Help me please!!!!!

[ldsconvert122]

I am a fairly recent convert to the church. I was raised a southern baptist. My family is still very active baptist. I am 21. I am having lots of problems with them. They believe that i have been "brain washed." I currently waiting on a mission call. I need help with my parents, anyone have any advice for me?

[pam]

Stick to your plans and pray alot that their hearts will be softened. Only advise I can give.

[teddyk]

Yes, someone will be here to help, plzz wait I am not the one for it, he is a sleep, he is LDS I am not, I know the LDS people on this site care about it plzz stay on-line, its worth it, as my Grandson would say, he has went thru the exact thing and has come through it with flying colors, he is in good stead with the lord. I know this site is helpfull, my Grandson said so, so whilst you wait please go to the fun threads an play a game for just a few seconds.

You sound really bummed you should listen, I'm very experienced for my age.God bless you,hope this will help a bit, help will come, God speed bro.

Edited December 18, 2008 by teddyk

[bmy-]

Talk with them. I went through the same thing ~7 months ago. [Joined the church end of March]

Show them that you're intelligent and capable of making your own decisions. Act mature.. be mature.. and be respectful. My conversation with my crying mother ended up with her laughing her butt off.

Many times they're woried about being excluded. All members can see how easily it happens.. it's a very real danger to them. The idea of not getting to see their child married because they'll likely be in the temple is heart breaking.. I for one promised my mother I would get a civil marriage before I entered the temple for that ordinance.

YMMV and good luck. Remember -- Be sincere and respectful!

[teddyk]

Hi again convert :) see, talk to bmy he is a treasure, and he's cool, reminds me of my wonderfull Grandson, you guys talk, I'll butt out, I'll be watching tho keep your chin up.

[bmy-]

Hi again convert :) see, talk to bmy he is a treasure, and he's cool, reminds me of my wonderfull Grandson, you guys talk, I'll butt out, I'll be watching tho keep your chin up.

Cool.. I dunno

I was bummed all day yesterday because it was the last day of my Chemistry II class. I reek of nerd

[ldsconvert122]

yea i am attending Southern virginia university, a small lds school no one knew existed in virginia, my parents are freaking out once again, they were doing better, but it is as if a switch just flipped

Edited December 18, 2008 by ldsconvert122

[bmy-]

yea i am attending Southern virginia university, a small lds school no one knew existed in virginia, my parents are freaking out once again, they were doing better, but it is as if a switch just flipped

Mind giving me some information on exactly 'which' parts they are freaking out about? Any specific arguments they have against the Church? Polite debunking might go a long way.. and i'm in a position to help you with it.

[ldsconvert122]

um, well, the main ones would be the trinity, they think we believe salvation is earned through works, they believe that we believe everything the anti mormon teaches, they are way deep into the anti mormon,

[bmy-]

um, well, the main ones would be the trinity, they think we believe salvation is earned through works, they believe that we believe everything the anti mormon teaches, they are way deep into the anti mormon,

Make your own decisions.. i'm just here to offer you advice.

Do not let it turn into an argument. Try not to let emotions get the best of you.. and hope they follow your lead.

Trinity:

We are created in the image of God. That being said.. it's hard to imagine the Trinity let alone imagine what it would look like. That's my sticking point with the Trinity.

In effect we do believe in the trinity. We simply believe it's 3 seperate beings working towards the same cause. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing.. for instance.. in Mormon doctrine infants that die go to 'Heaven'. The same can't be said about the Bible (without stretching a rather vague story about David).

Anti-Mormon:

Make sure they know that the stuff is taken out of context for the most part. There are legitimate complaints and possible issues with our Church. Let's be fair here and realize that every church has outspoken critics who enjoy making it look bad.

Who are they going to trust.. their son or a run of the mill website? If they want to know what we believe ask them to read the articles of faith -- it's summed up elegantly. I've never met someone who didn't admire those articles.

Edited December 18, 2008 by bmy-

[MormonGirl28]

I am sorry that you are having such a difficult time with your family about the church.

My dad is not lds and sometimes it can be hard for me trying to explain to him why going to mutual and firesides is important to me.

If you need a friend to talk to you can count on me.

[ldsconvert122]

thanks, anyone else have a situation like this? what worked for you? how do you gain acceptance?

[Traveler]

um, well, the main ones would be the trinity, they think we believe salvation is earned through works, they believe that we believe everything the anti mormon teaches, they are way deep into the anti mormon,

Those that learned of Jesus from the Pharisees were willing to have Jesus put to death. Ask them how they would feel about someone learning about the Baptist from an agnostic of Jehovah Witness? If someone desires to learn of Mormons it is dishonest to not to include a Mormon in the learning process. In the Bible the question is asked if even the law should judge a man without listening to him speak first. Those that judge the Mormons without talking to a Mormon are not believers in Christ or the Bible.

All that said noting will convince you parents more than an example. How you live is much more important than what you say.

The Traveler

[Cra-Z]

Well, I don't have any brilliant insight, but I was thinking that this is a great experience to prepare you for your mission as you are having to deal with a lot of criticism for what you believe in.

Keep doin' what you're doin' man, you're gonna rock.

Pray.

[The_Seeker]

thanks, anyone else have a situation like this? what worked for you? how do you gain acceptance?

I am. When I was investigating the church I tried to keep my Mom abreast of what I was doing and some of the things I was learning. To my surprise, she seemed pretty supportive of my studying. I think now that she was hoping it would just be a "phase" I was going through -- that I would take what I felt I needed from Mormon doctrine and move on.

When I told her I wanted to get baptized, she kinda blew up, which caught me by surprise. I invited her to my baptism, but she told me in no uncertain terms that she didn't agree with what I was doing and couldn't in good conscience lend her support by attending.

At this point (about a year later) we have a slightly uneasy truce. I occasionally still attend church or Sunday School with my Mom, but I find I feel more and more uncomfortable there. I still try to answer any questions she asks me about my beliefs or Church structure, but I don't bring up the topic myself because I don't want to start an argument. I'm hoping that over time my Mom will see that the Church is making a positive change in my life and not a negative one, but I realize that it isn't going to happen overnight.

Other family members have been a little more supportive. My stepdad, who does not attend any church, has stood up for me a couple of times and overall seems slightly amused at my conversion. My grandmother, who lives in another state, doesn't seem bothered by it at all. The last time I talked to her, all she said was, "Well, at least it isn't the Jehovah's Witnesses!" (I was a JW for a few years in my teens.)

I guess the only advice that I can give is not to let yourself be dragged into arguments. I learned that the hard way when I was a Witness, and I'm trying my best not to repeat that mistake. Arguing only makes things worse. Remember your family members are not your enemies, they are only worried about you and the destiny of your immortal soul.

Also, any change of heart they have will probably take a long time. Don't expect immediate results.

Sorry to ramble on so long, I tend to do that sometimes. Best of luck on your upcoming mission.