Hey, I recently joined the church like two Sundays ago and I know everyone is not perfect. But I have two best friends one of a differnt faith and the other is gay. We’ve practiclly grew up together and have a close (non-homesexual) relationship. Is it okay to continue to be friends?
5 Responses to “Hey, I recently joined the church like two Sundays ago and I…”
Fernando Duarte
2009-09-26 20:34:30
Hi friend. I'm very happy that you recently joined the Church and hope that you will find the same peace and joy that I have found. Congratulations!
I think it would be a great idea for you to maintain your old friendships. I don't know what your friends are like; it could be that occasionally they will choose to do things that are contrary to gospel teachings. Perhaps they will want to see an R-rated movie with you, for example, or maybe they'll encourage you to break the Sabbath day. Obviously you'll want to be true to your principles on those occasions, but I think circumstances like those will only come up on rare occasions, if at all. You should definitely continue to enjoy the wonderful friendships you had before your baptism.
It may even be that you can be an example for your friends, perhaps helping them become interested in the gospel. Even if they aren't interested, though, friendship is a wonderful thing in and of itself. Some of my best friends are not members of the Church. Good luck!
Pamela Dean
2009-09-26 16:54:56
Absolutely! We give unto all men the right to workship how, when, or what they may. We also believe that even though some people choose to follow lifestyles that are against Heavenly Father's eternal plan, we should love them as we would love any other child of God.
Anonymous
2009-09-27 02:50:36
Yes, as long as you can maintain your standards.
Richard
2009-09-28 01:36:39
It's fine to have freindships of other faiths, in fact we are encouraged to make friendships wherever we can (we all can use friends at time, right? )... My only advice would to be learn your duty to God as a member, set a good example, and never be pursuaded to comprimise your standing in the church.... Not that any true friend would do something like that, right?
Bree
2010-06-16 23:29:48
Congratulations on joining the church, and I think you can probably stop worrying =)
As long as they don't push you to abandon your standards, stay friends with them. If they try to push things on you that you don't agree with especially on a regular basis, then are they really your friends? On a more positive side there are lots of good influences out there, even non member one
Just stay true to who you are and remember your standards. I have lots of non-mormon friends, and I see no reason why we should limit ourselves to only members when there are so many wonderful people in the world. Non member friends also present tons of missionary experiences. =)
I think it would be a great idea for you to maintain your old friendships. I don't know what your friends are like; it could be that occasionally they will choose to do things that are contrary to gospel teachings. Perhaps they will want to see an R-rated movie with you, for example, or maybe they'll encourage you to break the Sabbath day. Obviously you'll want to be true to your principles on those occasions, but I think circumstances like those will only come up on rare occasions, if at all. You should definitely continue to enjoy the wonderful friendships you had before your baptism.
It may even be that you can be an example for your friends, perhaps helping them become interested in the gospel. Even if they aren't interested, though, friendship is a wonderful thing in and of itself. Some of my best friends are not members of the Church. Good luck!
As long as they don't push you to abandon your standards, stay friends with them. If they try to push things on you that you don't agree with especially on a regular basis, then are they really your friends? On a more positive side there are lots of good influences out there, even non member one
Just stay true to who you are and remember your standards. I have lots of non-mormon friends, and I see no reason why we should limit ourselves to only members when there are so many wonderful people in the world. Non member friends also present tons of missionary experiences. =)