Celebrate/An Update

[TheMewster]

I've been born again... again.

With the help of gotquestions.org's articles on baptism not bein necessary for salvation, I decided to pray the sinners' prayer and get saved. Even now, though I'm not as on fire for God as I was when I first became a Christian, I still feel this peace inside... The peace of knowing everything's allright, the peace of understanding the Gospel... The peace of the fact that God loves me no matter what. While it's probably more triggered by the stimulation of a change, I feel like I love God more and worry less about legalism already, even though I haven't eased out of some of my Church of Christ beliefs yet.

The main things I worry about now are:
1. Getting to church. Mom doesn't like to drive, Dad works overnight shifts/or is sleeping, my great-grandmother, aunt, and great-uncle are stern Church of Christers, my mom is still a Church of Christer for that matter, and my universalist grandmother is in some hot water with my mom right now. Add on to that that my parents are protective and I likely won't be able to stay with friends, and I got some trouble getting to church.
2. Beta Club. I need 10 hours of community service per semester for Beta Club, and I already have some planned at the Church of Christ that I said I would go to. Therefore I feel like I can't leave and need to wait until at least homecoming is over.
3. My family&friends. Like I said earlier, a lot of my family is CoC, and I hardly know any (if any) Baptist/other denomination family members. They would likely pressure me. Not only that, but my church family! Thank God I never got really deep into the CoC congregation, but I'd hate to let down my pastor there. I think that I love him a lot, really, more than I should. Only Xeno's talking about how the people at his old UPCI church treat him now (sorry for gossiping Xeno) really comforts me here, ya know, giving me someone I can relate to, or who can relate to me. Plus, I had gotten to love our youth group at CoC.

So, if there has ever been a time when needed need prayer more, I'd be shocked. God bless and thanks so much guys. You may have saved my life by leading me on this search. <3 I love you.

[K. Ayato]

Yay! Way to go, Mew.

[Xeno]

I'm happy to read this Mew. I want to say something else to you that maybe will help you some. My exit from my previous church was fairly quick, and only took few months. There are some who exist in their churches, disagreeing with things for years for various reasons. They don't necessarily feel trapped, but they choose to stay for one reason or another be it they feel a commitment to the youth group, or the pastor, or whatever else. Just because you have decided you no longer agree with everything being spoken from the pulpit doesn't mean you have to immediately get up and get out.

I did what was best for me, and I did it quickly and as quietly as possible. I recommend you do what is best for you. If that means staying on for a while longer so you can complete the community service for you beta club and get linked up with a friend who would be willing to take you to church somewhere else then that is fine, but I do recommend you still do things quietly and with dignity. Causing a stink about the situation, especially with the pastor, will only cause additional problems and potential heartache.

[K. Ayato]

Xeno summed it up perfectly. I used to be Independent Fundamental Baptist for a good chunk of my life, and one day I got fed up because there were so many things they spoke out against and I really wasn't moving forward. I wanted to leave without a word, but my dad (who strangely enough is also IFB), said it was more mature to let the pastor know politely and respectfully that it was time to move on. The senior pastor wasn't around at the time I left, but the associate pastor was, so I asked him to pass the message.

Some friends still hold onto that way of thinking tighter than a security blanket. I respect them, but when they start telling me I'm wrong 'cause I no longer follow their set of rules, tension arises. I just lay it out to them that I'm in a church that accepts me for who I am, teaches the Word with no bias, and I'm built up around the people .

It's okay to still be friends with the people you know in youth group, Mew. The important thing is to surround yourself with people who will encourage you and help you now that you're seeing things clearly. Choice is yours . Don't feel like someone or something is forcing you to do anything in the spirit of helping against your will.

[Nate]

Even if not entirely necessary for salvation, I recommend you get baptized as soon as you can. There's no reason not to, honestly.

[K. Ayato]

And do it 'cause you want to, not totally out of a sense of "have to". Yeah, it's fun to be able to show people that you've chosen to follow Christ, but personally, I don't always like the sense of "have to" when comes to Baptism. Once you understand what it means and symbolizes, by all means. For me, it was more like something I had to do immediately, and I was only 7 at the time.

[rocklobster]

Baptism should only be done when you're ready. I really envy non-Catholics. To me, it seems more genuine that they wait and aren't baptized as babies.

[Atria35]

Baptism should only be done when you're ready. I really envy non-Catholics. To me, it seems more genuine that they wait and aren't baptized as babies.

Is there a rule that says you can't get baptized again just because you want to? Since there are Catholics that leave the faith after they've grown, it's a good way to reaffirm yours.

[Xeno]

Is there a rule that says you can't get baptized again just because you want to? Since there are Catholics that leave the faith after they've grown, it's a good way to reaffirm yours.

I don't think there is a "rule," but there is a common held belief amongst most denominations that baptism is a one-time thing. As far as if you leave the faith and come back or leave one denomination and go to another they will accept your prior baptism from the former church (in most cases) and you'll just verbally reaffirm your faith.

[TheMewster]

Yeah, about baptism. I doubt my mom would understand or let me, since I've been baptized in the CoC, but I really really wanna be baptized in the Baptist Church I found. And I haven't even been there yet.

I asked my mom about the church I had found. It's a Southern Baptist church, the town megachurch, and she said that we might try that out some other time. I'm likely gonna stay at least until after Homecoming in my CoC church.

And thanks for the advice, Xeno. That's gonna help a lot. I still need an excuse to avoid breaking the news to my folks. How will I tactfully do that, since especially my great-grandma is gonna be wondering why I'm not at church? God bless and I love you guys so much.

[rocklobster]

Is there a rule that says you can't get baptized again just because you want to? Since there are Catholics that leave the faith after they've grown, it's a good way to reaffirm yours.

