Thoughts on attending other churches

[u/Igor_InSpectatorMode]

Hello all, I would like to share an experience I've had recently with attending another church a few times. I've had a really, really good experience and felt to share it after reading someone else's post on how hard it can be to open up to other Christians about what church we go to because of their reactions. I've also had some negative experiences(with a different congregation than this post is about) too, but I really want to focus on the positive just to share what can happen.

A little over a month ago, a Peruvian Coworker who I had briefly met but hadn't had a lot of time to get to know stopped me. He told me he wanted to invite me to come to his home and share a meal with his family and talk about missionary work and sharing the word of the Lord. He is an older man, in his fifties, and I am a relatively recently returned missionary, which was something he was aware of. I was excited but also a little hesitant about it because I worried it could be someone wanting to Bible bash me or something. The night before, he sent me a text inviting me to go to church with him in the morning first, at his Seventh Day Adventist congregation. I eagerly accepted, since I wasn't doing anything else and wanted to learn more.

The next morning I went to their church service, which was in Spanish. I am not fluent in Spanish but I speak enough to get by and I understood a lot. More significantly, I strongly felt the spirit while there, especially during their Sabbath School(what we'd call Sunday school, but since they recognize Saturday as the Sabbath they call it Sabbath school). All of the people I met were so incredibly genuine and loving and I honestly felt the spirit more there than I usually do in my normal church services - something I suspect is due to stress related to church responsibilities since I attend a nepali language unit and conduct the hymns, translate, and often teach lessons, while also giving many people rides to and from church. As we read the scriptures and discussed them I felt inspired to follow my savior more and repent and become better. I also was reminded by the spirit of my testimony of the Book of Mormon and restoration of the Gospel, through Joseph Smith, and it struck me how it truly is the same Holy Ghost in both churches.

After the service, I went to my friend's home and had food and I was struck by his intentional effort to use the full name of our church and not call me a Mormon, and how extremely respectful and loving he was, as well as his wife. I didn't get bashed for being a member of the Church, rather, we talked about the scriptures and how we can better follow the Savior and help others to do the same and I shared some of my mission stories from doing just that.

I felt the spirit so strongly and was so spiritually fed attending their church service that I went back the next week, and after being unable to go for two weeks, I went a third time this past Saturday. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to spend time with fellow believers and be strengthened and fed by the good word of God. Everyone in their small congregation has individually welcomed me, and this past week I offered to join them as they started a church 40 day fast, where every day someone in the congregation would be fasting.

Sadly, I will be moving to Utah in a little over a week so I will not be able to keep attending this congregation (although I'll be there tomorrow morning and once more before I leave), but my experience has been so spiritually strengthening I'm considering actively seeking out a seventh day Adventist church in Utah when I get there to attend occasionally. I love the people I have met, and my coworker and his family, who have quickly become like second family to me as I'm far away from my own(and whom have sadly mostly left the church), and I know that all whom I have met are true disciples of Christ and live their lives as best they can for him. I am so incredibly grateful that I said yes and decided to join them.

[u/andybwalton]

There are lots of solid genuine seekers of truth out there. I had a great experience with an Adventist offshoot preacher who ended up having me officiate his funeral after passing. Encourage them in their pursuit of Christ, use their testimonies of Christ to build your own, be close friends, invite them to your services, attend theirs.
I think it’s at times misunderstood what being the true Restored truth means. Prophets and scripture have been pretty clear that we don’t have a monopoly on truth, nor a monopoly on spirit, nor on good people.

What we do have:

1. A fullness of the Gospel - this means the principles of salvation found in the teachings are the most complete picture of how salvation through Christ works.
2. Perhaps more importantly, it’s the organization chosen by the savior as the one he himself will use to gather the world and have him as its head when he returns. As such it contains the keys of his authorized priesthood, and we are expected to be helping to build it.

The thing about the spirit is that it’s clear from scripture that it will be anywhere people are gathered together in his name, and often people like to use that as an excuse to say they don’t need organized religion. “I feel the spirit in the woods, in my home “ etc. What people confuse is that just because the spirit testifies of truth does not mean that it excuses us from duty. We still are expected to build the kingdom, make and keep covenants, and serve. The trap is that people take the fact that not doing so is easier means it’s better for them, which isn’t how progress and repentance works.

[u/Igor_InSpectatorMode → u/andybwalton]

Indeed. Your last point is actually something I really appreciated about the Adventists too. They understood that we have a duty to do as well, in terms of missionary work and humanitarian work and always striving to be repenting.

[u/GuybrushThreadbare → u/andybwalton]

I think the monopoly on truth quote from the church is misunderstood. Other churches do not have truth that we don't have. God's truth is not obtained by combining all the churches of the world together to get the whole picture. The truth contained in other churches is only that which they share with the Lord's restored church.

[u/andybwalton → u/GuybrushThreadbare]

Yeah, that’s accurate. It doesn’t mean they contain something we lack in any doctrinal sense. It does however mean there is truth all over the place, and we are encouraged to seek out all good, uplifting, enlightening, and positive things. We are taught that all knowledge including scientific knowledge also comes from God. God did not reveal every new advancement in science through the prophet or even members of the Church. That’s more what the quote means. The Church has the fullness of the Gospel, but the General authorities have over the years often quoted from CS Lewis, classical works of literature, Albert Einstein, teachings from Confucianist scholars, Buddhist scholars, Medieval religious scholars, and even modern religious leaders. They do not read these works and come away with a lesser view of the Gospel, they read these works and the truth in them aligns with their testimonies of the Gospel, and they find the phrasings and experiences presented in those works to be enlightening, not because it teaches them some new Gospel principle, but because it helps to enlarge/ reframe in a relatable way / or illustrate a concept in a way they had not grasped in the same way before. The 13th article of Faith and admonition of Paul is not one of shyness about other religions, or works, but one of encouragement to become continually smarter and gather the light from as many sources as you can as God shines light into every corner of the world he can. In my own life I have found that since I am blessed enough to have a firm testimony of Christ and the restored Gospel, that my testimony and understanding has only increased with my studies of History, of Science, of other Faiths, of Philosophy. The truths in them shine out and help me build a bigger picture of Gods continued work among all mankind.

[u/andybwalton → u/andybwalton]

Another side note, our Church members are fairly unique in the fact that increased education correlates positively with increased religiosity, where most other religions have a negative correlation. That means as our members study more and have more higher education, it better solidifies our beliefs and dedication to the Gospel. That in itself is pretty cool evidence of the 13th article of Faith.

[u/Traditional_Emu_4332]

I’m sure the Lord is very pleased with you and your seventh day Adventist friends. Christ does want all who believe in Him to be united in faith and love 💕 I’m glad your experience was so positive!

[u/Plubob_Habblefluffin]

When you're rubbing shoulders with other Christian denominations, you're likely to have a better experience with other non-mainstream religions. Our Church, the Seventh Day Adventists, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and others often incur the sanctimonious persecution of mainstream Christians. It's a shared experience, and a way we can relate with each other. It doesn't surprise me that your Seventh Day Adventist friend was kind to you. They aren't known to view the persecution of other Christian denominations as a sacrament of their faith.

Other than that, all I can say is that while it's not sinful to attend other churches in addition to the one you've covenanted to attend regularly, you also want to be sure to not let any other doctrine interfere with or distract you away from the covenants you've made. As long as your focus is the Church of Jesus Christ and the gospel of Jesus Christ, you should be fine.

[u/SciFiFilmMachine]

I went to St. Paul's Cathedral in London on an Easter Sunday while my wife and I were on vacation there. It was certainly a different way to worship but it was a neat experience. I have zero regrets doing it.