Here's the deal. Recently, I met a man named Chris on Kik Username is Chrisdemartino321 if you want to talk to him. Now, don't get me wrong. He's a nice guy. He and I have very similar political beliefs (although not entirely the same). We met on a conservative-tagged public group about politics (I don't remember which one, there are so many). Anyway, though, we both decided that talking to each other one on one is better than in a big group chat, and that maybe we could be friends. He asked me to introduce myself. I told him I was 17, I was conservative in value, I liked debate, film, music, anime, and gaming, and, most importantly that I was a proud Mormon. Then he introduced himself. What a cooincidence, he was gay and ex-Mormon. What are the odds? Anyway, though, he and I talked about a lot of things. Yeah, I don't morally agree with his choice in sexual partner, but that doesn't mean that we can't be friends. We talked about politics, we talked about life, and we talked about the church. He told me his story with the church, and I told him about my pornography addiction. His story was interesting, but I just couldn't see how he could deny Christ. He told me about how Joseph Smith threatened women (that God would smite them) to get them to have sex with them, and how the church didn't let blacks have the priesthood until the late 70s. And then, he finally made me admit it. I have an emotional attachment to the church, leaving or denying it's principles would break me. I have no doubt that these feelings come from God, but that doesn't stop him from criticizing it, and I had no argument against him. How can I support something that I can't argue in support of? I need help, and I need it now. I've fallen away from the church over the past year, and I need help getting back up.
