If you are the only Church member in your family...


danceinthedark
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Both my husbad and I are members, my husband a life long memeber along with his whole family...I am a recent convert. My family is Lutheran. I have a hard time being different from my family...especially because of Temples and the WOW. I think when it comes down to it that is the hardest part of my conversion..being different from my parents and brother, I love them and respect the faith that I was raised in. My parents are very respectfull of my decision and are not the source of why I feel bad about joining the church...anybody else in a similar situation? Thoughts? I already am starting to feel bad that they wont be able to see our son be sealed...and he is only 2!

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I am the only member on my side of the family. My husband has been a member all his life and his whole family are members. I sometimes feel like I have drifted away from my family because they are not religious at all and do not live by the same morals that I do. My family drinks and smokes and since I have quit doing such things I really feel out of place around them. When my husband and I were sealed I did not tell my mom because I thought she would think that it was strange and I did not want her to down on my day. My SIL is also a convert and was sealed to her husband the same day my husband and I were sealed.(Very cool I know!) Her family even though they are not members came all the way to DC (we live in NC) to go to their sealing. Obviously her family was not allowed in the temple but they were able to sit in the beautiful lounge area and feel the spirit. Looking back on it I wish that I would of at least invited my mom and my family. In the family pictures we took at the temple my family is the only one missing. I would encourage you to include your family as much as you can and even invite them when you guys go to the temple. Most larger temples have a visitors center or a very nice waiting area. It is good that your family is supportive of your decision to be member or the Church and to raise your children in your faith. Maybe your son being sealed to you will be a example to them on the blessing of eternal families and they will want the same for themselves. Good luck!

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I'm lucky that my parents and brother are members, but nobody else in our extended family are members (everyone is atheist, so we get a lot of flak for our belief in God in general, and even moreso for being Mormon.) When I got married, relations were extremely strained for a while because of being unable to come into the temple.

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Both my husbad and I are members, my husband a life long memeber along with his whole family...I am a recent convert. My family is Lutheran. I have a hard time being different from my family...especially because of Temples and the WOW. I think when it comes down to it that is the hardest part of my conversion..being different from my parents and brother, I love them and respect the faith that I was raised in. My parents are very respectfull of my decision and are not the source of why I feel bad about joining the church...anybody else in a similar situation? Thoughts? I already am starting to feel bad that they wont be able to see our son be sealed...and he is only 2!

That is a difficult path to say the least..

Stay strong and faithful, God shall bless thee, and yoour family will also be blessed for your rightiousness.

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Try being the only Mormon in a very close-knit family of Catholics. My mother still sends donations to the Carmelite sisters to pray for my "salvation"...

I still attend baptisms, first communions, weddings, and even regular Sunday services at the Catholic church. I get the wierd look from everybody within the vicinity when they have to step over me to take communion. Man, even just regular prayer before meals - when everybody makes the sign of the cross and we don't. Especially when my kids' cousins tell them - hey, make the sign of the cross! And my kids go - we don't know how to do that, and their cousins try to teach them, and my kids go - that's too much trouble... starting the kids argument.

But, it's all good. I love my family, they love me, we just concentrate on the common things between us and gloss over the differences.

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I'm the only member in my family a all - let's just say I have a ton of family work to do. I'm a college student right now and joined the church my freshman year, and I'm now a junior - so two plus years ago. It's really hard for me when I go home because everyone there is of a different faith and a lot of them are mormon-bashers. I think it's a really strong testimony and faith builder though because of everything it takes to stand-up for what I know is true. When I bring up things such as possibly going on a mission or temple marriage, my family goes crazy because they don't understand it. One motto that I have come to live by that I heard at the most recent Stake Conference is to sacrifice the temporal for the eternal. That has helped me so such when it comes to discussing things like that and when I get discouraged.

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I have lots of Catholics in my in-law side, and I just embrace their religious culture as much as they embrace mine. I have been to the Los Angeles Cathedral many times, as well as the Cathedral of the Madeline in Salt Lake. I don't mind if they bring a bottle of wine to a party, and they know I will be drinking Diet Coke at their events. Show respect for their beliefs, and they will have more respect for yours.

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Good evening, what I can read here is interessant. in the future, I shall have embraced this belief and I shall thus be the only one, my close relations are detractors and will make everything, I think to get back. I do not wish that it takes place badly between us..

it's not perfect...argh, difficult very difficult....

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Michael,

From my point of view, it's not the worthiness or righteousness issue that keeps non-LDS from getting into the temple, but the covenants one should make and keep to enter into it. There are covenants you have to make and keep before you can enter the temple, like the baptismal covenants. I'm sure there are a lot of LDS who make the covenants but do not keep them always, even after they have been into the temple. It's up the person and to God's representatives here on Earth to determine if he/she is keeping the covenants he/she made with God at baptism, and in the temple. So to me, the so-called worthiness/righteousness interview is really to remind me to search my soul if I am still keeping my part of bargain in the covenants I made with Heavenly Father so I can continue to enter the temple.

