Getting re-baptised???

[Lost_one]

Im an ex-communicated member of the church. I know that i will have to wait at least a year or two before i will get re-baptized, But my question is. Who will make the final call? I dont mean Heavenly Father here, i know it will be him that ultimatly makes the call. I mean, is it my Bishop, Stake Prez or someone even higher up?

Thanks for the help.

[bytor2112]

I believe you will have to be interviewed by a General Authority. I hope it works out for you.:)

[beefche]

When my friend was re-baptized a few years ago, she had to meet with a General Authority prior to baptism. She had been an endowed member, so I'm not sure if that had something to do with it. After baptism when she wanted to go to the temple again, that took about 2 years and she had to meet with another General Authority before her temple recommend could be issued.

[beefche]

Work with your bishop and stake president. They will help you get the proper authorization to receive baptism.

[Maya]

If you been excommunicated you have to go to talk with your bishop if you want back. He will take the matter up to stake then yopu talk with the stakepresident. Then he will send your request up to the higher hmisphere... and then the answer will come to him later. Bishop or stakepresident may tell you yiou have to attend Church regulary for a year before they even send it on. Then it can take a few months before the answer comes.

Hugs! And good luck it is a long way but every step on the way it is worth it!:)

[Lost_one]

Thanks guys. That was most helpful. Hugs John

I know this is going to sound really stupid, But what is a general authority and is there any in the UK?

Edited March 19, 2009 by Lost_one

[Hemidakota]

When my friend was re-baptized a few years ago, she had to meet with a General Authority prior to baptism. She had been an endowed member, so I'm not sure if that had something to do with it. After baptism when she wanted to go to the temple again, that took about 2 years and she had to meet with another General Authority before her temple recommend could be issued.

Due to the former endowment.

[pam]

That's the way I've understood it as well. A Stake President can approve if a member has not been endowed. A General Authority has to approve a formerly endowed person.

[Hemidakota]

Thanks guys. That was most helpful. Hugs John

I know this is going to sound really stupid, But what is a general authority and is there any in the UK?

Elder Robert C. Oaks, [1st Councilor] Elder Erich W. Kopischke, and [2nd Councilor] Elder Gerald Causse

[pam]

Lost in answer to your question about what are General Authorities. This would be like the Quorum of the Twelve as an example: Here is an exerpt from a talk about what their responsibilities are.

Now let me outline briefly some of the activities of the Twelve. The Council of the Twelve is responsible for all the ecclesiastical matters of the Church under the direction of the First Presidency. It has the responsibility of overseeing all the administration of the ecclesiastical affairs of the Church carried on by members of the First Quorum of the Seventy. It has the responsibility of scheduling stake conferences throughout the Church and making assignments to the General Authorities to attend these different conferences, which are held weekly throughout the year except in July.

All of the General Authorities strive diligently to prepare themselves to use the programs provided for the Saturday evening meeting and general session on Sunday so as to motivate the people throughout the Church to better living. They meet with the stake presidencies and the stake officers and discuss with them the progress they have made and ways and means of doing better. General Authorities are required to leave their families for at least two and sometimes three or four days to two weeks in order to fill conference assignments, tour missions, and so on.

The Council of the Twelve also has the responsibility of planning seminars for new mission presidents and seminars once a year for the Regional Representatives. They are responsible for overseeing the work throughout the whole Church as it pertains to the ecclesiastical program. (As you will note, I later describe the work the First Presidency does with the Twelve at their Thursday and other meetings.) The Twelve also meet regularly to hear the reports of the other General Authorities who have been out to stake conferences and discuss ways of improving the administration.

LDS.org - Liahona Article - Administration of the Restored Church

[beefche]

Elder Robert C. Oaks, [1st Councilor] Elder Erich W. Kopischke, and [2nd Councilor] Elder Gerald Causse

Just to clarify after pammy's post: These are not members of the 12 Apostles. These men are members of the Seventy.

Edited March 19, 2009 by pam
Misspelled my name. hahaha

[pam]

You are right. I was just using the Twelve as an example. There are others that are considered to be General Authorities.

[Michael_Newman]

Im an ex-communicated member of the church. I know that i will have to wait at least a year or two before i will get re-baptized, But my question is. Who will make the final call? I dont mean Heavenly Father here, i know it will be him that ultimatly makes the call. I mean, is it my Bishop, Stake Prez or someone even higher up?

Thanks for the help.

I wish you well on your new journey. Regardless of who you will meet with and what the first outcome is for the approval, you will be baptized again at some point - whether it be when you expect it, hope for it, or many, many more years.

Your life is an eternal quest, so just keep in mind that you are going to start acting like a worthy member from this day forward. You can attend the majority of activities starting this week. You can volunteer for many more services than what some LDS choose not to. (Make sure you ask your bishop what he would restrict you from, but I am thinking there is much for you to do).

If you lost your church membership in another ward, then your new ward may be a fresh start. If not, you have many options to choose from.

I suspect you may have made a hasty decision to have your name removed before. Stay close to your priesthood training classes, and you will gain such a testimony of the great work ahead - there will never be a doubt. Understanding all of the doctrines of our church is similar to obtaining several PhD's. It takes several years, which is explains why many of us remain "students".

All my best,

Michael

LINK: Miracle of Forgiveness - By the Prophet Spencer W Kimball

(First Prophet Book I read as a new convert)

[pam]

I suspect you may have made a hasty decision to have your name removed

I don't see where he said he chose to have his name removed.

