To the readers: I am selecting one more member among others in our church family before I branch out for a short spell to other former-LDS individuals. It is a new experience for me having some of my own church family in the spotlight. Obviously, my love for them kicks into overdrive when seeing them exposed to public critique. I don’t rehearse with them on what to say, in order to fit the political correctness of the predominant Idaho Falls culture. I let them speak freely whatever they are thinking. Lisa is active in our church family here in Idaho Falls, and is a continual joy in her kind service to others. Alongside her busy schedule in the Bonneville County office, she faithfully assists in one of our fun weekly children’s ministries, Patch the Pirate Club. After we had this interview last night, she is eager for LDS friends to ask any questions or make any comments that they would like.
Todd: Lisa, thanks for opening up a window to your life and sharing some of your heart today with me on HI4LDS. As I understand, you were not for too long of a period, active within the LDS Church?
Lisa: That’s right, just about three years.
Todd: What was it that initially attracted you to the LDS community?
Lisa: Well, I was new to the area. One of my sons, Jake, was two and half years old. We almost lost him at birth and he spent many years in and out of the hospital. That’s when I really began my search to know God. Shortly after I arrived, I started working for an LDS couple. They brought up the topic of Mormonism and made it sound very family-oriented. I was looking for a place to belong, and it sounded to me at the time to be just what I needed.
I was looking for ways to teach Jake about God but didn’t know how to do that myself. Being raised Catholic, I knew that was not the road I wanted to take. I had no knowledge of the Bible other than what was told to me. My employers sent missionaries over to talk to me, and we went through the lessons together. When you work for LDS, inwardly you feel the obligation to make it work. You think the job might be on the line. I did make the choice to be baptized, but right from the very beginning, I began to question whether I made the right decision as I was asked questions by other LDS about what I was feeling. I just didn’t feel the same things that they experienced or said I should have experienced.
Todd: It might be different in other places of the country, but I can think of many others in years past, who have felt some of that pressure to conform religiously in order to maintain a job position or even advance in their careers. When you joined the LDS Church, how did you serve within the local ward?
Lisa: Shortly after I was baptized, just within a few weeks, they placed me in the star B class to teach. I questioned their decision, as I just didn’t know enough of the religion. But they said not to worry, you will learn by teaching.
Todd: I am laughing. I think some might do that in Baptist churches. But I don’t think it is a very good idea. A sink or swim situation. So did your husband join the LDS Church.
Lisa: Yes, Manny joined a year and a half after me. He was given the Aaronic priesthood and then given the Melchizedec priesthood. As you know, he smoked; and there was an incident; and he fell away. But back then, he was just indifferent to the Church.
Todd: And with your colorful husband, I am sure, falling away from LDS culture and religion, what kind of advice did you receive from other LDS? (And to our readers, though Lisa’s husband is a smokin’, cussin’, non-attendee among our church family, I count him as a good friend. I am eagerly anticipating what God will be doing in his life in future days.)
Lisa: From several members, they would say, “I won’t tell you what to do, but it would be better to perhaps end the marriage so that you could get sealed to someone else more worthy for you.”
Todd: Hmmmm . . . within our church family, I can think specifically of one married to an LDS husband and another married to an LDS wife. Yet I would never counsel anyone in our church family to divorce their spouse because of a hostility or a falling away from the Christian faith. I would be interested to hear from our readers what they think the future holds for a devout LDS married to some one against the religion.
Lisa, what caused you to leave the LDS Church?
Lisa: The main reason is that I didn’t feel comfortable teaching children things that I didn’t understand or even believe. When I was baptized, they kept talking about, “Did you feel this or did you experience this?” And nothing was there.
I just stopped going all together.
Todd: Today, what kind of heart confession would you make in regards to the Lord Jesus Christ and his work for you?
Lisa: I was seeking and praying so hard, but I couldn’t find a place where He was. To find someone who would pick up a Bible and read it every Sunday morning, that is what I was looking for. I discovered a Baptist church and walked down to the altar after the service. Many of my family did. I committed myself to Jesus. I’m thankful. But then I ended up leaving. I vowed to never walk in another established church again. But my brother kept after me for a year to attend this church called Berean Baptist Church.
This is not like any other church I have been in. From the day I walked in, I knew this was what I was looking for. A verse by verse teaching. And it is not the same length of verses each week, so it’s not “planned out” a week ahead of time.
Jesus is absolutely my Savior. He took me, a completely lost soul, and brought me to where I am today. No matter what happens, He is my Savior. I will teach my children no matter what, that they can trust Him. People will let you down, or hurt you, but He will never do that. He speaks through the Word. And we speak back to Him through prayer. I am not worthy of His love, but He died for me, for my sins.
It is an incredible feeling.
Todd: There is nothing like it, sister.
Lisa: I remember telling myself, this is too easy. It has got to be more complicated. Shouldn’t something else be added in, but no. It is through the His Grace alone. Anything else would say that Jesus’ sacrifice was not sufficient, not enough.
Todd: To think that we have it all in Christ. It’s simply incredible.
