(RNS) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now has a new-ish suite of resources for doubters and those who love them. And they’re quite good!
So why hasn’t the church trumpeted their existence from the rooftops?
You can find them at the top of the gospel “Topics and Questions” section of the church’s website and app, and they come in two parts. The first half (“Seeking Answers to Your Questions”) is for when you are doubting the church yourself, while the second (“Helping Others with Their Questions”) gives church members guidance on how to assist others who are having a faith crisis.
Only one person I’ve talked to had actually heard of these essays even though they debuted over a year and a half ago. That includes podcasters, historians, journalists and even a bishop – though the latter group, at least, did receive an official letter after the new essays came out. But for ordinary members, there was little fanfare other than a brief press release from December 2023, when the essays first quietly appeared on the church’s website. They seem to have been updated in June 2024 with a new video introduction from Elder Dale Renlund. That same month, Elder Renlund introduced the resources to church educators in Provo, and they were mentioned in a church press announcement from last August.
So it’s not like the church is hiding them, exactly. But they’re also not being discussed and taught. We’ve had three General Conferences since the new essays debuted, giving top leaders plenty of chances to introduce them to the broader membership, and … crickets.
One issue may be that church leaders themselves can’t seem to decide what approach to take toward doubters. They’ve been all over the map through the years. Ten years ago in this column I wrote that “How a religion deals with doubt, and with doubters, is a test of its maturity.” In that instance I was praising a recent General Conference talk by Rosemary Wixom, in which she told the story of a woman who became less active in the church because of her religious doubts.
One particularly good aspect of the talk was when Wixom directly quoted the doubter as saying she didn’t separate herself from the church “because of bad behavior, spiritual apathy, looking for an excuse not to live the commandments, or searching for an easy way out.” This challenges the oft-told narratives that people leave the church because they’re lazy or sinful.
On the other hand, there have been some terrible and cringeworthy moments. A 2017 “doubt comes from Satan” conference talk was a low point. But the worst of all recent efforts, in my opinion, was a 2019 devotional by Elder and Sister Renlund.
It’s particularly ironic that Elder Renlund provides the video introduction to the church’s new resources for doubters. In the new video, he encourages members to avoid “being dismissive or judgmental” of doubters. But six years ago, he railed against people who “chose” to become perpetual doubters. One such person, Elder Renlund said, had “let doubt and uncertainty occupy his mind,” opening the door for Satan.
He and his wife also warned their audience that just as they shouldn’t seek financial advice from someone in debt or medical advice from “a charlatan snake oil salesman,” they should never “entrust … eternal welfare to those who are spiritually bankrupt because they have ripped up in doubt what they once planted in faith.” The overall message was that the only people who can’t overcome religious doubts are those who willfully opt not to — and that church members might endanger themselves by listening to such people.
I’m writing a book right now with my research partner, Benjamin Knoll, about people who leave the LDS church (and people who have a faith transition but decide to stay). In the course of that research I’ve interviewed over a hundred people about their experiences. I’ve witnessed the pain it causes when church leaders make negative assumptions about them and say insensitive things.
One young woman named Lacey said her family members, who still send her conference talks in an effort to get her to return to the fold, sent her one by Elder Renlund that blamed former members for not working hard enough to retain their faith.
She felt the need to defend herself. “I did reply to that one,” Lacey said. “I’ve never worked so hard to maintain my testimony. I’ve never done so much or prayed so much. It wasn’t a decision that I took lightly.”
What I like about the new GTQ essays is that they offer the sort of language that Lacey and others would love to hear in their conversations about doubt with family members. Church members are instructed to listen with humility and empathy, which “requires focus and patience” but is “a skill we can learn.”
The manual says they should acknowledge and respect their loved ones’ questions without jumping to a simplistic answer.
“By the time a friend or loved one has decided to talk to you about their questions, they have most likely spent time privately researching and thinking,” it states. Members are told to ask open-ended questions, like “Can you tell me more?” and “How do you feel about that?” rather than trying to brush any concerns under the rug.
They’re also taught to continue actively serving their loved ones — crucially, by first taking the time to learn what would most help the doubter to feel loved.
“Ask them what makes them feel valued and how you can support them,” one lesson states. Members are to keep the relationship, and the conversation, going.
The final lesson acknowledges that some people who struggle with faith will resolve their concerns quickly, but “for many, the struggle takes time.” In that ongoing situation, church members are encouraged to continue to “live the gospel” and set a good example, but also recognize there’s rarely a quick fix for a faith crisis.
“Be prepared to take a longer journey with them. Give them time and space to grow,” the final lesson closes. “Recognize that the way they express their faith may look different to you than it did in the past, and that’s OK.”
Nowhere does the new curriculum claim doubters are lazy. In fact, it acknowledges most have already researched and thought about their questions before speaking up.
Nowhere does it say they’re under Satan’s influence, or that they’re perpetual doubters who are probably already looking for an excuse to leave.
Throughout, it encourages respect and active, nonjudgmental listening. “Their sincere questions deserve your sincere effort to listen,” the lesson says.
In sum, the new resources feel like a huge step forward. I wish the church would make a stronger effort to let people know they exist.
Related: