advice on baptism

[ruthyp]

Hi, iv just joined because i really need some advice.

I have been investigating the church for about 8months now, i was a complete atheist then, but i had a very traumatic time in hospital for a month and could have died, this is when i found heavenly father.

I have a baptism date for the 1st may, however im not 100% sure about this. I feel that im not perfect enough yet to be a member, dont get me wrong, i follow everything that someone in the church would, but i still dont feel good enough. I have found that some people in my ward are very selfish and i know i shouldnt, but i do criticise them, so i dont want to be a hypocrit and get baptised when i know that i have inperfections too.

Baptism is a really big deal for me, i see some people that have been baptised and they are very disrespectful during sacrament (playing on their mobiles for example) and i dont want to be like that. Also my mum and step dad are in the church but my dad is completly against it, he would flip if he knew i was even thinking about baptism.

please help xx:confused:

[MarginOfError]

Well, if you're not perfect enough to be baptized, I should get kicked out of the Church. I'm a decent guy and all, but I'm nowhere near perfect and don't expect to be anytime soon.

Baptism is for people who want to move closer to perfection. It's a commitment to something lifelong, and not an endpoint. Try to think of it as a way of saying, "Heavenly Father, I'm on my way home."

[findingmyway]

Its an error to measure yourself against other people, to see if your perfect or not. Noones perfect, actually..... its perfectly normal to feel imperfect. Thats why we go to church.

As far as people playing on their phones.... if they're not using it to look up scriptures, then yes, thats kind of disrespectful. Don't let that stop you from progressing though. Focus on why you're at church.

Congratulations on the baptism decision. I hope everything goes well. Be aware that sometimes..... sometimes, the right thing can also be the hardest. You may be tried right up to your baptism day.

Is your dad going to be okay even after he finds out you're baptized ?

[rameumptom]

D&C 20:37 tells us the requirements for baptism:

37And again, by way of commandment to the church concerning the manner of baptism—All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church.

There is no requirement for perfection. You must have faith in Christ, repent of your sins, be willing to take upon you Jesus' name, and have a determination to obey the commandments. If you have felt the Spirit of Christ touch you and forgive you your sins, then you are ready to be baptized.

Perfection comes much further down the road. D&C 93 tells us that it is done line upon line. Even Jesus had to go from grace to grace, receiving grace for grace until he received a fullness of God's glory. And we are the same way. It is a journey that extends past this mortal sphere; it is not a 100 yard dash.

BTW, you are an adult. Choose for yourself what you know to be right. Show respect to your Dad, but this is a choice between you and God, not him and God. Allow God to work on your family a little at a time, and over the years, you'll see that your dad will come around to accepting you in the Church. In fact, you may end up being the person that brings him around to joining it also.

Edited April 4, 2011 by rameumptom

[FunkyTown]

Hi, iv just joined because i really need some advice.

I have been investigating the church for about 8months now, i was a complete atheist then, but i had a very traumatic time in hospital for a month and could have died, this is when i found heavenly father.

I have a baptism date for the 1st may, however im not 100% sure about this. I feel that im not perfect enough yet to be a member, dont get me wrong, i follow everything that someone in the church would, but i still dont feel good enough. I have found that some people in my ward are very selfish and i know i shouldnt, but i do criticise them, so i dont want to be a hypocrit and get baptised when i know that i have inperfections too.

Baptism is a really big deal for me, i see some people that have been baptised and they are very disrespectful during sacrament (playing on their mobiles for example) and i dont want to be like that. Also my mum and step dad are in the church but my dad is completly against it, he would flip if he knew i was even thinking about baptism.

please help xx:confused:

You're in a rough position.

Often, we are entirely too self-critical. We think we aren't good enough. We worry we aren't strong enough. We don't know if we'll make it.

That's okay. That's normal.

Take a moment for yourself. Take a moment and let the worries of the world go. Think about the warm feelings you felt when you knew God was there and He loved you.

You'll know it's right. Good luck. Know you're loved. Know you aren't alone and you don't have to try to make it on your own.

[Blackmarch]

Hi, iv just joined because i really need some advice.

I have been investigating the church for about 8months now, i was a complete atheist then, but i had a very traumatic time in hospital for a month and could have died, this is when i found heavenly father.

I have a baptism date for the 1st may, however im not 100% sure about this. I feel that im not perfect enough yet to be a member, dont get me wrong, i follow everything that someone in the church would, but i still dont feel good enough. I have found that some people in my ward are very selfish and i know i shouldnt, but i do criticise them, so i dont want to be a hypocrit and get baptised when i know that i have inperfections too.

