To be Confirmed or Not to be Confirmed

People keep asking Megan if she is going to be confirmed in the General Church. She uses this essay as an opportunity to crystallize her experiences around being identified with a specific religion, and becomes clear on what she wants in the process. -Editor

I recently spent some time down in Florida visiting my grandparents who I had not seen for three years. It was a time to just exist and appreciate the remains they have instilled in me and just know that I am loved. My grandparents and I have always had a good relationship and this time I felt that as much as they are my grandparents and parental figures in my life, they are my friends. The shift comes from not seeking to advise me but to ask me my opinion and value the ideas and moral code that I have methodically decided to lead my life by. We spent much time sitting at the dining room table eating and having good dialogues. My grandfather asked if I was going to be confirmed into the General Church. Before I answered I thought about it for some time because people have been asking me that question a lot. I am not sure why. It could be a gauge to see how committed I am to the New Church faith; the answer to the question could be to see whether or not I have rejected God or decided to find another form of truth; or for Church politics—just wondering if I will be adding to the population of those in the General Church. Needless to say, that question makes me a little nervous, not because of my stance on it but more on how people perceive my answer. This article speaks to my thought process and my reasons for not becoming a member of the General Church but confirming God in my heart and embracing his teachings from the universal church.

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