I tried talking to my wife yesterday about me needing to take a step back from the church right now. She seemed frustrated and almost as though she didn't believe me, or that I could actually be saying something like that. She knows I've been struggling with participation in the church for years, so I was a little surprised by her reaction. Although, as I anticipated, she didn't want to talk about it. She complains about our lack of communication and then gets frustrated when I try to communicate. This is one of the reasons I have not told her about me being attracted to men.

It's interesting that, ever since I've allowed myself to actually doubt the veracity of the church, when I listen to talks and lessons in church, it's unbelievable what is being said. I've been seeing things from a whole new perspective. I never realized how many contradictions there are in church doctrine. Granted, the majority of what people say in church is not really doctrine, but instead their preception of doctrine. There are many beautiful concepts contained in the church doctrine, such as the promise of living forever, but there are many doctrines that even though they once seemed desirable, are no longer what I would want in an afterlife. Nor are the "blessings" saught after in this life that desirable as taught in the church. The things that most members of the church enjoy, I do not enjoy. I guess what I'm saying is that what the church has to offer, both in this life and the next is simply not desirable to me. What the church teaches as happiness, is not what makes me happy. This isn't to say that every doctrine and belief of the church does not make me happy.

I don't yet know to what extent I don't believe anymore. I don't feel that everything the church teaches is wrong. However, I'm allowing everything to be put on the table. I'm allowing myself to assess what I really believe and ask some difficult qusestions. And I'm doing it from a more open perspective.