omchance

Hello everyone! I have a doctrinal question to ask you. As you may already know, I recently became a member and I have been learning additional things about the church. Today I was talking to my missionaries about genealogy and temple and baptisms for the dead. I was raised in a non-LDS home so this sort of thing is really new to me. The missionaries showed me a verse from 1 Corinthians that alludes to baptisms for the dead, so I understand the why the church condones it.... but I am having a hard time making the connection of why the church actually DOES it. My understanding (put in very plain terms) Ok, when a person dies without having accepted the word of God, their spirit goes to the spirit world where it stays for a time. During that time, the spirit is told the truth and has the choice to accept or reject the truth. If they accept the truth they go on to the celestial kingdom.... so where does the baptism fit in? If this is a matter of free agency (on the spirit's part), is the baptism necessary or is it just a symbolic way of honoring our ancestors? If a spirit rejects the truth, does it go to outer darkness? And if a spirit is in outer darkness but a descendant is baptized by proxy, can that spirit be redeemed from outer darkness? I am really confused on this... my missionaries tried explaining it to me but they are born and bred LDS kids and so they have never NOT KNOWN about baptism for the dead... kind of like a calculus professor trying to teach a five year old how to add.... the concept is too advanced and my understanding is too basic! Appreciate your help! Thanks, J

Amen, sister!

I am new too. I was given a calling but I turned it down. I didn't feel it was the right time for me. Did you know that your calling was right... that is, did you feel a prompting from the Spirit? I just didn't feel anything (except dread) when my bishop asked me! Any advice on a newbie accepting a calling? J

I sincerely hope that you all caught the sarcasm in the "ancient" comment... but it is kind of funny when people I haven't met at the church meet me for the first time. They look at my left hand, screw up their face and ask, "Are you married?" When I say no, they inevitably ask, "How old are you?" When I tell them 27, they cringe, suck air through their teeth and go "Oooh" in a pitying/patronizing manner! Honestly, not too worried about it though. I may not be an expert at relationships... but I am DEFINITELY an expert at being single! Honestly, I think too highly of myself and haven't met anyone worthy of me! Thanks for all of the replies. Looking forward to being a member of this board! Have an excellent day! J

Hello everyone! I am new to this website, and in fact, new to the LDS faith. I was baptized just a month ago. I am a 27-year-old single woman (I know, I know... ancient, right? :) ) I also have a wonderful eight-year-old son. I am currently in my second year of law school. I guess I am just looking to meet people who I can talk/type freely with. Being a recent convert, I have really been struggling between what God wants and what the world wants. I had a collection of "pre-Mormon" friends who do not understand my decision... some have gone so far as to stop speaking to me! And I have a lot of really great Mormon friends with whom I attend classes.... but, they are all married men. Out of respect for their relationships with their wives, I obviously do not want to try to forge strong bonds with them! So, right now, I know where I fit in with God but I don't know where I fit in with the world! I'm just the FLOATING Mormon girl! :) Anyways, I am kind of finding my way through all of the customs of the Church and luckily I have the missionaries and a really nice couple that are kind of holding my hand and leading me through everything. So, there is progress and I am getting some sort of anchor... Ok, ok... enough boat references. I was a choral music teacher in my pre-law-school life. I love to sing and play piano. I try to play guitar but not very successfully! I love to laugh and have actually done some stand up comedy before. I also have a video on youtube that has gotten quite a few views. Let's just say that if slightly chubby pale girls were the rage in Hollywood, I would be a bright shining star! For fun, I like to go to karaoke (when I can strong arm people in to going) and I love doing things like trivia. I am absolutely crazy about outdoor concerts/festivals/etc. (well unless it is something like the Ultimate Fighting Outdoor Extravaganza.... then, you couldn't pay me to go). I am not shy and am never at a loss for words (either verbally or through internet message boards, apparently). Would love to exchange emails and/or chat. Really, I have to say that it is hard to find either a clean chat or something that is LDS-related. Maybe I just don't know enough and I am looking in the wrong place? Well, anyways, hope to hear back from some of you and look forward to being a member of the board. Oh, btw... since I am SOOOO bad at journaling, I decided to start a blog about my experiences as a new convert. Please feel free to stop by if the mood strikes you. Shiny, Happy Mormon Have an excellent day! J