Converting from Catholic to Mormon

[deegeecee]

Hi. Im new to this site. I need some guidance on how to be baptized and become a Mormon. What should i do? Where do i begin? Appreciate if someone can give me some advice. It would really mean a lot to me. Thank you.

[Guest]

My suggestion would be to go to your phone book and look up the number of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in your area. They should have a phone number there for Missionaries.

Arrange to meet them and tell them you want to be baptized. They'll take it from there.

[rameumptom]

You can also go to Mormon.org and find online a contact, where they can send representatives of the Church to visit with you.

[todd520]

I am puzzled by your question. Are you being instructed by missionaries or local chuch members?

They will be able to help confirm when you are ready and then make arrangments for this very special event.

[LDSChristian]

Hi. Im new to this site. I need some guidance on how to be baptized and become a Mormon. What should i do? Where do i begin? Appreciate if someone can give me some advice. It would really mean a lot to me. Thank you.

By your statement I imagine you've read up about the church seeing how you're asking this before missionary discussions. That's pretty cool. Call the local ward and ask for missionaries to be sent your way. If you have questions you can also ask us here. Some people are returned-missionaries, some, like me, will be serving soon , and those that aren't are still very knowledgeable with the gospel.

[Guest leodown1]

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[Backroads]

For those of you who have gone from the one religion to another situation, is it hard to alter some beliefs in your head? I had a good friend in college who converted from Catholicism when she was 16. She told me she had planned her whole life to be a nun and was actually disappointed to find out Mormons didn't have nuns. She served a mission and got married, so the nun thing is out of the question, but it made me wonder what it's like to change beliefs so suddenly.

[todd520]

For those of you who have gone from the one religion to another situation, is it hard to alter some beliefs in your head? I had a good friend in college who converted from Catholicism when she was 16. She told me she had planned her whole life to be a nun and was actually disappointed to find out Mormons didn't have nuns. She served a mission and got married, so the nun thing is out of the question, but it made me wonder what it's like to change beliefs so suddenly.

I'm a convert from Catholicism.

IMO, the changes are more gradual. If you were investigating then you were already losing attachment to some of your prior beliefs. I only found a few things that flipped like a light while others were more gradual and in some cases, deeper study actually showed me that LDS beliefs were shared with Catholics, like the teaching "man might become God"

[unixknight]

I'm a convert from Catholicism.

So am I.

The hardest part to readjust for me was going from having to confess every single sin in order to receive absolution ("Forgive me, Father for I have sinned. I stole a pen from a co-worker and I've missed mass three times since my last confession.") to having the Bishop there not as an intercessor but someone to go to IF I need help overcoming sin or when things get out of control. Asking forgiveness for sins is a matter of private prayer and requires no intercession in LDS.

IMHO a lot of LDS members have sort of the same problem even if they don't come from Catholicism. There's something pretty powerful in having someone sitting across from you and telling you you're okay. Catholic priests come out and say it "I absolve you of your sins in the name of..." but in LDS I think sometimes that's what people are looking for from the Bishop, even though that's not what he does.

"Man, last night I was watching a movie and it turns out there was a nude love scene in it and I didn't turn away."

"*GASP* You better go see the Bishop right away!"

Edited February 8, 2011 by unixknight

[LDSChristian]

So am I.

The hardest part to readjust for me was going from having to confess every single sin in order to receive absolution ("Forgive me, Father for I have sinned. I stole a pen from a co-worker and I've missed mass three times since my last confession.") to having the Bishop there not as an intercessor but someone to go to IF I need help overcoming sin or when things get out of control. Asking forgiveness for sins is a matter of private prayer and requires no intercession in LDS.

IMHO a lot of LDS members have sort of the same problem even if they don't come from Catholicism. There's something pretty powerful in having someone sitting across from you and telling you you're okay. Catholic priests come out and say it "I absolve you of your sins in the name of..." but in LDS I think sometimes that's what people are looking for from the Bishop, even though that's not what he does.

"Man, last night I was watching a movie and it turns out there was a nude love scene in it and I didn't turn away."

"*GASP* You better go see the Bishop right away!"

Yep. I was born into the church but I heard how the Catholic Church works. One of the big things I dislike about that religion is calling the "father" the "Holy Father". "Holy Father" is used just once in the Bible and it was Jesus Christ referring to God the Father. He is the only one that title should be used for. We believe in asking God for forgiveness and truly repenting, not going to the church, talk to a guy behind some screen wall thing and asking him for forgiveness. We go to the Bishop, yes, but that's more for advise.

