Alia

This will be a very unpopular opinion but it's between her and the Lord.

I think you're out of order. Abram has demonstrated that he does know what this means and even if he hasn't managed to demonstrate that to you, that doesn't give you the right to tell him he doesn't know what it means. The impression I have from the posts I have read is that Abram has considered these things before. I think at one point Abram even said he didn't feel comfortable talking about what he believes in this forum and yet when questioned he answered. I don't think it is fair to say he backed away from the questions asked. So it is illogical to conclude that he would back away from asking them. Abram has tried to point out it isn't the "How", it is the belief. Not how the belief is rationalised but what that belief means for his faith. If it is the foundation of his faith as he claims it makes sense that he would want to marry someone who shares that foundation. I don't think he is being judgemental.

@AbramM even though, I disagree with quite a few of your beliefs. I completely understand where you are coming from as I was raised in a Baptist church. Compared to a lot of young Baptists I grew up with and that I know now, you represent your faith so well and I love seeing young people passionate about their faith. It's something that isn't often seen. I'm sure God will provide for you.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4.

I loved backyard bible club but whoever's mom was hosting the final session fixed it so their kid would win something

When I said my brother is a minister of a small congregation I meant sub 100 people

My fave is when they give commentary after the verse. The other day my mom and I were talking about prayer and she goes, "The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. And I love the word much". Or when someone annoys her and her idea of an insult is to passively aggressively say "I'm going to pray for you".

I do miss hanging out with Baptist women they say the funniest things. My mom quotes scripture all the time even for ridiculous things

You're so young Abram. Lots of times to find someone who believes as you do. It's quite a small church, my husband and I are attending a parenting class there at the moment and we are both LDS so there are compromises to be made. Although, I personally wouldn't want to be married to someone of a different faith to me

Abram how old are you? Although, regardless of your age you can meet someone else who shares your beliefs. It isn't small differences in beliefs, my older brother is a minister at a baptist church and whilst we are still close, it isn't the same as when we were both baptists. The 2 faiths are not completely reconcilable so if that is what you are looking for, I recommend you leave your girlfriend.

You seem very committed to your faith, which is a great thing. In my humble opinion from having parents who were of different faiths, inter-faith marriage just doesn't work. I appreciate that it may not seem like an inter-faith marriage because you both go by the name Christian but it is.

Well whether you marry her or not, I tend to think you shouldn't. I doubt that you will be bachelor till the rapture.

My older brother used to say this all the time, I made a bet with him he would be married by the time he is 25 he got married at 21. Baptist moms are something else.

You are a Baptist through and through 🤣

Potentially. I would say the Baptist gospel is a simple message. Personally, I found truth in the LDS church but I completely understand how alien the beliefs seem to someone who has grown up in the Baptist church.

Yes as I am LDS I have a different view to Abram but I do understand where he is coming from. I used to be a Baptist and despite my dad being LDS my mom always kept me apart from it, when I first heard about the beliefs whilst at college it was like information overload. The Baptist gospel is simple, the LDS gospel was a minefield.

On a side note my mom is a Baptist and my dad was an inactive LDS. When he became active again they divorced quite soon after. I know it appears that the religions can be comprisable and compatible but I don't think they are.

Do you believe it necessary for salvation? I think is what Abram is getting at. I grew up in Baptist church and it was never taught that you had to be baptised to be saved.

I think you can and should find ways to reassure her with your actions. Invite her to go to church with you, sure she will probably say no but at least she will feel included. Don't hang around after church too much on a Sunday go and see your girlfriend. Introduce her to some of your friends from church, she probably feels like you have a whole other life she knows nothing about and I am sure that upsets her. Anyway don't just accept the status quo actively do things to demonstrate you being a member of the church isn't taking you away from her or the baby and they can be included even if your girlfriend doesn't subscribe to the beliefs.

Regardless of whether he marries her, he needs to address his girlfriend's feelings. He obviously cares for her so he should listen to her concerns and try to reassure her. It sounds as if they will be coparenting so best for them to get on the same page sooner rather than later. Junior you need to address this with her at some point. I have been in a similar position with my brother as he is of a different faith and it was hard for him to accept my new beliefs and the way I lived out my faith. You need to get to the bottom of why she dislikes you being a member of the church. Is it because she feels you being a member impacts your relationship with her in a way she doesn't like? Or does she simply dislike the church in general maybe because she misunderstands the beliefs. Either way you have to address it for both of your sakes. My parents were of different faiths and there was never any contention. It is possible...

And you're okay with that?

She should pray for your child too, it will help her to relax and trust in God to keep the baby safe. You shouldn't need your girlfriend's permission to pray for your child ...

It is good to worry, lots can go wrong and she should be on alert for potential dangers. I remember when my son was a few months old and I saw on the news a toddler pulled over a chest of drawers and was crushed to death. I freaked out and had my husband remove any furniture that could easily be pulled over. Looking back now it was a tad extreme but my maternal instincts kicked in. I now realise probably because I leave my son most days that I can't remove every danger from him but if you pray over your child then you will trust that they are safe.

Hi @Junior I was exactly like your girlfriend. I wanted all new things for the baby and I bought expensive items with the mindset of these won't collapse, a wheel won't fall off etc. I can say that half of the things I bought I never used. I was also like your girlfriend in that I constantly worried about things going wrong, I really needed my husband to reassure me that the cot wasn't going to collapse. It sounds to me like you need to be the voice of reason to her, she won't always thank you for trying to reassure her but it is kinder than indulging her worrying, you've got to balance her emotions out. With regards to an $800 stroller I think mine cost around $700 but it is a stroller and a carseat. So perhaps you could compromise with your girlfriend and purchase an expensive stroller that doubles up as a car seat, so you don't have to buy a car seat too. I sort of agree with your girlfriend that second hand just doesn't feel as clean as new but a baby monitor set doesn't need to be as clean as a new set. The baby should never come into contact with it. I was naive when my son was born and I am still naive now. Being a parent is a journey no one is totally prepared and no one is an expert. That's so sweet, you sound totally committed to your baby which is the most important thing.

I don't know if I am ready to spend 2 hours at church. I am only just getting used to going to church again