[Lost_one]

I suspect you may have made a hasty decision to have your name removed before.

While i have had a turbulant time of it and had wanted to leave the church many times, im fully aware that that is down to my mental health problems and has nothing to do with the church itself. It was just easy to blame the church, rather than accept my own short comings. I was ex-communicated because i commited adultery, which again is very much down to my mental health issues. Im not saying this to shift blame. I am fully responsable for my ex-communication. Im also fully resposable for my return to full membership.

[OtterPop]

Lost One, I hope you are getting good treatment for your mental-health problems.

Michael Newman, although the effect (as I understand it) in terms LDS church policy/doctrine is the same, asking to have one's name removed and being excommunicated are not the same thing. It's like the difference between being fired from versus quitting a job. Either way, you're not an employee and you don't get benefits -- but the process is really different.

[Hemidakota]

While i have had a turbulant time of it and had wanted to leave the church many times, im fully aware that that is down to my mental health problems and has nothing to do with the church itself. It was just easy to blame the church, rather than accept my own short comings. I was ex-communicated because i commited adultery, which again is very much down to my mental health issues. Im not saying this to shift blame. I am fully responsable for my ex-communication. Im also fully resposable for my return to full membership.

Remember Lost, when you are baptized again, all that will be washed away...

[Maya]

You prpbably need to talk only with your bishop and stakepresident... endowned or not. Anyway that is how it is done here. It may be different, if you been opponent to the church. But the yes comes from the authorities in a letter to the stakepresident, at least for endowned people.

I did not see there were more on the thread.... adultery.. you may bee back sooner than you think!

Edited March 20, 2009 by Maya

[Lost_one]

I hope so Maya. :)

[RangerPrincess]

I didn't know you could get re-baptized at all! How cool is that!!

[Lost_one]

I didn't know you could get re-baptized at all! How cool is that!!

As far as my understanding of it. When i was ex-communicated, everything was taken away. Baptizm in the LDS church is basicly becoming a member of the church. When i was ex'ed i lost that membership, it became null and void. So its as though i was never a member at all. Well thats how i explain it to myself. Im probably way off.

[Hemidakota]

I wish you well on your new journey. Regardless of who you will meet with and what the first outcome is for the approval, you will be baptized again at some point - whether it be when you expect it, hope for it, or many, many more years.

Your life is an eternal quest, so just keep in mind that you are going to start acting like a worthy member from this day forward. You can attend the majority of activities starting this week. You can volunteer for many more services than what some LDS choose not to. (Make sure you ask your bishop what he would restrict you from, but I am thinking there is much for you to do).

If you lost your church membership in another ward, then your new ward may be a fresh start. If not, you have many options to choose from.

I suspect you may have made a hasty decision to have your name removed before. Stay close to your priesthood training classes, and you will gain such a testimony of the great work ahead - there will never be a doubt. Understanding all of the doctrines of our church is similar to obtaining several PhD's. It takes several years, which is explains why many of us remain "students".

All my best,

Michael

LINK: Miracle of Forgiveness - By the Prophet Spencer W Kimball

(First Prophet Book I read as a new convert)

Love the art work on the CD cover.

[Hemidakota]

As far as my understanding of it. When i was ex-communicated, everything was taken away. Baptizm in the LDS church is basicly becoming a member of the church. When i was ex'ed i lost that membership, it became null and void. So its as though i was never a member at all. Well thats how i explain it to myself. Im probably way off.

Part of the process of being excommunication is not punishment but rather helping the member to achieve membership again. I know the hardship and humiliation it can bring but it is a form of salvation for those who desire to come back. Remember the three witnesses of the Gold Plates? Harris, Cowdery, and Whitmer. Each were excommunicated for one reason or another, each did return and assume there position before the Savior and Joseph Smith.

When we look at the soul of man, he is the greatest instrument in the world. It is capable of producing the sweetest music, the richest and loveliest chords. It is more sensitive than the finest Stradivarius. When properly attuned, it becomes the instrument of the Master and when He plays upon it, the harmonies are so divinely sweet and tender that the hosts of heaven stop to listen. The same instrument in the hands of the enemy of righteousness produces terrifying results and fearful discords.

The objective of the priesthood leaders is to lift the human soul from him who delights in discord and prepare it for the Master's touch. It is the duty of those who work with adult members to consider each soul, each fine instrument, to brush from it the dust of despair and procrastination; to take away the strings of doubt, fear, envy, and jealousy with their resultant discords and replace them with those of faith, hope, humility, and love; to adjust the tuning keys of prayer, service, and diligence, that the soul may be in perfect attunement and then to put it in the hands of the Savior, its rightful owner.

When the soul of man is in tune, the Master's touch produces magic strains of divine music which lifts it and guides it upward to exaltation in the kingdom of God.

There are many noble instruments awaiting the loving service of you who are the Lord’s Priesthood bearers. You are the master tuners. Great souls await your loving ministrations that the Master may play upon them the beautiful harmonies of life. [paraphrasing from the Improvement Era. July, No. 7, 1951]

[Lost_one]

That was really nice.

[Maya]

I didn't know you could get re-baptized at all! How cool is that!!

Yes that is what Jeus did for us. He made it possible for us to get back to our Hevenly father. In Gods eyes all sins are equally bad. All sins separates us from God.

When you are excommunicated you loose all, your member ship and your endownements, you are just errased from the files as if you did not exict or ever had excisted. When you are rebabtized you get it all back again even the endownements and Temple marriages, but you have to wait a year or so to get back to the Temple.