Question regarding Baptists

[KelleyMc]

I am an LDS member going to a Southern Baptist school. My best friend of ten years is Baptist (and my suite-mate). I've noticed some things though that I've wondered about.

Why don't they dance? (my friend defines dancing as not having at least one foot on the floor. Not sure if she was joking...)

They seem to use being saved as a catch all and don't seem to think repentance is important. Is this true of their beliefs?

Some feel that swearing jokingly is ok (such as the quote from mean girls: "Boo you wh*re")

What exactly is "Being saved"? They don't seem to think Baptism is important either...

Are these just my imagination, just these specific people or their church as a whole?

[WmLee]

There are different thoughts on these topics by most Baptist. I recall from my religion class that just as with the Catholic, (Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox etc.) Baptist has different thoughts or practices. I have found LDS members have different thoughts and practices. I’ve been to homes where there is no TV on Sunday and everyone stays in Sunday dress all day. I knew one family that walked to church each Sunday so they wouldn’t be encouraging anyone to work on Sunday, (gas for the car, emergency people for accidents). Some LDS believe that from the Word of Wisdom “hot drink” was meant for coffee, yet Pepsi or Coke are okay. Some households prepare all food for Sunday on Saturday so there is no cooking or anything on Sunday while others go out to dinner on Sunday so the wife has a day of rest.

Now, who is right? All LDS and believe what they do is correct. Why don’t you ask?

[havejoy]

I grew up in a Baptist family although we didn't attend church very often. All the relatives went every week and much more during the summer. I remember my aunt hearing about a guy who had murdered someone in a contract killing. Her response was "Thank God, he's saved". I asked her about it and she told me she had been at the church the night he had come up for 'alter call' and then had attended his baptism when he was 12 years old. She told me that he had accepted Christ as his savior and that he was saved and once saved it cannot be taken from him.

[havejoy]

My Baptist grandma told me dancing is a sin because it leads to sex.

[beefche]

Kelley, why don't you ask your friend these questions? Since it's her beliefs that you are questioning, then the best source would be your friend, herself.

I find that when I apporach a friend with questions about religion, if I remain in a non-accusing manner (tone, stance, facial expressions) that it goes well. I'm not trying to convince them of anything, but rather just trying to understand.

I would suggest sometime when you are alone with her to simply say, "hey, I have some questions about your beliefs. What does it mean to you to be saved?" And then let the questions go from there. She may ask about your beliefs, but again, don't answer as a way to convert or convince her, but rather as a way to share information.

[KeithLBrown]

I was born and raised Baptist. Within the Baptist faith there are several sects. Depending on which sect one is a member of will determine their basic beliefs about things. As for dancing, I never found anything wrong with it, nor was I taught that there was anything particularly wrong with dancing. However, I was not raised as a Southern Baptist. I would have been probably referred to as a Fundamentalist Baptist. Now, as far as swearing jokingly, sad to say I know some LDS that use certain words quite frequently. Personally, I don't believe intelligent people need to ever use such language -- but that is my opinion. As far as the issue of salvation is concerned, there are many schools of thought on this among the Baptists. That is something you will want to ask your friend about as for what her definition of salvation is. And, as far as baptism, Baptist believe in baptism by immersion. In fact the Greek word for baptism comes from baptizo which means to put under and the same root gives us our word Baptist. Again, I was a Fundamentalist Baptist not a Southern Baptist. There are some differences and you will need to ask your friend about her particular beliefs.

Edited December 2, 2009 by KeithLBrown

[KelleyMc]

Kelley, why don't you ask your friend these questions? Since it's her beliefs that you are questioning, then the best source would be your friend, herself.

I tried to talk her about it but she hasn't really explained any of it.

[Just_A_Guy]

My Baptist grandma told me dancing is a sin because it leads to sex.

As opposed to some other religions that frown on sex because it leads to dancing.

[KelleyMc]

I was born and raised Baptist. Within the Baptist faith there are several sects. Depending on which sect one is a member of will determine their basic beliefs about things. As for dancing, I never found anything wrong with it, nor was I taught that there was anything particularly wrong with dancing. However, I was not raised as a Southern Baptist. I would have been probably referred to as a Fundamentalist Baptist. Now, as far as swearing jokingly, sad to say I know some LDS that use certain words quite frequently. Personally, I don't believe intelligent people need to ever use such language -- but that is my opinion. As far as the issue of salvation is concerned, there are many schools of thought on this among the Baptists. That is something you will want to ask your friend about as for what her definition of salvation is. And, as far as baptism, Baptist believe in baptism by immersion. In fact the Greek word for baptism comes from baptizo which means to put under and the same root gives us our word Baptist. Again, I was a Fundamentalist Baptist not a Southern Baptist. There are some differences and you will need to ask your friend about her particular beliefs.