Lisa: And now, I want to live my life pleasing Him, everything I say, everything, I do, I want to set an example.
Todd: Thanks dear sister. I echo your very words in my heart. Could you imagine in the future abandoning the Lord?
Lisa: Absolutely not. I am nothing without Him.
Todd: It’s the truth for me, too.
Lisa: When I was in the Catholic Church, it was all motions, same for when I served in the LDS Church; but now it is in my heart. I know Jesus Christ. Do I fail at times? Yes, I am a sinner, I feel miserably, but He picks me back up again.
I have always known about God, but I have never had a relationship with Him until now. My life is so much more satisfying.
Jesus in Idaho Falls 
Thanks for sharing Lisa. I’m sorry it wasn’t very welcoming before. But I’m glad you’re happy now.
I have been thinking of the great ego eimi statement in John 6:35 this afternoon: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Lisa, the more we feast upon Christ behind the ink on the pages of scripture, the greater our appetite grows for wanting to know him, to trust him, to lean upon him, and to hide ourselves in him. And yet your testimony reveals and confirms the very living words of Christ in John 6 – for the one initially coming to the Lord, the one believing into Christ . . . that core emptiness is forever vanquished from the human heart.
thinking of heart issues . . .
Lisa,
Thank you for sharing. In the midst of a lost, wondering sheep, you still heard and obeyed the Shepherd’s voice! 🙂
Praise the Lord you heard HIS voice!
You are such a blessing to me. I know the Lord is using you to reach out to others in an awesome way!
You said, ” From several members, they would say, “I won’t tell you what to do, but it would be better to perhaps end the marriage so that you could get sealed to someone else more worthy for you.”
That happens to many LDS members; offering ideas of divorce for their Celestial Kingdom . Sadly, the saying,”Families are Forever” stop short of their temple doors.
You said, ” It is through the His Grace alone. Anything else would say that Jesus’ sacrifice was not sufficient, not enough.” Exactly!! AMEN! 🙂
Like Pastor Todd shared, “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
Thanks Again!
Praying for more to be delivered in HIS GLORY!
Hi Todd, I just popped over here following the link on your name from your comment on the feast blog. It is great to see that Lisa has a close relationship now with our savior. That is obviously much more healthy than someone living something they don’t believe. It is my view of course that most Mormons do sincerely believe what they live.
As to your specific question on marriage I am not aware of any counsel given to church members to divorce their spouses because they don’t hold the same religious views or don’t attend church regularly. I’m not disputing the fact that some member may have told Lisa just what she says they did, I just want to point out that this isn’t the position you see leaders taking. Sounds like just as you wouldn’t counsel Lisa to do this, the local leader of her congregation (the Bishop) didn’t counsel her to either.
On the marriage thing, it really depends. Both Lisa and her husband were coming from non-Mormon backgrounds. I think I can say without qualification that the well-meaning ward members she mentions were not giving her good advice in recommending a divorce.
Frankly, I hesitate to recommend divorce in any situation outside of real emotional or physical abuse, or maybe infidelity. Especially if there are children involved.
Now, my calculation changes however if you are talking about a non-Mormon marrying a Mormon. I would urge a non-member to be careful in seriously courting a Mormon. But even here, it depends on the Mormon.
If you’ve got a Catholic who wants to court a life-long faithful Mormon girl, there are going to be issues. It’s a harsh reality. Mormonism is almost its own ethnicity. The religious identity is huge in Mormonism. A highly active Mormon simply thinks about life differently and has a lot of underlying life expectations that a non-Mormon simply won’t share or understand. When those issues come out (as they always do in marriages), it’s going to cause trouble. For one thing, the Mormon is always going to be sad that he/she will not be able to be an eternal family with their spouse. Then there’s the question of what religion the kids will be raised in. I’ll guarantee you, even if your faithful Mormon spouse has reconciled with YOU remaining outside the faith, she is not going to be OK with her kids remaining outsiders as well. Then there’s the isolation that will come by one spouse having an entire social reality that the other spouse has a hard time being a part of.
I think that some people don’t realize just how all-encompassing and demanding the LDS Church is. They think the religion thing will be “no big deal” because “we’re hip, open-minded folk.”
Think again.
Again, it depends on the Mormon. A lot of Mormons are fairly casual about religion themselves, and it won’t be as much of an issue. Others, like Lisa, are not from a Mormon life background and may be a bit more adaptable on these issues. Just be aware that this is a powerful cultural influence and one that an “outsider” is unlikely to fully get. It’s kind of like how “being Jewish” used to be about 40 years ago in America (though that’s probably a bad comparison in several ways).
One thing I can say for sure. A non-Mormon guy (and it’s usually guys) should never be baptized a Mormon just because his Mormon fiancee insists on it. If you like the religion, bravo for you. Full speed ahead. But if you’re just doing it to keep her happy, you’re in for a rude awakening after the wedding. Because the demands don’t stop with the mere formality. This is a demanding religion and it can be a hard row to hoe for those who are casual about religion.