Questions about converting to Christianity

[Ruthla]

I have a friend who's teenager is having some MAJOR rebellion issues right now. She's a Jewish kid from an Orthodox family and has announced that she wants to convert to Christianity- IMO she only said it to get a rise out of her parents. I personally think she'd be very happy as a non-affiliated Jew.

This sparked a question by my own kids- just what's involved in converting to Christianity anyway? Would any Churches even accept a Jewish teen who's "running away from Judaism" rather than somebody who's "running TO Christianity"? I know that a non-Jew who wanted to convert to Judaism in such circumstances would be turned away. How does it work with Christianity? I'm sure it's different depending on which branch of Christianity you're talking about, and I'd love to hear the range of answers.

[EFmom]

It would depend hugely on what denomination or sect the child approached. Some would not encourage her and would suggest that she return at 18, some would make her take a course of study, and some would baptize her on the spot.

[anjanetteopal]

There are quite a few Christian denomonations that don't have any formal membership or requirements whatsoever. Most would like for an attender to have professed agreement to the major tenants of the faith before they participate in the sacraments (like communion and baptism). And every church I've been to that has formal membership requires the new member to agree to basic beliefs.

In any case, only God knows what is in our hearts but I do hope that she's making this decision out of true faith instead of as a means to disrespect her parents.

[Tradd]

The forms of Christianity I'm most familiar with - Orthodox Christianity and Roman Catholicism (I'm an Orthodox Christian who was raised Catholic) - will not just baptize someone on the spot. Some sort of instruction in the faith is required, at least 6 months' worth. In my parish, it's usually about a year (depending on person's religious background).

Also, some attempt would be made to talk to the teenager's parents, at least among the Orthodox priests I'm familiar with.

And even the theologically/socially liberal Episcopalian parish I belonged to 8-9 years ago required instruction of at least 2-3 months in length.

[lilyka]

depends on the church.

protestant evangelical churches would lure her in any which way they could. It has been my experiance that what you believe or why you are saying or if you really believe it is rarely questioned. many believe you can never loose your salvation once you say the magic words (which have been watered down to "I believe in Jesus and I am sinner who needs his forgiveness" by some churches) so will get you to say any which way they can because even if you wake in the morning with a conversion hang over your stuck with Jesus. and they make joining the group very alluring especially to teens and young adulds. I can also think of several other protestant sects that would use her rebellion and her Jewishness to their advantage to bring her in.

I am Orthodox and our conversion process is a little more involved. Everyone is welcome to attend Liturgy, Bible studies, talk with apreist (one time or regularly) for any reason. Then after a time of participating in church life (the amount of time is individual) one begins to talk with their preist about joining the church and recieving the sacrements. then the priest decided how long you will stay in that phase. this also varies. I had been immersed oin the full church life for over a year when I approached my priest and he saw no reason fpor me to read any further or attend classes or anything.l it was just a matter of waiting for the right time (family issues. my husband was not converting with me and would have likely stood in the way of the children converting with me and then in the middle everything blew up and well....long story short if he gets to take a long term lover my priest no longer felt obligated to respect his wish regarding the spiritual up bringing of my children). So once the time of serious studying and stuff is done a date for baptism and Chrismation and first communion are done. these are the first three mysteries (sacrements) and are done at once and once they are done you are in. however my priests have been hesitant to do anything with children without their parents permission. Of course if a child came to them and wanted to discuss stuff, wanted some reading material, wanted to attend church etc that is one thing but like I said, my priest was hesitant to baptize my children without their fathers permission and even hesitant to baptize me without his blessing. it is not a punishment or anything and will not effect the work of Christ in our life. it is actually quite a holy thing to wait patiently on Gods perfect timing and I have seen so many people blessed by it. Sometimes delayed gratification and letting that period of hype wear off is realy quite a good thing. but anyway, I have seen people wait anywhere from 3 months to 10 years to actaully convert to Orthodox Christianity.

and of course I think those might be extremes and that means there is a vast array of variation in the middle

Judging from her comment about "converting to Christianity" I would say she is not that serious (I have never known anyone who was not raised with a belief in Christ to plan to convert) It is just not something people plan. and if she really has starting leaning toward a bvelief in Jesus and a desire to follow him it is not likely she would use it as fuel to anger her parents.

