Conversion after Divorce

edited December 1969 in Personal Issues
My question is whether I will be allowed to convert to being Coptic after I have already been divorced.  I am planning to conver from prodestant to Coptic to get remarried to a Coptic woman at some future date.  We are considering dating but we are worried that it will not be possible to have a Coptic marriage because of my history.  Any answers would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • I'm pretty sure that you will find a nearby Coptic Church, so go visit the priest of that church and sit down with you and your friend with the priest and talk amongst yourselves about difficulties in your past.  He will provide you with appropriate answers, and I'm sure that you should probably arrange a baptism before marriage, the priest will probably explain that though and you probably have already thought about it. Hope I was of some assistance!!

    Forever,
    Coptic Servent
  • [quote author=NGJohnson link=topic=6259.msg82652#msg82652 date=1203631765]
    My question is whether I will be allowed to convert to being Coptic after I have already been divorced.  I am planning to conver from prodestant to Coptic to get remarried to a Coptic woman at some future date.  We are considering dating but we are worried that it will not be possible to have a Coptic marriage because of my history.  Any answers would be greatly appreciated.


    you should not be converting just to get married. a bishop once told me id rather that they stay in whatever they are now than to come to our church just for marrige. i do not want false sheep. sorry if i sound harsh but it has happened many times before. we want believers, but if you truly believe thats great.
  • i'm almost 100% sure you can't get be baptised as a coptic because you're divorced. And like His Servant said, you shouldn't convert just because you want to get married.
  • [quote author=PopeKyrillos link=topic=6259.msg82660#msg82660 date=1203634302]
    i'm almost 100% sure you can't get be baptised as a coptic because you're divorced. And like His Servant said, you shouldn't convert just because you want to get married.


    wait, why not?? I thought we'd accept almost everyone, at least under certain circumstances correct??

    Forever,
    Coptic Servent
  • I was under the impression it was allowed for infidelity...and it would not just be for this person, but because of my own beliefs. 
  • You would be allowed to convert if you are divorced, i have never heard that you won't get accepted because of that.  but as everyone said not if its just for this girl. you need to go talk to the priest of the church, he can help you more than anyone on this site
  • i'm almost 100% sure you can't get be baptised as a coptic because you're divorced. And like His Servant said, you shouldn't convert just because you want to get married.

    ARE YOU SERIOUS??? >:[
    so, basically, if some one wants to be saveddd.
    we won't "allow" them because of a past mistake??
    are you serious??

    And I think that if some one convertss for marriagee they'll eventually catch on to the religon and dbe a part of it..
    you can expectt people to learn/do everything wwe've had our whole lives to do because we were born into ittt..and THEN convert.
    am i making sense? ahh.
  • [quote author=copticcross3 link=topic=6259.msg82670#msg82670 date=1203640643]

    i'm almost 100% sure you can't get be baptised as a coptic because you're divorced. And like His Servant said, you shouldn't convert just because you want to get married.

    ARE YOU SERIOUS??? >:[
    so, basically, if some one wants to be saveddd.
    we won't "allow" them because of a past mistake??
    are you serious??

    And I think that if some one convertss for marriagee they'll eventually catch on to the religon and dbe a part of it..
    you can expectt people to learn/do everything wwe've had our whole lives to do because we were born into ittt..and THEN convert.
    am i making sense? ahh.


    no u dont. there is something called catechism which people MUST go through before they are baptised. how can u be part of a religion u dont know? this is a wrong teaching. u need to learn the religion then be baptised.
  • [quote author=His Servant link=topic=6259.msg82671#msg82671 date=1203640849]
    [quote author=copticcross3 link=topic=6259.msg82670#msg82670 date=1203640643]

    i'm almost 100% sure you can't get be baptised as a coptic because you're divorced. And like His Servant said, you shouldn't convert just because you want to get married.

    ARE YOU SERIOUS??? >:[
    so, basically, if some one wants to be saveddd.
    we won't "allow" them because of a past mistake??
    are you serious??

    And I think that if some one convertss for marriagee they'll eventually catch on to the religon and dbe a part of it..
    you can expectt people to learn/do everything wwe've had our whole lives to do because we were born into ittt..and THEN convert.
    am i making sense? ahh.


    no u dont. there is something called catechism which people MUST go through before they are baptised. how can u be part of a religion u dont know? this is a wrong teaching. u need to learn the religion then be baptised.


