were statements I learned about in Primary (our Sunday school for children) and sang songs to help me memorize. With my teenage testimony, I shared how good the church made me feel. I gave him the card so he could know what we really believed.
Not too long after, I went to early morning seminary at our church building (where teenagers learn more about the gospel) to find the building spray painted and vandalized. That was not the first time or the last time I have seen that happen to one of my buildings. To this day The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is mocked and ripped apart.
Why do I stay?
Because I cannot be persuaded to abandon something I know for myself to be true. The voices that criticize my faith are often not grounded in genuine understanding, love, or honest curiosity. Instead, their arguments are too often shaped by misinformation, fear, or even hostility- none of which invite trust or thoughtful consideration.
In some cases, people have been taught since childhood to see my church as something it simply is not. It is frequently misrepresented- both in the media and by former members whose experiences, while real to them, do not define the whole. I say this with confidence because I am an active participant. I live it. I know what it is from the inside, not just from a distance.
That doesn’t mean my experience, or the people in it, are perfect. I’ve been hurt. I’ve seen others fall short. But I never expected perfection from imperfect people. Why would I? Jesus Himself taught, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” That principle matters to me. It reminds me that human weakness is universal, not unique to any one group.
So I stay- not because everyone gets it right... it's not about others at all. People may fail. They always have, and they always will. But the gospel of Jesus Christ does not fail us. The gospel in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a gospel of supreme hope, healing, and peace. I have felt God's absolute love for me and for others as I have spent decades studying it. That is what I need in my life. I need to be part of Jesus Christ's gospel. I need to follow Him. And I find Him in this church. Here is just one hopeful statement reiterated in General Conference in 2019 that beautifully embodies the hope found in the gospel I believe in:
“If there are some of you who have been tricked into the conviction that you have gone too far, … that you have had the poison of sin which makes it impossible ever again to be what you could have been—then hear me.
“I bear testimony that you cannot sink farther than the light and sweeping intelligence of Jesus Christ can reach. I bear testimony that as long as there is one spark of the will to repent and to reach, he is there. He did not just descend to your condition; he descended below it, ‘that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth.’ [Doctrine and Covenants 88:6.]”
These comforting teachings are what I need in a church. Some mistakingly believe that I have not done the hard work of finding truth. They think members are "brainwashed" and unable to see clearly. If you know me at all, you know I am a strong person who questions everything. I don't care about what's popular, don't care about fitting in, and don't give my time to anything unless I feel it would benefit me.
The truth is, I have seen too much, felt too much, and know too much through the power of the Holy Ghost. He is the one who has borne witness to me of the truths I know and believe. Like Joseph Smith said of what he experienced, "I could not deny it." I am part of something truly special. Come and see.
"The truth is that it is much more exhausting to seek happiness where you can never find it! However, when you yoke yourself to Jesus Christ and do the spiritual work required to overcome the world, He, and He alone, does have the power to lift you above the pull of this world."Now, how does overcoming the world bless our lives? The answer is clear: entering into a covenant relationship with God binds us to Him in a way that makes everything about life easier. Please do not misunderstand me: I did not say that making covenants makes life easy. In fact, expect opposition, because the adversary does not want you to discover the power of Jesus Christ. But yoking yourself with the Savior means you have access to His strength and redeeming power." (President Russell M. Nelson in his General Conference talk Overcome the World and Find Rest)
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