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Thanks gomspal. Please forgive me but I'm just a simple minded Ga boy and still don't really understand. The Baptismal covenants, are they that much different than ones made when a person is Baptized say at a Baptist church? And the "God's representatives", who are they? Please don't take my questions as being disrespectful or in any way trying to rebuke or anything like that. I am truly just tryng to understand the real reason and I guess it will take someone breaking it down in simple terms so I can get it. In my simple mind I just don't understand why any church or temple would actually turn a person around who honestly and truthfully were there to worship or to respectfully witness a very important ceremony especially that a loved one like a son or daughter is having like Baptism or being married. I attended my son being Baptized at our local stake and it was awesome. I realize the temples are the supreme sacred places but I still don't understand what would be the harm in allowing non-LDS bloodkin to observe huge spiritual events in our family members life. Sorry for being so simple minded but that's just me.

Edited by MichaelCraig
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Thanks gomspal. Please forgive me but I'm just a simple minded Ga boy and still don't really understand. The Baptismal covenants, are they that much different than ones made when a person is Baptized say at a Baptist church? And the "God's represetatives", who are they? Please don't take my questions as being disrespectful or in any way trying to rebuke or anything like that. I am truly just tryng to understand the real reason and I guess it will take someone breaking it down in simple terms so I can get it. In my simple mind I just don't understand why any church or temple would actually turn a person around who honestly and truthfully were there to worship or to respectfully witness a very important ceremony especially that a loved one like a son or daughter is having like Baptism or being married. I attended my son being Baptized at our local stake and it was awesome. I realize the temples are the supreme sacred places but I still don't understand what would be the harm in allowing non-LDS bloodkin to observe huge spiritual events in our family members life. Sorry for being so simple minded but that's just me.

The temples I think are meant to be more like heaven then anyother places on earth. In heaven, we learn no unclean thing or person is allowed to enter. Can you imagine if the ruling went out that anyone can enter these temples after dedication. You can only imagine.

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I joined the Church 5 years ago after my children were grown. The hardest part for me is the divide it has put between me and my children. It's hard to find any common ground. My two older sisters joined the Church while they were in their teens -- being the only members. I hated how we could not relate to eachother. I hated how they were so close and I was always left out. It's easier now to look back and see why all that happened between us. They were loving and not judgmental and the divide was on our separate belief systems. I was very much 'of the world' in my thinking. I'm glad that they never broke on their beliefs!! They were a great example and helped me accept the Church when I FINALLY saw the light, so to speak.

When it comes to my children I'm now on the side that my sisters were on with me. It's much harder having this division with my children than it was with my sisters. I cry often, and I pray often about this. My sisters were great examples to me by staying strong in their faith and I finally came around -- maybe, hopefully, that will eventually happen with my children.

My advice is stay strong and be a good example. It sounds like you have a loving family as did my sisters. My sisters had to go through their sealings without our parents present and I know that was hard for them but their strength in continuing to do what is right has brought blessings to all of us. My parents (who are now deceased) have had their work done and the day when I was sealed to my husband my sisters were present for that and we were then sealed to our parents. It was a glorious day! These blessings don't always happen the way that we would like them to, but when the blessings do come, the wait was worth it.

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I don't know about covenants made at baptism in other churches but in the LDS Church, we have to: 1. Take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ (be a member in His Church) 2. Always remember Him 3. Keep His commandments 4. Endure to the end. These are the covenants we make when we get baptized.

The God's representatives for us as LDS are our bishops and Stake Presidents who interview us to determine if we are still keeping the covenants we made at baptism as well as the covenants we made when we entered the temple.

In the LDS Church, all chapels are open to everyone who wants to attend the service or any function being held in it. But in the temple, not even all LDS members can enter there, but ONLY those who can tell themselves and God's representatives that they are KEEPING their covenants.

You said you attended your son's baptism. Your son signified, when he got baptized, that he is taking those baptismal covenants that's why he entered the waters of baptism. In due time, he would want to enter the temple, he will be able to do that if he can truthfully say that he keeps the baptismal covenants and is ready to make more sacred covenants in the temple and keep them throughout his life.

I understand the frustrations non-LDS people have when they cannot enter the temple. However, they must also understand that getting married in the temple is one ordinance that can be done only by those who keep the covenants, and witnessed only by those who keep the same covenants.

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My son got his temple recommend over a year ago and has been inside the Atl temple and one in...I believe it was Provo, maybe it was SLC when he went to MTC. Thanks for doing your best to explain. I guess I'm just a dumb country boy cause the next question would be how would the bishops or stake presidents know for sure a LDS member was keeping the covenants, but I really think I need to just let this go and just know that this is a rule and that I am not to understand this one and move on. The LDS leaders who made the rule long ago had their reasons and that's all I need to know. Thanks again.

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I'm the only member on my side of the family as well. It's not a huge difference in lifestyle because my parents raised me in a house where drinking and smoking and whatnot were taught against. My brother is a different issue but he doesn't even know I've converted because he's such a jerk that I don't discuss religion with him if I can at all avoid it. For me the uncomfortable part comes in to play when having discussions with my dad. He doesn't approve of my choice I don't think and recently when I asked him what year and county he was born in he told me and then said "But I'm already baptized". So, I dunno.

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