belief.

I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is not true.

People outside of Utah are probably thinking to themselves, "Okay... cool?" Well, why am I writing this blog post? Before I go into what's been building in my mind for years I want to clarify that this is not a blog post advocating against the LDS church nor any religion for that matter. I believe this goes much further than that. I was having a conversation with one of my closest friends in regards to individual choices and paths that we take for one reason or another. If you know me, I put TIME at the forefront of my life. Life is long, but time is short, so my career choices, relationships, conversations, hobbies, all wrap around time. In this conversation I was having I apologized for doing something that we all do without realizing it, and most likely without harsh intention. I apologized for directing many of our conversations toward him living more of a life similar to the one I'm living. Once again, no bad intentions, but that's a terrible route to go down. To think out of 7.6 billion people in the world, that my path of life was the "right" one for him. I felt terrible. Well, it got me thinking. It got me thinking about the countless posts on religion, about happiness with the church here in Utah, and about the conversations I have with close family members and even some close friends. I think it's beautiful that you're finding happiness in your religion and I would never tell you to stop sharing those thoughts, because why wouldn't you share those intimate thoughts with the connections in your life? Equally, people can be GENUINELY satisfied without the church in their lives, without religion of any kind, and it's okay for them to share that. Instead of looking for reasons why someone isn't sharing the same faith as you, look for reasons why someone is happy without it. I've been around people talking about right and wrong, I've been around people who view someone as "bad" because they smoke weed or because they drink alcohol, or because they don't believe in God. Do you know what the definition of bad is? (according to Google) something that's bad is "of poor quality or a low standard." Is that how you view the millions or billions of people who aren't sharing your lifestyle? Is that how you view me?

I've experienced a lot of disappointment for my choice to serve a 2 year LDS mission to then come home and ultimately decide to leave the church. I immediately recognized connections I had from my youth, from my mission, and even from my family start diminishing for reasons only they could explain. For members of the LDS church it seems to be socially and morally acceptable to share beliefs with anyone and everyone and then deliberately turn your attention off once one opposing conversation comes into play. I'm not stating that out of disrespect or anger, rather I say that out of personal experience and shared experiences from many others. Have you ever wondered why someone leaves? Have you asked that question with an open mind to someone who once cared so much and has now chosen a different path? Yeah, sometimes it is because someone doesn't want to live according to the standards that the church has set. However, I'd be willing to say that most times it's a lot more meaningful than that. We need to have more conversations with the focus of seeking an understanding from people rather than seeking to argue with them.

There's not a single person in this world with more value than the other. Net worth may be different, lives may be different, "successes" may differ, but whether you're living in the most beautiful home or living behind a dumpster, you're a human being. I think we can be more optimistic about strangers, more prepared for difficult situations, and more culturally balanced if we simply ask "why." That's why I left the church; I asked why and I studied, I learned, I educated myself, I battled myself, and I did everything I could to prove something right just as much as I did to prove something wrong. I'm not a "lazy learner" and I'm sure you don't consider yourself one either. No matter how different your choices may be from the person next to you, how lost you may feel, and behind you think you are, you're living the life that's designed for you and the only person to decide whether something is right or wrong with that life, is you.

sc.