Should I go to church for my family even if I don't believe?
Attending church for the sake of your spouse and community often backfires because sitting silently through services you disagree with does not actually improve your relationship with your children. At the same time, your presence can unintentionally pressure your kids to adopt beliefs you don't share.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Attending only for special occasions or when supporting children during specific performancesDid this help you?
- 2Participating in ward or community activities and social clubs without attending regular religious servicesDid this help you?
- 3Building community networks and friendships outside of the religious organizationDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I'm debating returning to church consistently despite not believing as a way to support my wife and kids and be involved with my neighbors/community.”source ↗
“I don't want my kids feeling pressured to believe a certain way because of my attendance”source ↗
“I don't get anything out of church attendance and sitting silently by my kids and occasionally shushing them (while we listen to things I disagree with) does nothing for my relationship with them.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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