Thank you for this, I will try asking her again. Perhaps now, with this information, I can have a better way of knowing WHAT to ask.

[AnthonyB]

KelleyMc,

Some churches see dancing as possibly leading to inappropriate behaviour, have you ever seen Salsa or Rhumba. I went to a AOG church for a number of years, where people on Sundays would happily "jump" around in praise of God but any form of social dancing was forbidden. I don't have a problem with dancing in general but there are some forms of dance which I wouldn't do because they are just too suggestive.

For Baptists generally, salvation is by "faith alone", therefore anything that appears to be added to faith in need to be saved makes them think your adding works. They are very concerned not to add any works and therefore can appear to diminish the importance both confession, repentance and baptism but in practice they have generally held these things to be important, just secondary to faith.

Being saved means having a personal faith in Jesus or being born again. It is this that makes you right with God and all the rest then flows from this. If your truly born again, then you should at some stage start evidencing that birth.

Of course you'll say that faith has to be more then just a mental ascent to some facts and Baptist will generally agree with you. But their concern to maintain that no works can be any way involved with salvation makes them very wary to add any physical act like baptism to the salvation process.

[KelleyMc]

Thank you Anthony B. This helps me to see where she is coming from much better.

I am still very curious as to what I've heard the students refer to as "Rhythmic movement", which is what they call what I would call dancing but both feet are on the ground.

Is this a common difference?

[prisonchaplain]

KelleyMc,

Some churches see dancing as possibly leading to inappropriate behaviour, have you ever seen Salsa or Rhumba. I went to a AOG church for a number of years, where people on Sundays would happily "jump" around in praise of God but any form of social dancing was forbidden. I don't have a problem with dancing in general but there are some forms of dance which I wouldn't do because they are just too suggestive.

I've heard that circa 1950s the AoG and Pentecostals in general, were more restrictive than even the Baptists. Thus one Christian comedian's quip, "Repent and be Baptist, for all have fallen short of the Assemblies of God." FYI: That was a long time ago, and those holiness codes are nowhere near what they once were.

[Guest mormonmusic]

When I was in my searching mode, trying to find the truth, I was going to school at a university that also had a program for Anglicans to become pastors.

At the request of my father, one senior student there recognized I was searching, and asked me to sit down and read the scriptures. This led to him encouraging me to accept Jesus by saying the sinners's prayer. He told me to bow my head, and then repeat the words "Jesus, I accept you as my Lord and Savior and repent of my sins" (or similar words, it was short, and 20 years ago, so the exact wording excapes me). After I said he Amen, he ran around to the other side of the table, where I was sitting, put his arm around me and shouted "Congratulations Brother, you've been born again -- you're saved!!!". And then he started sort of shaking me in his excitement.

The problem was, we were in the library, and it was pretty full, so everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me as I sat there, newly saved, with this students' arm around me. I was actually kind of embarrassed. Afterwards, I didn't feel any different either, so I'm not sure if by anyone' s standards I was actually saved. I mean, I said the prayer, and I also believed he was my Lord and Savior, and definitely wanted to repent of my sins.

If I was, and then joined the LDS Church like I did, does it mean I'm still saved even after getting baptized a Mormon? This might help everyone feel better if the answer is "yes', particularly if being saved is something that can't be taken away, according to non-LDS standards....

[Guest mormonmusic]

KelleyMc,

Of course you'll say that faith has to be more then just a mental ascent to some facts and Baptists will generally agree with you. But their concern to maintain that no works can be any way involved with salvation makes them very wary to add any physical act like baptism to the salvation process.

I have a question about this -- as this has come up many times when I've spoken to people about the faith-works issue.

I usually ask the question -- after accepting Jesus as my personal Savior, can I then go out and fornicate, murder and do other bad things, and still feel confident that I have salvation? They usually reply -"if you're doing those things, then you're not saved".

This to me has always seemed to be a circular argument -- that salvation has nothing to do with works, but that good works are evidence of being saved. The second part of what I wrote (good works are evidence of being saved), negates the first half (salvation has nothing to do with works).