That's kind of what confirmation is for. The problem is, if you lose your faith, you may not want confirmation as well. And some parishes don't help you in the process as much as they used to. They used to make it a big deal--you'd learn about the saints, maybe get involved in some community programs, that sort of thing. All I had to do when I was confirmed was retake some catechism and meet the bishop. I even got to do the mass readings, but that was it.
At any rate, I'll continue to pray for you! I'm proud of you, sister in Christ!

[Atria35]

That's kind of what confirmation is for. The problem is, if you lose your faith, you may not want confirmation as well. And some parishes don't help you in the process as much as they used to. They used to make it a big deal--you'd learn about the saints, maybe get involved in some community programs, that sort of thing. All I had to do when I was confirmed was retake some catechism and meet the bishop. I even got to do the mass readings, but that was it.
At any rate, I'll continue to pray for you! I'm proud of you, sister in Christ!

Doesn't confirmation happen when you're 13? Since that's still really young (most kids are the faith of their parents until they're older than that and have learned more about the world and have explored their own beliefs and identities- because how many people really know for sure what they believe at 13?), I still think that for your own enjoyment you could get baptized whenever you wanted. Again.

[Xeno]

Yeah, about baptism. I doubt my mom would understand or let me, since I've been baptized in the CoC, but I really really wanna be baptized in the Baptist Church I found. And I haven't even been there yet.

Why? What is your specific reasoning for wanting to be re-baptized? Most churches do not allow people to be re-baptized as its supposed to be a one time thing. Sure, there are exceptions to te rule, but for the most part thats how things are. You are baptized into the family of Christ, not just a specific congregation. So a secondary baptism, in most cases, isn't necesary.

[TopazRaven]

I'm glad to hear you're doing much better Mew. Sometimes I wish I could get
re-baptized as well though as mine happened when I was still a baby. It's an event I would have liked to remember.

[Xeno]

I like how this is phrased on the United Methodist website


Q: How can I "remember [my] baptism and be thankful" when I was baptized as a baby?

A: What we are called to remember in reaffirmation is the gift of God's grace, not a particular event. Through appropriate remembrances and celebrations, our children can be enabled to "remember" their baptism as much as they "remember" their physical birthday.

Edit: let me go ahead and note that I personally don't know how I feel about the topic of infant baptism in general. So I can neither support it nor be against it. If you want to be re-baptized, and were originally baptized as a child, I would approach your pastor and explain your situation and see if they would allow a second baptism or not.

[rocklobster]

Doesn't confirmation happen when you're 13? Since that's still really young (most kids are the faith of their parents until they're older than that and have learned more about the world and have explored their own beliefs and identities- because how many people really know for sure what they believe at 13?), I still think that for your own enjoyment you could get baptized whenever you wanted. Again.

The age varies by parish. I heard of a child who knew he had one of those terminal illnesses (he had a very severe form of muscular dystrophy), and he wanted to make every moment of his life count. Not only did he get baptized, but he got confirmed at the age of 9. And here's the big surprise--he even got to teach catechism!
But then, I'm a Catholic. In case you don't know, the sacraments are a BIG deal to us.

[TopazRaven]

I like how this is phrased on the United Methodist website


Q: How can I "remember [my] baptism and be thankful" when I was baptized as a baby?

A: What we are called to remember in reaffirmation is the gift of God's grace, not a particular event. Through appropriate remembrances and celebrations, our children can be enabled to "remember" their baptism as much as they "remember" their physical birthday.

Edit: let me go ahead and note that I personally don't know how I feel about the topic of infant baptism in general. So I can neither support it nor be against it. If you want to be re-baptized, and were originally baptized as a child, I would approach your pastor and explain your situation and see if they would allow a second baptism or not.

I was highly amused by this considering I was baptized in a United Methodist church. It's something I've been thinking about recently I'll admit, if I ever get re-baptized I'd actually need to establish a home church though.

[Derek_Is_Me]

Mew, I am trully happy to see that you are doing well and that you have taken a new outlook on life. ^^ I go to a Southern Baptist church myself where I live. Though technically I'm in the south so its just a Baptist church. XP But hopefully everything will go the way it should go. Either way, god has a plan for you and he will decide what you need to do next and how it will happen. ^^

[GrubbTheFragger]

Very happy to read this mew, glad to see some peace in your post. One thing I would recommend is look up the church north point. They are a great non denominational church that has truly help my entire family, they offer free messages on there website so if you can't make it to church you can still see a sermon, a more relaxed sermon than most are used too.

[TheMewster]

North point? Where?

Also, I don't believe infant baptism does any good, but that's a theology issue, not a testimonial one. I was not infant baptized, I was baptized so I could 'be saved' in the CoC. Now I've been wanting believers' baptism. God bless!

[GrubbTheFragger]

North point is based in Georgia. Just google north point church and that should direct you there

[ChristianKitsune]

I'mreally happy to read this, Mew! ^_^/ I'll definitely be praying for you.

[Xeno]

Also, I don't believe infant baptism does any good, but that's a theology issue, not a testimonial one. I was not infant baptized, I was baptized so I could 'be saved' in the CoC. Now I've been wanting believers' baptism. God bless!

I'm going to address this topic for you, however, I'll be doing it via PM since I feel this thread as already gone beyond the scope of this particular forum.

[TheMewster]

Update: So far I'm doing fine. I have a lot of questions as you'll see in another forum, but I even went to a CoC service (I'm staying until after Homecoming at least due to obligations there I told you about earlier this thread) and remained strong in the faith. God bless and I just know you all must be prayin' for me. Glory to God!

[Derek_Is_Me]

I'm just happy that you have found your way. I've been praying for you and I shall continue doing so for as long as you need me to. ^^ I wish you all the happiness in the world that I can give Mew.