Anonono

The reason for my parents to join the church was a search for their personal happiness, to their family this was rebelling as both my grandparents are catholics. In their eyes they have transgressed and in the church's eyes I have transgressed. But the one thing these 3 generations had in common was a pursuit of happiness, which we have all found in different things, and which contributed to our own personal self fulfilment. The notion of not accepting other's happiness seems a little unfair when you've achieved yours.

No, please don't take this the wrong way. I'm not here with any malevolent reasons. I genuinely want to hear an opinion. I want to hear about what you think of this scenario. I have read similar subjects to this in the forum in the past when the elephant(me in this case) wasn't in the room, and there was nothing inhibiting the community from speaking their mind. Why can't we have this discussion?

That's a very mature statement. I don't feel like I owe the church anything either way, I'm happy how I am right now, and if God decides to judge me for living my life the happiest way I can, without harming anyone, then let him. So excommunication only happens to people who are interested in staying in the church? This is new to me. Does it matter? I'm simply asking for what the general thoughts are on this situation. Last time I checked you didn't need to beg to be judged in the mormon church.

Hi there, I'm an ex-mormon, I guess you could say, I've not been excommunicated, although I'm sure I'd qualify for it, and I'd like to know your honest opinion about what I should do. I'm gay. I was born into the mormon church into a perfectly functional family (well at least as functional as a mormon family can be) and I genuinely believe I was born this way. I guess I've always known I was gay from a very young age. I can date 'homosexual tendencies' back to when I was 7, but I only really said it to myself out loud and acknowledged it when I moved away from home at the age of 20. While I was growing up i felt hatred and shame towards myself, which I felt both my family (although I had never told them) and the church were to blame for. Now I believe, like many others, that I was born like this, or at least that something happened to me before gaining self awareness to make me this way. To be born as something and to be taught that I was hated for something I couldn't help took a toll on my mental health during my teen years. I have done terrible things to myself over this time because of this. I'm sure you'd be happy to hear that this self hatred is all behind me, however detaching myself from church was a crucial step for me to accomplish this current state of happiness. I'm now in a long term relationship with another man and I am very happy with my life, but I feel like I have left the church very abruptly without giving a reason. Should i speak to a bishop and request that I get excommunicated? Do you think I should stay in the church and attempt celibacy? and what I'm most interested to hear from you is, do you think I'm a bad person?