A question about conversion

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Coeurpieux

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Hello everyone!
This may seem like a strange question to some… but please it’s important that I get honest answers.
Is it possible for someone to get baptized in secret?
And is it okay for one to keep one’s conversion a secret?
I live in a place where it is somewhat dangerous to openly convert, and at times, ive even felt a little threatened and afraid by some people’s actions towards me because fool that i am, i havent done a good job of keeping my faith private( i do now but the damage is done with some people and i sometimes get little insults here and there)
 
Coeurpieux said:
Is it possible for someone to get baptized in secret?

And is it okay for one to keep one’s conversion a secret?
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This is something to discuss with your pastor. Yes, it can be done, as is the case in many dangerous places in the world.
 
Yes, absolutely.

Talk to your pastor, as said above, but that is allowed.
 
Thank you very much for your replies
Unfortunately i do not know any pastors
The way i imagine it, my baptism will probably be a very hurried affair, and I’ll probably be seeing the priest for the first time in my life. Im worried he might insist on RCIA or something similar, but over the years ive read much about many different sects and churches of Christianity and know much about Catholicism ( of course i dont know everything, but im not ignorant)
Is it possible for me to skip RCIA or anything similar that the priest may require me to go through in this case? And sorry for posting another question on this thread but i feel like ive started enough threads today 😅😬
 
Important thing, do you live in a country where Christianity/Catholicism is against the law (for example, N Korea, China) or in a place where Catholicism is in the minority (war torn areas in Africa or the Middle East?)? If that is the case, we can pray for you but cannot offer much advice.

On the other hand, if the danger is from insults or mockery, then, if you are an adult simply go to your nearest parish and speak to the priest.
 
Coeurpieux said:
Is it possible for someone to get baptized in secret?

And is it okay for one to keep one’s conversion a secret?
Click to expand...
Yes you can get baptized behind closed doors and keep a conversation secret, Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone certain things.
 
kristaok said:
The Bible says in order to be saved; believe in Jesus, repent, be baptized, and live for Him.
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As if Catholics didnt decide which books would be in the Bible. As if Catholics dont live for Jesus. Nonsense!
 
Im afraid i disagree
During the start of my spiritual jouney into Christianity I wanted to be a Protestant and read a lot about the Lutheran and Reformed churches because i was very uncomfortable with the iconography and the veneration of saints prevalent in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity due to the fact that my birth religion, Islam, does not allow any images and believes any such to be idolatry. As i learned more about Christianity i slowly fell in love with the Catholic Church and many Roman Catholic devotions especially the Rosary which i try to pray daily (but sometimes fail) . I think it is clear to anyone who studies church history and the history of the liturgy that Catholicism and Orthodoxy are the “correct” churches, though they are sadly in schism.
I do not intend to start a fight or an argument and i will not participate in the discussion if such occurs
But i want you to consider this : if Catholicism or Orthodoxy are false, then it logically follows that Christianity is a false religion, as Catholicism and Orthodoxy are ORIGINAL Christianity; these churches have existed since ancient times, if not since the time of Jesus,( though i will not make that assertation) and are centuries older than all Protestant denominations, so it would also logically follow that Protestantism is false. Paradoxically, if Protestantism is true, then Catholicism and by extension Christianity would be false, which would make Protestantism, as a Christian religion, false.
Please do not see my answer as an attack on your faith. I respect what you said about the Bible but disagreed wholly with your statement on Catholicism. I hope you are not offended and i look forward to hearing your reply. After all, i am here to learn, and i hope to learn much from you.
Sorry for the long answer, but ive never had the opportunity to say all the ideas inside my head before. And im also assuming youre a Protestant, forgive me for my assumption if you are not.
 
Yes, i do live in a place where Islam is a majority and i face social repercussions for conversion( though certainly not death)
Thanks for offering to pray for me!
 
Whether or not the priest requires RCIA is a discussion between you and him. Generally it is required but sometimes that requirement may be met another way (e.g. with private instruction).

I too will pray for you. Remember that Jesus said we would be persecuted.
 
If you live in a place where Islam is the majority religion then you may have problems getting the priest to baptize you. In many of those places almost all of the clergy are foreign born on visas. Their purpose is ostensibly to serve the foreign workers who are there. They are watched by the police and if anyone appears to them to be evangelizing they could be subject to arrest and a very quick deportation.
 
It isn’t too unusual to have to hide your faith…remember in the early church, they were hiding in the catacombs and using the sign of the fish to communicate secretly! I hope you can find a priest to give you direction and guide you into a Catholic community. I pray you will be protected and strengthened.
 
I live in South Lebanon, and priests certainly arent subjected to all that here. In fact, the president of our country is required by law to be a Maronite Christian. No, my problem is not with the authorities, it is mostly with family and relatives, as well as the wider community where i live.
I imagine you understand that it would be difficult to live in a place where you are a pariah. And as i imagine any Lebanese here would know, leaving( "abandoning ") one’s birth sect openly is something people dont take to kindly here. As i said in my previous post, i face social repercussions for conversion, though certainly not death.
Thank you all for your responses and kind blessings and your concern for my spiritual wellbeing!
 
This makes it easier for me to give you a better response. As a Catholic who lives in a majority Protestant area I think I can understand what it means to be a pariah. However this is about the truth and giving witness to the truth. Sometimes it can be very uncomfortable to tell the truth when the society doesn’t want to hear it. God is calling you to a special holiness. Many times the path to this holiness is paved with many thorns and nails. I recommend that you find a Catholic priest and talk to him. Go regularly to mass.
 
Thank you very much for your response. i hope that someday i will be able to get into regular contact with a Catholic priest, although that day may be far in the future. Or it might be tomorrow:). Thank you again for your response!
 
Southern Lebanon… Jesus mentioned it: ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Beth-saida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.’ Matt 11:21-22.
Praying for you. Do as much as you can. If you cannot get the sacramental baptism, do not be discouraged, for there is the Baptism of Desire.
 
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