[DahliaRW]

I'm a non-denominational Christian. If someone came and said they wanted to be baptized (which is how one, in my Church, would committ their life to Christ) the Elders would probably talk to them to make sure they understood what they were doing/committing too. If not, they would study with them. If so, no issue, they could be baptized. Baptism does involve confessing that you believe Jesus is Lord and such, but it's pretty simple and basic. No "required" course of study, though I'm sure some follow up study on living life as a Christian would be offered.

[doubledutch]

Originally Posted by lilyka

I have never known anyone who was not raised with a belief in Christ to plan to convert

i agree that, in this particular case, it does not sound like a sincere, belief-based interest in converting, but . . . evangelists/missionaries would be out of business if people never converted. many, many people who were not raised with a belief in christ have converted to christianity.

[Ruthla]

I think if she learned what "living as a Christian" truly involved, she'd find it just as objectionable as living as a Jew!

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I think if she learned what "living as a Christian" truly involved, she'd find it just as objectionable as living as a Jew!

[kimiij]

Originally Posted by DahliaRW

I'm a non-denominational Christian. If someone came and said they wanted to be baptized (which is how one, in my Church, would committ their life to Christ) the Elders would probably talk to them to make sure they understood what they were doing/committing too. If not, they would study with them. If so, no issue, they could be baptized. Baptism does involve confessing that you believe Jesus is Lord and such, but it's pretty simple and basic. No "required" course of study, though I'm sure some follow up study on living life as a Christian would be offered.

This is more my experience although I've never really gone to non-denominational church.

Baptism "on the spot" is likely not to happen in my experience. The pastor/elders will counsel said person either through the formal baptism class or through a private session.

I will say that my church sometimes does "on the spot" baptisms during a regular baptismal service. So, sometimes during a regularly scheduled baptism service, once or twice a year they will open up the baptism pool to anyone that wants to be baptized. That person still has to communicate clearly their desire and their intention, and the church follows up with them afterwards. I have to imagine though that if an orthodox Jew teenager came up to them and explained her situation, they may counsel her to wait and receive further instruction.

[theretohere]

My church has very formalized requirements for membership. It would involve extensive catechesis and teaching to be baptized and then brought into communicant membership. It would also involve extensive discussion with the family if the child is under 18.

[lilyka]

for most churches I have been too becoming a Christian does not involve baptism. all you have to do is say you believe and show up. anyone can take communion, anyone can paticipate in the other rituals and what they believe is entirely up to them.

so while she might nopt be serious or be a formal convert she could cause her parents a lot of grief. only they can decide if "playing around" with Chritistianity is ok with them. but perhaps a good friend of the family could maybe have a talk to her and warn her to be careful in her explorations because for some groups converting a Jew would be considered a like some kind of bonus. yuck. but she would be targeted just because she is Jewish.

I mean don't get me wrong....if she sincerly believes Christianity is where her heart or God isleading her thats one thing. but recruitment techniques can get dirty and people can be forceful. She needs to do what she needs to do for her reasons and not because its what anyone else (her parents or some well trained youth pastor) wants her to do. She needs to follow God, not act out of rebellion. some people would take that rebellion and feed it and run with it though.

[Chiroalltheway]

Are you really talking about the girl converting to CHRISTIANITY!!????? or actually JOINING a CHURCH (i.e. becoming a MEMBER?) Such a huge difference there. I am flabbergasted at some people's misunderstanding of the Christian faith. Part of that comes from those FROM that faith, I certainly realize that. Some take it seriously, some don't...just like in any faith/religion. If you are really talking about her BECOMING a Christian, well, that is b/w her and God! No one can say yes or no to that. As far as becoming a member of a church, that will vary from one church to another. At ours (in Texas), she would absolutely be accepted (Christian or not.) I'm kind of confused as to why that's even a question?! Converting to Christianity would mean that she believes Jesus Christ is the one and only way to eternal life. She would be dedicating her life to believing that and living that out.

[angelpie545]

Yes, I think there has been somewhat of a confusion between joining a church and becoming a Christian. Becoming a Christian is between the individual and God. Being accepted as "Christian" by different denominations is something entirely different, since each one seems to have a different definition of what a Christian should be. Some believe simply believing in Jesus Christ and accepting Him into your heart as your personal Savior makes you a Christian, no matter where you are or whom is around when you say those words. For others, it's more complicated.

[AlwaysByMySide]

Agree with the above posters - joining a church and becoming a Christian are two very different things.