    I've heard of that!!! but is it really true!?!?!
  • is what really true? catechism? yes it is. its very important.
  • no..i know that..
    i mean i didntt mean ppl should justt walk in --get babtized and leave orthodox..
    but we can expect them to get it so fastt.
    I mean..if they convert mainlyy for marriagee..
    they EVENTUALLY will get close to God.

  • thats wrong and thats what ruins a religion. many priests regret baptising some ppl for that reason.
  • yes very true. However, like I said before, I don't think the church will baptise a person who is divorced. Usually the priest would ask you "if you didn't know this person you want to get married to, and new about the church, would you still want to be a part of it"?

  • While I agree that one should respect baptism and come to it out of a love for our Lord Jesus,  I wanted to present a quote from St. Cyril of Jerusalem. You may agree or disagree, but I figured it would add to the discussion

    Possibly too thou art come on another pretext. It is possible that a man is wishing to pay court
    to a woman, and came hither on that account. The remark applies in like manner to women
    also in their turn. A slave also perhaps wishes to please his master, and a friend his friend.
    I accept this bait for the hook, and welcome thee, though thou camest with an evil purpose,
    yet as one to be saved by a good hope. Perhaps thou knewest not whither thou wert coming,
    nor in what kind of net thou art taken. Thou art come within the Church's nets[9]: be taken
    alive, flee not: for Jesus is angling for thee, not in order to kill, but by killing to make alive:
    for thou must die and rise again. For thou hast heard the Apostle say, Dead indeed unto sin,
    but living unto righteousness. Die to thy sins, and live to righteousness, live from this very
    day.

    This is from his catechetical letters.

    I don't think a divorce would prevent you from being baptized, however, it might prevent you from becoming remarried. This is why you should talk to a parish priest. Hope I helped
  • [quote author=PopeKyrillos link=topic=6259.msg82660#msg82660 date=1203634302]
    i'm almost 100% sure you can't get be baptised as a coptic because you're divorced. And like His Servant said, you shouldn't convert just because you want to get married.


    Please make sure you provide the right information to an inquirer or at least refrain from any advise if you are not 100 % sure. We are talking about a baptism of a new member here, somebody who would be joining the chorus of the saints. To discourage him from seeking the truth by a "fatwa" seems very dangerous to the you personally, and his blood will be asked from you, and will put him in despair. I salute you for being right on when it comes to joining the church just for marriage, you are definitely right, but please think about the rest.

    First, there is no coptic, black, white, arab and slavic baptism. There is Orthodox (Christian), roman catholic and protestant baptism. Baptism is related to the faith and not to a certain race. Coptic, in the end, is a race. While we are proud of it because of our great heritage,we do not preach Copticism but Orthodoxy.

    Secondly, you CAN get baptized if you are divorced before the baptism, simply because with baptism you acquire the new nature and the old man (nature) dies. Therefore, any sins and former lifestyle are no more, for the baptized has put on the Lord Christ. For to claim otherwise means that there is no salvation for those who have been divorced even if they want to be Christian (Orthodox). 

    The rest is really for the bishop to decide whether a person is led externally by the Spirit to the Orthodox faith through the Catechism classes or it is just a licence to wed.
  • First ask yourself are you 100% sure you want to get baptized.  You are not just doing this to marry the girl right. I am sure if you are doing this for the right reasons, yes he will baptized you. But if not, than he won't. Also you are going to have to study about the faith and Abouna will give you time to think about it.  This is a very serious step.  I was also baptized as an adult, but I did was never married and I did it because of my love for Jesus and the saints.  Everytime I walk into a Coptic Church, I feel like I am home and it is a safe place for me. The same way a baby kitten goes to it's mother when they feel threatened.
  • Ok, I guess I was wrong. But I stand firm on a few things.

    -Possibly not being allowed to get remarried
    -Joining the church for the right reasons.

    There is a possibility that you might not be able to get remarried. Although you'll still be able to get baptised (contradicting what I said before), another marriage might not be permitted. But again, I'm not sure.

    Many people have already explained the second point about joining the church for the right reasons.
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