Jane_Doe

What *IS* a conviction God placed in your heart?

You'd be ok going against the conviction God placed in your heart?

It's totally ok. We have lots of people on here that are not LDS Christian (such as moderator PrisonChaplin) or not even a theist. The only rule is that no one attack/disrespect the LDS faith (as we do try to not disrespect others). But if you're still not comfortable with it, I'd be happy to talk to you on another venue / email / PM / whatever.

We're not saying that you don't know God. To help clarify what we ARE saying, I'm going to explain a hypothetical situation to explain things: 1) God convicts you, Abram, from the bottom of your soul that a believers baptism is His ways and the Truth. Infant baptism is not His way. 2) You were then to attend a church that preached & practiced infant baptism 3) Said church (including your spouse) heavily encouraged you to likewise practice infant baptism. 4) Due to this pressure, you then go have your infant daughter baptized, despite being convicted by God that this is not His way. Do you see the problem here? How by performing such an act you would be turning your back on God and going agains the Truths He convicted you of?

In short: by asking Him.

My purpose in asking was to 1) better understand what you believe, and 2) help you maybe understand standard LDS Christian beliefs. I know your situation is tough and intimating, so I was trying to be helpful, as somebody who is bi-lingual, so to speak. If you wanted to chat via Private Message (PM) or email or not at all, those are all ok too. I'd also be totally willing to talk to your girl.

Abram, if the Lord convicts a person that this is His Truth and His Church, then person should follow Him. It is obvious discipleship. For someone to ask a person to do otherwise (as you are doing) is asking them to not follow God.

Pick your battles.

The same way you refine any other sensory/measuring thing: trial, error, and refinement. Eventually you will learn the difference between your own 'voice' and God's voice, but it does take a lot of trial & error, and practicing. Sometimes, especially at first, you will get it wrong. But as you learn, you'll get better at telling.

I think we are having a miscommunication here. What you are saying here is such "no duh" I didn't even think that it needed to be stated. I fully except to see lots of different folks whom were lots of Christian faiths in this life (Protestant, LDS, Catholics, Orthodox, etc) in Heaven and worship with them. Abram, what parts about faith in Christ do you find to be the most important? Or rather, second most important (since we already talked about faith in Christ and the atonement).

Proscribed medical stuff is a permissible exception (this was actually talked about earlier in this thread). Obviously you would try to find a different medication that didn't violate the WoW if possible.

I didn't say anything about not seeing each other's glory -- honestly I thought that was such a obvious given I didn't bother to state it.

Hence the critical need to study beliefs (both his and hers). Baptist and LDS Christian views on priesthood are very different. And of course other Protestant groups have beliefs are priesthood which are not like LDS or Baptist.

Different denominations were NOT created because of cultural difference. They were created because people felt so passionately about their beliefs, that they separated groups, even in the face of lethal perscution from others. The differences between even Protestant denominations (say Baptist and Methodist) are real and significant--- differing on fundamentals like even "how is a person saved", "what is the purpose of baptism", "what exactly do we mean when we talk about God's will", etc. I find it to be an absolutely a pity when modern-day folks sitting in those same pews completely disregard that depth and passion of belief as completely not mattering.

@AbramM, I really really would recommend studying & prayer first. You don't seem to realize the differences between all the churches you've been visiting and the different faiths they each teach. Which church you attend should be about faith & relationship with God, not music or sermon style.

They don't especially harmonize with either LDS Christian or conservative Baptist beliefs... things like lesbian clergy rub both groups very much the wrong way in fact.

Community of Christ is neither Protestant Christian nor LDS Christian, so I don't think it will make either of them happy.

Ok, so you don't much about Protestantism either. That's ok. As @prisonchaplain suggested, some serious scripture study and prayer will be very good for both of you -- miraculous even. Your desires here are GREAT, but study & prayer & communication are very much needed. May God ever be with you.

Are you willing to sit down with missionaries and learn about LDS Christian beliefs? Again, even if she converts faiths, LDS Christians will be in your life always, just like Baptists will always be in mine if my husband were to convert.

Again: LDS Christians are not Protestants. If you insist on having a Protestant wife and raising Protestant children teaching the 5 Solas and to recite Creeds, she is not that. If you'd be willing to talk about things with her, and reach an understanding of her background, and a middle ground moving forward, that is possible. You really need to talk with her about this.

Guide verses priest are two different things. My husband is my partner at home, but he is not an ordained priest. He (for one example) cannot bless the Lord's Supper, because he does not have that priesthood authority. I would need to go to a priest for that. LDS Christians do not believe that marriage ends at death. It is an entirely different mindset and level of commitment. I would HIGHLY recommend that you meet with the missionaries yourself and learn about LDS Christian beliefs. Even if your girlfriend converts faiths (which is what you are asking her to do) to be a Protestant, LDS Christians will be part of your life and you need learn love and respect them. Such might also be the catalyst to help you and your girlfriend have the very needed in depth conversations.