At the churches that I have belonged to, if someone came in and said they were ready to be baptized, they'd be told about whenever the next baptism date is, no classes or anything like that. (Non-denominational churches, for the most part, one a foursquare church.) Having just been introduced to the Pentecostal world, they'd be willing to baptize on the spot if the baptismal was full, or the coming Sunday, whichever came first.

[Funny Face]

Originally Posted by angelpie545

Yes, I think there has been somewhat of a confusion between joining a church and becoming a Christian. Becoming a Christian is between the individual and God.

This is what I was thinking. It is a decision of the heart and doesn't have to be 'accepted' or 'recognized' by anyone else to make it valid.

Obviously, only God can know her heart, but the context you described doesn't sound like she understands or is being lead by her heart to Christianity. It sounds like she just wants to become 'un-Jewish' to spite her parents.

Have her parents show her what Messianic Christians follow and she'll be really disappointed.

[umsami]

Any chance that she's encountered Jews for Jesus?

As others have said, it would depend on the church/denomination. Catholic or Episcopalian/Anglican usually require some formal instruction IMHO. I have no idea if those classes are open to minors without parental consent, as I attended both in my twenties.

Now, the Assembly of God church I attended awhile back... they'd probably baptize her on the spot.

The Presbyterian church I grew up with... well, everything was so informal/laid back that I have no idea how they'd react.

I wonder, would the parents (or their rabbi who may be on some interfaith council) consider talking to a Priest/Pastor to talk to the girl? Perhaps with some knowledge of what is behind this?

With the holidays approaching, they could also give her the option of not attending/celebrating... which might make her realize that there are things about Judaism that she would miss. She might find her home in a Conservative or Reformed synagogue. :

Could there be something else behind this? A career goal? Marriage pressures/issues?

In the end... as others have said... if you truly believe (or don't), it's between you and G-d. I know a few Christians who basically prayed their own prayer to God...and baptized themselves (basically took a bath). Other denominations have more formal rituals. In Islam, you need witnesses to your conversion... but in Christianity, I don't believe you do.

[father_knows_best]

Atheist Parents idea

As a Atheist Parent, what i see here is a fantastic learning opportunity that very few parents ever encounter with their children. When a child begins to explore other faiths it really demands that a parent guide them on a journey of discovery as much as when they explore their own. Such a journey does not have to end with the child switching or losing all faith completely but maybe even coming to understand their own faith better. This should not simply be a discussion of how to switch but a question of "why and which" While its is fairly obviously that the kid just wants to take the parents for a ride and bug them, the best response may be one along the lines of "lets go take a look" At this point the kid either drops it for lack of reaction or agrees and starts to read and discuss. How many of us have kids that will discuss serious comparative religion at supper? The worst part is that it is usually the parents who have been stuck in the same thought system for so long that they cannot follow a child on a journey of questions. When she explores Christianity she will find many interesting patterns common to all faiths and some unique. Parents have a role to try to find the answers to their questions and to open the doors to discussion on all other areas. If my kid bites on exploring religion then as a parent i now have access to nearly every branch of human knowledge. If this is simply a "how to" question that i think we all missed something really good.

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by umsami

Could there be something else behind this? A career goal? Marriage pressures/issues?

She's only 14 and entering 9th grade in September. I think this is teenage rebellion, pure and simple. She's been in Jewish schools since preschool, but will be attending public school for high school. I'm hoping and praying that she calms down and acts "less rebellious" once there's less to rebel about.

[sebandg'smama]

Originally Posted by father_knows_best

As a Atheist Parent, what i see here is a fantastic learning opportunity that very few parents ever encounter with their children. When a child begins to explore other faiths it really demands that a parent guide them on a journey of discovery as much as when they explore their own. Such a journey does not have to end with the child switching or losing all faith completely but maybe even coming to understand their own faith better. This should not simply be a discussion of how to switch but a question of "why and which" While its is fairly obviously that the kid just wants to take the parents for a ride and bug them, the best response may be one along the lines of "lets go take a look" At this point the kid either drops it for lack of reaction or agrees and starts to read and discuss. How many of us have kids that will discuss serious comparative religion at supper? The worst part is that it is usually the parents who have been stuck in the same thought system for so long that they cannot follow a child on a journey of questions. When she explores Christianity she will find many interesting patterns common to all faiths and some unique. Parents have a role to try to find the answers to their questions and to open the doors to discussion on all other areas. If my kid bites on exploring religion then as a parent i now have access to nearly every branch of human knowledge. If this is simply a "how to" question that i think we all missed something really good.

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