"but in LDS I think sometimes that's what people are looking for from the Bishop, even though that's not what he does. "

That's because it's Jesus Christ who forgives us of the sins we commit. He's the one we confess to.

[Guest]

For those of you who have gone from the one religion to another situation, is it hard to alter some beliefs in your head? I had a good friend in college who converted from Catholicism when she was 16. She told me she had planned her whole life to be a nun and was actually disappointed to find out Mormons didn't have nuns. She served a mission and got married, so the nun thing is out of the question, but it made me wonder what it's like to change beliefs so suddenly.

As far as doctrinal issues, I don't see it as an alteration. I see it as a progression. Even the Trinity to the Godhead.

As far as practices go - it's sometimes wierd to have to say "Go to Sacrament" instead of "Go to Mass". After 10 years, I still trip up on that. Also calling people Brother this and Sister that. I can't get used to that. And I still don't see the "Wisdom" of not drinking Iced Tea on occasion. It was my favorite drink and now I can't have it. Waaaa.

[deegeecee]

Thank you everyone for your advice. For me, I think it depends on the "purpose" that you have on why you want to convert to another religion. In my case, it's more on personal reasons. I lost trust in the Catholic Church, which is the most painful experience one could probably have in their religion. I haven't attended mass for three years now, because each time i hear the Priest's sermon, they confuse me. It is not what i know about Jesus Christ or his teachings, this is not what i grew up with anymore. The Catholic Church and their priests give sermons that includes politics, instead of focusing on the word of God and the importance of family.

i did my own research about LDS and i fell in love with how you guys share about the Gospel and teachings of Christ. That is why i want to be baptized. I have some Mormon friends and I go with them to their church a few years ago just to listen and observe. And my second reason is that last year, i met a Mormon and we are now engaged. It was okay for him to get married in a Catholic church, but i have convinced him to get married in the Mormon Temple instead and that i would be happy to be baptized and become a Mormon. Because i know that a wedding in a Temple, is the most solemn thing a couple can ever experience. Most importantly, I want to marry him in the Temple because I want to seal my love for him for time and all eternity. I know that when i get converted, i wont have any regrets because this is what i want with all my mind, heart and soul.

[Guest]

Deegeecee, it's really great that you want to be baptized LDS.

I have to be honest though, I feel uneasy about your post - the reasons you gave.

I was a Catholic, now a Mormon. But what you say about the Catholic Church is not indicative of its doctrines. I feel that you may be converting for the wrong reasons.

Here are my concerns:

1.) You are leaving the Catholic faith because of sermons that you don't feel is the same gospel that you grew up with. I was Catholic for a loooong time and still have all my family going to the Catholic church that I sometimes go with - the gospel taught in the Catholic Church is the same. It has not changed.

2.) You want to be baptized because your future-husband is a Mormon and you want to be married to him for time and eternity. This is great. But... I'm worried that the reason you are getting baptized is because of him and not because of the Restoration of the Gospel. This worries me because it seems like your testimony of the gospel is hinged on your fiance. If he fails in his commitments - if he becomes inactive, unworthy of your temple covenants - I'm afraid you will then lose your testimony.

I'm sorry to bring such negativity into such a wonderful event. I'm just not seeing the "true conversion" of the Holy Ghost.

[deegeecee]

Anatess, i understand your point. These are just one of the reasons why i want to be baptized. There are other personal reasons too. My family too is Catholic, a very devoted one. The place where i come from, they preach differently. My family dont go to church anymore. It still boils down to whether ill accept the Mormon religion or not. it's really too early to say at this point...im going to meet up with the Missionaries and we'll take it from there.

[todd520]

Anatess, i understand your point. These are just one of the reasons why i want to be baptized. There are other personal reasons too. My family too is Catholic, a very devoted one. The place where i come from, they preach differently. My family dont go to church anymore. It still boils down to whether ill accept the Mormon religion or not. it's really too early to say at this point...im going to meet up with the Missionaries and we'll take it from there.

As a recent convert from Catholicism,

- take your time

- expect a bumpy road with ups and downs (don't give up)

- connect with adult LDS as well, for perspective

- remember the mishies don't have all the answers and aren't trained in apologetics.

