Baptism

[rspunx]

Hello,

I am thinking about getting baptized on August 1st [I went to Catholic schools, my HS focused on the importance of the Virgin Mary(I have never been baptized nor have I ever been active religiously)]; however, now that I'm older than I was when I was still in school I recognize the importance of faith and the role that it can play in changing my life for the better. My life has been perilous at best for quite some time, until just a few weeks ago actually, I still struggle with my own demons but I am well on the way to turning everything around. Anyway, this is not a pity party post so I will just get right to it: I was invited to go to Church and on a whim I took that opportunity and have been pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy it. I said my first prayer since 2006 a few days ago, and Sunday was my first time attending Church outside of school ever. And I am prepared to accept and invite God into my life, although I can't picture myself being a "Heavenly Father, AMEN!" type of person. 

For anyone actively attending the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church, in your own words and opinions, what do you like and dislike about your religion? Were you born into it, or did you choose to join? As for myself, I decided on a whim to agree to be baptized and I haven't had any second thoughts about it. I just recently realized what it is that I want to get out of life, and Church is my best option to make that a reality (A serious relationship, maybe one day a wife, maybe one day if I get my stuff in order a family but that is pretty far off I think). I am seeking acceptance, forgiveness and love. I want everything I didn't have growing up, and faith is one of those things. I hope to meet a good Mormon girl who also wants this, one that wants someone to teach how to live a healthy positive lifestyle and one who can show me that there's more to life than the life that I have already lived/the only life that I know; someone that wants to wash the wounds  and hurt away from a damaged person and take that person under her wing. I know you exist, somewhere, that's just a quick summary but it's fairly fluid. 

This all started after a group of nuns did not have a rosary for me, but a charm necklace instead: If I hadn't stopped to ask if they had a rosary, I would never have even considered being baptized but since I did, and I am, I thought I'd join.

HELLO 

 

Would you do it again? How has it changed your life? Do you like it?

I am seeing the elders tomorrow again to talk more about it and it would be nice to have some outside perspectives. I've never met anyone (that I am aware of) who is a Mormon; certainly I have never met anyone who decided to become a Mormon in their 30s but then again I'm not necessarily  your average person either.

 

Thanks,

Me

[Pyreaux]

On 7/10/2026 at 8:51 PM, rspunx said:

For anyone actively attending the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church, in your own words and opinions, what do you like and dislike about your religion? Were you born into it, or did you choose to join?

Would you do it again? How has it changed your life? Do you like it?

I intended to reply to this, answering it is not as simple as the questions look, then I forgot.

I was born in the church. My mom converted at 14, and my dad is a 7th generation. I like it's always made sense and been enlightening to me, and seems more true the more I study, I am introverted and I don't like the social demands, but that's really just my problem, not the church's.

[Calm]

15 minutes ago, Pyreaux said:

I like it's always made sense and been enlightening to me, and seems more true the more I study, I am introverted and I don't like the social demands, but that's really just my problem, not the church's.

I could have written this….though with a lot more words probably, lol.

[InCognitus]

58 minutes ago, Calm said:

I could have written this….though with a lot more words probably, lol.

Me too.

[Calm]

On 7/10/2026 at 7:51 PM, rspunx said:

. I hope to meet a good Mormon girl who also wants this, one that wants someone to teach how to live a healthy positive lifestyle and one who can show me that there's more to life than the life that I have already lived/the only life that I know; someone that wants to wash the wounds  and hurt away from a damaged person and take that person under her wing. I know you exist, somewhere, that's just a quick summary but it's fairly fluid. 

As someone who has lived almost 7 decades, an observation or three….don’t look for a spouse to make up for your own deficiencies, to help you do what you aren’t willing to do on your own.   Good chance even if they try, it won’t work.  You need to be the mover of your own efforts, not someone else.  Leaving it for someone else is setting up for resentment and massive frustration.

I truly hope you are not waiting to work on living a healthy positive lifestyle until you meet her.  As someone who sees a healthy lifestyle as extraordinarily important***, I wouldn’t want to start from scratch or have to fix the error filled ideas and preferences about nutrition of my spouse.  Been there, done that and our kids are suffering for it because I also wanted a happy, loving home (got this big time) as well as a healthy one.  

My parents always worked together for as long as I can remember teaching us kids and being examples when it came to health (and many other things).  That is what I wanted for my kids, but I thought it would come quick enough because it seemed obvious to me it was the better way.  But my kids followed my husband’s patterns rather than mine when it came to health and there is still the store bought crap food in our pantry even after almost 50 years of marriage.  I wouldn’t mind if it was saved for treats, but it’s the dominant eating habits (skip the veggies, salads, fiber).  And this is even with a daughter who is diabetic, my husband was willing to stuff the healthy meals I made in the refrigerator (which I got to eat as leftovers so it wasn’t a waste of money) while he made them Kraft, hot dogs, ran out for fast food, etc.  My guess is given his own childhood of having to eat whatever his mom (who was from Down Under and depended heavily on canned food) put in front of him (eight kids and not a whole lot of money), he didn’t want his kids or himself to feel cheated.  So my kids never learned to try and like new things, learn how to cook stuff they didn’t like in ways they did like, etc.

My husband provided a lot of good things for our children, including what I married him for (the kids would know they were loved and accepted and interesting as they were as well as how to have fun as my parents were very focused on projects, improving us, which was both good and bad).

So for anyone who is concerned about health I would advise choosing someone who is pretty close to your own patterns already rather than assuming you can convert them even if they seem willing to be converted (they may think they are, but can’t give up what comforts them).  

 I suspect these days if such is important to someone, they will assume it needs to be important to their partner   It is easy to see these days what happens when partners have conflicting approaches to major aspects of life.

Which means if someone wants a partner who lives a healthy lifestyle and can create a healthy home, that someone needs to be showing they are striving to do the same right now.  

All the above also applies to mental health issues.  If a potential spouse is not actively working on their own emotional health in the here and now, don’t assume they will be able to adapt working with you in the future.  There will be a good chance that whatever blocks that exploration now on their own will continue to block them once married.   Go to couples therapy before marriage, not think of using it only if needed sometime in the future.  And if you are the one desiring someone to heal you, start trying to get there on your own as much as possible.  First off, why wait when you can gain benefits now?  Second, you need to have worked the ground so the seeds will grow when they get planted or your spouse’s efforts will be useless. 

***because of chronic health issues, it’s much more important to me than it was as a young adult and I grew up on cottage cheese and made from scratch meals, never had Kraft fluorescent macaroni until I was in college and have eaten it less than a handful of times in my life, was taught and involved in nutrition, exercise, etc since at least ten years of age as my mother was grinding her own wheat, storing almonds bought from orchard stands and driving over an hour to get to a health food store in Oakland when there weren’t that good of ones on the Peninsula yet, while my dad hit the wharf for fresh fish and crab and produce warehouses for the freshest fruit in bulk so Mom could fix it for massive fruit salads and could freeze it for smoothies.

Edited Monday at 02:24 AM by Calm