Hi, my boyfriend and I got into a pretty heated discussion about baptism. He was raised LDS and follows some of their beliefs, but is no longer active. I on the other hand, was raised Christian. It seems like our most heated topics are about after life. He says he’s content with us now, and sees marrying me, but in the afterlife he wants us together. I get that, but why do I need to be baptized to a certain religion, when I believe in God, Christ, the Holy Ghost, and doing my best that I can do.
This isn’t the first time we’ve had such a heated discussion with religion. I really don’t want to lose him because we are so much a like, he understand me, pushes me to be better, makes me laugh. We promised we wouldn’t let religion break us apart but it just may.
One Response to “Hi, my boyfriend and I got into a pretty heated…”
Lds (my Initials)
2021-02-22 04:55:47
You don't have to be baptized a Mormon to go to heaven. Mormon belief in marriage is somewhat complicated. In a standard marriage, Mormon included, the marriage ends at death. However, Mormons believe in something called a "sealing" in which the marriage time is extended to eternity. This sealing involves a ceremony in the temple after marriage. Temple worship requires a "temple recommend" which is available to members of the church.
Most likely, your boyfriend thinks so highly of you that he doesn't ever want his marriage to you to end at death. That is a big compliment! Talk it over with him in terms he can understand. If you both intend to remain in your present religion, you and he will need to understand each other's religion. This is probably a good time to start.
John
2021-03-18 12:38:46
Dear Ann: Your question speaks to your great care for your boyfriend and your deep commitment to faith and truth. I applaud you for both! These deep and meaningful questions of religion can be difficult conflicts to address. Talk together about which items are worth addressing and which are better to let go (for now or forever).
Each of you wants to be understood. Take turns genuinely trying to understand each other. Do this without trying to refute the other's position. Ask yourselves what you can learn from the other, and start by bonding over the values that you share rather than arguing over different interpretations or applications of them. You do not need to ignore important areas that you disagree. It can be detrimental to do so. However, setting up this foundation of understanding and common ground will change that process for the better.
From the word of God contained in His scriptures, we learn that "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Corinthians 14:33) and also that He is "no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). He does not leave things up to chance, and He wants the path to be clear, even if it is not always easy. The question of which Church we join is an important one, because it relates to how much we seek and treasure God's truth. Almost all churches have good people with sincere faith and varying degrees of truth. We should never disparage them or think that we are superior to any of God's children. That said, we are to seek truth and to care enough to reject untruth. We are taught that baptism is important (John 3:5) and that baptism and other saving ordinances should be performed by one with authority to do so (Hebrews 5:4). When performed according to the manner God has prescribed, it is not merely symbolic, but has the concrete effect of a fresh start free from our past sins. It is a commitment on our part to embark in a lifelong quest to follow and represent Jesus Christ. If none of the particulars mattered, Jesus could have been baptized by anyone. Instead, He walked a considerable distance to go to John the Baptist, who held the priesthood authority to perform baptism. John the Baptist said that he only had the authority to perform baptism by water, but not baptism by fire, which is the baptism "of the Spirit" referred to in John 3:5, also called the "Gift of the Holy Ghost."
I invite you to speak with missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. May God bless you in your quest to find and follow truths in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son who freely gave His perfect life to offer us redemption.
Most likely, your boyfriend thinks so highly of you that he doesn't ever want his marriage to you to end at death. That is a big compliment! Talk it over with him in terms he can understand. If you both intend to remain in your present religion, you and he will need to understand each other's religion. This is probably a good time to start.
Each of you wants to be understood. Take turns genuinely trying to understand each other. Do this without trying to refute the other's position. Ask yourselves what you can learn from the other, and start by bonding over the values that you share rather than arguing over different interpretations or applications of them. You do not need to ignore important areas that you disagree. It can be detrimental to do so. However, setting up this foundation of understanding and common ground will change that process for the better.
From the word of God contained in His scriptures, we learn that "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Corinthians 14:33) and also that He is "no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34). He does not leave things up to chance, and He wants the path to be clear, even if it is not always easy. The question of which Church we join is an important one, because it relates to how much we seek and treasure God's truth. Almost all churches have good people with sincere faith and varying degrees of truth. We should never disparage them or think that we are superior to any of God's children. That said, we are to seek truth and to care enough to reject untruth. We are taught that baptism is important (John 3:5) and that baptism and other saving ordinances should be performed by one with authority to do so (Hebrews 5:4). When performed according to the manner God has prescribed, it is not merely symbolic, but has the concrete effect of a fresh start free from our past sins. It is a commitment on our part to embark in a lifelong quest to follow and represent Jesus Christ. If none of the particulars mattered, Jesus could have been baptized by anyone. Instead, He walked a considerable distance to go to John the Baptist, who held the priesthood authority to perform baptism. John the Baptist said that he only had the authority to perform baptism by water, but not baptism by fire, which is the baptism "of the Spirit" referred to in John 3:5, also called the "Gift of the Holy Ghost."
I invite you to speak with missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. May God bless you in your quest to find and follow truths in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son who freely gave His perfect life to offer us redemption.
:),
John