Edited February 9, 2011 by todd520

[Saintmichaeldefendthem1]

Deegeecee,

My situation is a little different. I was raised evangelical and became Catholic in an informed, deliberate decision that took over 15 years. I didn't convert because I found faults with evangelicism or because I didn't like certain sermons. I converted because Protestant Christianity was not enough; it was not the full Christian experience. There are certain things that the Reformation abandoned that had been with Christians since the beginning; the sacred tradition, the sacraments, the communion of saints, and the holy mass whose centerpiece is the Eucharist, the very essence and incarnation of Christ. Though my relationship with the Lord was fine, I felt something missing and now I know what was missing.

Anatess is right that there's certain beliefs that don't ever leave and many who convert to another religion due to marriage find themselves gravitating back to their first beliefs when children come along. The result is tension over how the children are raised. The situation becomes far worse of the marriage fails because usually both parties go back to their respective religious stomping grounds and the kids are stuck between two parents of very different religious convictions. Many of these children go on to reject religion altogether. You also mentioned that your family is devout Catholic and whether or not they're active, they will certainly take an interest in the religious upbringing of their grandchildren. There are a lot of dynamics and conflict when families of different faiths are brought together like this. Often when folks are ready to get married, practical considerations like these are swept to the side, but they do become important.

There is a prevailing belief in the Catholic Church that converts such as myself are more zealous, knowledgeable, and devout than cradle Catholics and there's a lot of evidence to support that. It seems that many who are raised in the faith never come to fully appreciate what it is to have the fullness of truth. They go to holy mass never realizing that they just had a physical encounter with the risen Christ. Instead of an intensely worshipful experience, holy mass becomes boring, a chore to be completed dutifully. They also decline to avail themselves of the glorious company of saints, including the Blessed Virgin Mary, who all pray for our edification and assist us with their special graces. It's sad to see cradle Catholics leave because they never understood what they had.

As for me, I've received a peace I've never known. I've known and loved the Lord all my life, but I was restless and searching, sensing that something was not complete. Having found the full expression of Christian faith in the holy Catholic Church, I am at rest and I search no longer. I know I will be Catholic for the rest of my life and that thought brings me much happiness and peace. When looking at other faiths, like that of my friends here in the LDS church, I see a beautiful, tried, and dynamic faith, a history of perseverence to be proud of, and wonderful stories in the Book of Mormon that they believe in. Many Christian faiths have their appeal, and the LDS has a strong one. But in the end, they all fail to entice me because I lack nothing and would lose much by regressing to anything less than the holy faith.

Everything I need I already have.

[unixknight]

There is a prevailing belief in the Catholic Church that converts such as myself are more zealous, knowledgeable, and devout than cradle Catholics and there's a lot of evidence to support that.

This is very true, and we see that in prettymuch all religions on some level. I've been told the Mormons around here (Washington, DC area) tend to be more in tune with the Church than most of those back in Utah because a greater proportion of us are converts and for us we're members of the Church as a result of a choice as opposed to being raised in it and "going with the flow."

[Backroads]

This is very true, and we see that in prettymuch all religions on some level. I've been told the Mormons around here (Washington, DC area) tend to be more in tune with the Church than most of those back in Utah because a greater proportion of us are converts and for us we're members of the Church as a result of a choice as opposed to being raised in it and "going with the flow."

While I get what you're saying and agree with it to some extent, you have to be careful with the idea that non-Utah Mormons are better than Utah Mormons.

I'm a Utah Mormon. Born and raised in the church. Truly converted after a brief fling with paganism in junior high. To assume that being born in the church is a bad thing is dangerous.

I had a college roommate and her family who made up their minds to hate me because I was a Utah Mormon. We were good friends after a couple of weeks and she apologized for being so judgmental, but it made me a little suspicious of non-Utah Mormons' attitude toward Utah Mormons. (By the way, this I'm-a-convert-and-therefore-more-spiritually-attuned friend is no longer active in the church.)

I had a friend who moved from Utah to Boston. Her new ward ostracized her and her family before they even met them.

Prideful and prejudiced much?

Sure, there are a lot of Mormons in Utah who just go with the flew, but I dare say there are just as many if not more who are truly in tune with the church and the gospel.

[slamjet]

And here I thought that Southern California and Utah Mormons have a natural affinity for disliking each other.

I jest.

I'd be hesitant to put geographical boundaries on the level of spirituality of the members. I believe that different area's, wards, stakes, etc have different level of spirituality as a result of the strength of their leadership. I've been in wards were there is a great spirit (like the one I attend now). I've also attended wards that aren't at the same "level."

[Blackmarch]

Every ward has their quirks.

[unixknight]

Every ward has their quirks.

I *am* my ward's quirk.

[slamjet]

I *am* my ward's quirk.

Now that's pride