When I talk to my friends about the Church, they say they’re not interested because it has too many rules. What can I tell them?

Photo illustration by Matthew Reier

Our attitude toward any “rule” has a lot to do with what we’re used to. If your friends were used to never brushing their teeth and you told them that you brush every day because you had been taught to, they might find this to be an oppressive rule. But you really don’t even think of it as a rule at all because it has simply become a habit, a way of life. While they might think never having to brush their teeth is a kind of freedom, you know the problems it leads to and how much better it feels to have clean, healthy teeth.

So it is with the Church’s “rules.” Your friends may think the standards we follow are restrictive, but you know that the Lord and His servants have given them to us to help us live a better life and return to Heavenly Father. Also, obedience to God’s commandments always brings blessings, not the least of which is the companionship of the Holy Ghost. You can try describing these benefits and blessings to your friends, and you can tell them that the only way to really know if the “rules” are from God is to try them out (see John 7:17).