Link: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-03-01-joseph-smith-the-prophet-of-the-restoration?lang=eng

@AbramM I do need to be frank here to convey the point. Please don't take this at anything but me speaking forwardly to you, as a person who is literally in an Protestant-LDS marriage. LDS Christians have very specific beliefs about priesthood authority and only acknowledge that line as being authoritative. While I acknowledge that @prisonchaplain is an Assemblies of God chaplain (that's literally his job) and he is my friend, I do not believe that he any valid priesthood authority. As long as my husband is a Baptist, he can NEVER fulfill that role for me. He is my best friend whom I talk with and consult with on everything, but if I need a priesthood blessing he cannot provide, and I need to drive down the street to visit Steve. I noticed that you skipped over my comment about how your marriage will only be a legal contract. Which is a big deal for LDS Christians who believe SO much in family being forever-- those bonds between husband & wife & children continuing on forever is HUGELY important. Your legal contract only last until death. Aka: "girl, I insist we go to church together, but I refuse to accept the beliefs you hold dearly, therefore you must convert to my beliefs". Your girl friend is NOT a Protestant! She (if she holds standard LDS Christian beleifs) does NOT believe in a silent God, but rather a living God who continues to speak and give scripture. That families can be FOREVER, not fleeting legal contracts. She does not uphold the Creeds. She believes prophets walk the earth today. And so many other differences. That strength and convection to her beliefs that you so admire-- do NOT ask her to give that up at all. Either love her as who see is (an LDS Christian) or walk away. We have conversations about the Bible AND Book of Mormon, regardless of who's around. Open and respectful, even when there's disagreements. Your girlfriend is an LDS Christian. Love her (which includes her beliefs) or walk away. You also haven't mentioned her family at all. ...dude, marriage is ALWAYS a lot of work. Even if you marry somebody who sat next to you in the church pews since you were both in diapers.

.... pardon me, but how are you not already railroading that by insisting she attend Protestant church and teach Protestant beliefs to her children? (Note; I hav nothing against doing pre-martial counseling at any church, and do actually recommend that. Myself and Hubby very much enjoyed and profited from our pre-martial counseling at his Baptist church. My concern here is not the 10 weeks counseling but the lifelong marriage.)

@AbramM, I need to be blunt here, and outline some of the complications of being in an inter-faith Protestant-LDS Christian marriage. I'm going to stress that such marriages can work (I'm extremely happily married) but they take a TON of work. Here's some points-- 1) There is no priest in my home. If I were to have married an LDS man, he would be a priest, and he would be able to bless and baptize our children. My Baptist husband is not a priest. So when there is a need for a baptism or formal blessing, I need to turn elsewhere. This does make my feel husband uncomfortable and less of a man. 2) LDS Christians believe marriage can be eternal, if sealed by God. My marriage is not and can never be as long as my husband is a Baptist. For now our marriage is just a legal agreement, not a covenant before God. 3) I take my daughter to church alone vast majority of the time. 4) We do visit each other's church regularly. Yes, he respectfully attend LDS Church even when he does not hold LDS beliefs and respectfully attend Baptist church even when I do not hold Baptists beliefs. 5) For a couple of specific examples of attending other places: we took pre-martial counseling at his church, got married by my bishop (at a friends house), had members of both faiths speak, last Christmas was at his church, last fall social party was at mine, etc. 6) My husband and I have different beliefs on some things. He needs to support & respect me in my faith, even when he disagrees with things. I likewise support & respect him, even when I disagree. Both faiths have areas where the other is considered to be apostates/heretics. 7) Finding common ground to teach our children can be complicated at points. We have much in common, but there are many areas of disagreement. In those area of disagreement, either is free to speak their view, and we explain things. We make it work, but it is work. 8 ) We both have to deal with his Baptist mother-in-law who repeatedly denies my relationship with God, calls me a brainwashed cultist, and lectures hubby on how "you need to man up and make your wife a Christian!". (After which we thenterminate the conversation because her behavior is unacceptable). These are some of the complications of being in an inter-faith marriage. Again, it can work- and we are EXTREMELY happily married, but it is tons of work. I refuse to make my husband choose between me and God. And he refuses to make me choose between him and God. It ONLY works because we do not force that decision and are willing to communicate and find our middle ground. @AbramM, if you are unwilling to communicate and find that middle ground, and instead insist "it's either my way or the highway", then your relationship is doomed for the highway. Your girlfriend is not a Protestant and any forced conversion as a condition of marriage will not last.