I am a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or to put it more simply, I am a Mormon. Recently I have found an increase of people around me leaving the church. This often causes a lot of concern and worry for those who remain in the church. Our church promises a lot of blessings to the faithful and no-one wants to see those blessings taken from those they love.

When I had one old friend mention on social media that he had left the church, this Mormon scripture came to mind: Article of Faith #11: We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

Our church teaches agency. Part of our journey here is to discover what we will choose, in our actions and beliefs. I know many whose thoughts and feelings take them away from the church: they are not able to believe in it, live up to the teachings, or  feel comfortable with regular activity. If it isn’t working in their life, I cannot fault them from stepping away.

In our church, we often expect and encourage people to leave behind their original church and traditions and come join in our worship and culture. I think it has to go the other way sometimes as well: sometimes we have to let people leave our church. Ultimately, it is more important to follow our own conscience then the conscience of others around us.

For me, I believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true, that it is a church literally guided by Christ, and provides the fullness of His gospel. My belief comes from the simple knowledge that following its teachings has brought me great joy. I would like all to experience the same joy, blessings and promises I have received through the church: but I also believe it just isn’t going to happen for some people. And I can respect that, and hope they find their own truth and joy.