Ambivalence as a Religious Virtue

Posted on January 30, 2008. Filed under: Belief, Doubt, faith, testimony | Tags: ambivalence, Belief, Doubt, faith, testimony |

(Influence by Chidi Okoye)

Ambivalence generally has a negative connotation, despite its neutral root definition of simultaneous conflicting feelings (ambi = both, valeo = feel strongly). Indecision, wishywashiness, lack of commitment is what generally comes to mind when you hear the term.However, in The Religious Imagination of the American Woman, Bednarowski argues that religious ambivalence - [...]

What is it about that temple recommend interview?

Posted on August 29, 2007. Filed under: Belief, authority, leadership, temple | Tags: authority, Belief, leaders, temple |

It’s been six years since I last had that interview. Ever since my difficult experience with the temple, I haven’t been able to bring myself to get a temple rec, even though I, in good peace of mind, could probably answer all the questions well enough to get one.
There would be some tricky questions, of [...]

Those who leave…

Posted on October 13, 2006. Filed under: Doubt, Relationships, faith, marriage | Tags: apostasy, Belief, Doubt, losing testimony, personal apostasy, testimony |

When my husband (John), a ‘golden’ convert to the church and an RM, first told me that he was losing his testimony, I got angry. Much of my anger stemmed from the fact that my husband’s choices changed my outlook on our future relationship. I felt that if John was changing his ideas [...]