Baptism is a really big deal for me, i see some people that have been baptised and they are very disrespectful during sacrament (playing on their mobiles for example) and i dont want to be like that. Also my mum and step dad are in the church but my dad is completly against it, he would flip if he knew i was even thinking about baptism.

please help xx:confused:

at some point we have to make a deep decision on who or what we are going to follow-

Are we going to follow the lord at any cost, or are we going to worry more about others?

This can be very hard, however I promise that if you should choose to follow the Lord at the cost of all other things, be they riches, family, vices, perhaps even your very life.. you will be far more better off than you were before, and quite likely you will improve the world around significantly.

IF you are going to wait till you are perfect to be baptised, you are going to have to wait a long long long time, quite likely till after the second coming. Even the prophets and apostles aren't that good.

as long as your not going around trying to nuke someone, or going on murderous rampages, or actively seeking to commit adultery.. and you are willing to give Christ a chance, and are willing to repent and try to make your life better, and you've felt the truth of what you have been taught, and are willing to follow it, then I'd say you're quite ready for baptism.

Baptism is the beginning, not the end. It means we are willing to take upon us the name of Christ and do his will.. its committing to trying to do the right things, it is not saying that you have overcome all things, but that you are willing to work as long as it is needed to overcome all things.

I"m sorry that there are members who are not as reverent or respectful as they should be. However we are all human and we are all at different points along the path of rightiousness (and some may be even heading the wrong way on it).... however don't let that stop you from doing what is right.

[dahlia]

Listen to the folks here. I am far from perfect (well, maybe not that far...), but I, too, worried about not being perfect enough for baptism. Thanks to people on this board, I was able to work through my concerns and go ahead with the baptism. Best thing I ever did.

[eternalpromise516]

ruthyp - i just wanted to say first how proud i am of you for choosing to be baptized! i was in your choose a little shy of 2 years ago. i informally investigated the church off and on for about 8-10 months, then finally made a connection with a member who connected me to her mom and the missionaries, then about 5 weeks later i was baptized.

a lot of your worries i had as well. the closer i got to the date (june 20, 2009), the more Satan tried to make me feel as if i wasn't really good enough to be baptized into the Lord's true church. bu then one evening as i was praying and voicing all of my concerns, i realized through the Holy Ghost that i just needed to trust Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and they would lift me up and guide me through anything and would never lead me astray.

another wonderful thing about this church is that while the gospel is perfect, the people aren't! we're all striving towards being the best we can be and following the commandments, but everyone goes through periods when that is a little farther off their radar or they're not as concerned, etc.

the best thing that you can do right now is to continue praying, not only to know that this is the right decision, but also for your family and friends that their hearts may be softened, and for your church family, and for yourself. Heavenly Father knows you and loves you dearly, and i can't imagine a Father more happier right now than one that is celebrating His daughter's love for the gospel and for making right decisions! He is truly rejoicing!

please PM me if you have any questions or just want to vent about anything on your mind. congratulations!

[jlf9999]

Welcome to the club. I have been a member since 1957 and I am still imperfect. Image that. I assure you that if you talked to the members in question they will admit their imperfections too. So will the Bishop, his counselors, the stake president, area authority, seventies and all the apostles including president Monson. It is not a matter of perfection. It is about showing up. By that I mean you get up everyday and decide to do better, fix the things you did wrong yesterday (repent) and move on. My dear young friend you will never be perfect on this earth. It is not required of you. Do the best you can with the understanding that you will mess things up but at least you know how to fix them. It is said that the angels in heaven yearn for nothing on earth except the ability to repent. You have it. Use it regularly and everything will be just fine. Go and be baptized.

Edited April 9, 2011 by jlf9999

[SavedXI]

Hi, iv just joined because i really need some advice.

I have been investigating the church for about 8months now, i was a complete atheist then, but i had a very traumatic time in hospital for a month and could have died, this is when i found heavenly father.

I have a baptism date for the 1st may, however im not 100% sure about this. I feel that im not perfect enough yet to be a member, dont get me wrong, i follow everything that someone in the church would, but i still dont feel good enough. I have found that some people in my ward are very selfish and i know i shouldnt, but i do criticise them, so i dont want to be a hypocrit and get baptised when i know that i have inperfections too.

Baptism is a really big deal for me, i see some people that have been baptised and they are very disrespectful during sacrament (playing on their mobiles for example) and i dont want to be like that. Also my mum and step dad are in the church but my dad is completly against it, he would flip if he knew i was even thinking about baptism.

please help xx:confused:

Let me first tell you how brave you are to consider the path of eternal. I myself JUST got baptized last week & it is the most powerful thing I have ever done. The whole ceremony I felt Jesus in my soul guiding me to the heavens here on earth. He told me I would find it in SLC so that night I packed my bags and left at dawn.. Now I am here ready for my path that Jesus has lead me to. He has a plan for me. He told me.

I recommend getting baptized, it is the most holy thing you can do to serve JC in this world..

God Bless!!!!