If I may ask, before answering your question, have you read the Bible?

The ceremony differs depending on the denomination. Some require meetings and paperwork. Many just simply have a baptism date planned and go through with the ceremony (the pastor may ask that you meet with him first). The process is real simple. You get into the water, he asks you a few simple questions (like "Do you wish to follow the will of the Lord?" etc etc etc). You answer in the affirmative, then he dunks you in the water, the end. Many offer a certificate of baptism. Keep in mind this is not a legal process--simply a personal spiritual one. Your legal status and whatnot does not change as it does with other church ceremonies such as marriage.

trichick, good questions. I’ll answer them in order. Becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a pretty simple process. First, you meet with the missionaries; from what you’ve said, you’re doing that part. Once you’ve finished the missionary discussions, you’ll have an interview with the missionaries’ Priesthood leader, usually another missionary. It’s a pretty simple interview; questions like “Have you ever killed anyone?”, etc.. If you have to answer any of the questions in a less-than-ideal way, it’s still pretty unlikely to disqualify you; you just may need to wait a little while longer to demonstrate that you’ve truly repented of whatever grievous sins you’ve committed. At some point after this brief interview, you’ll have a baptismal service in which you receive the first half of the baptismal ordinance: baptism by water. A priest or elder of the Church will baptize you by immersion, which we take quite literally. You have to be completely submerged, even if only for a split second. Otherwise, you and the Priesthood holder will have to try again. (It generally goes off without a hitch, though.) Although things have changed a bit, since I was baptized, I believe that this is the point where the missionaries will give you a form that basically says “This is who I am, and I was baptized on [insert date],” with a place for your signature. Nothing out of the ordinary. The first Sunday following your baptism by water, you’ll receive the second half of the baptismal ordinance: the baptism by fire, better known as the laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. You’ll sit in a chair—usually at the front of the chapel—and one or more elders of the Church will place his/their hands upon your head and command you to receive the Holy Ghost. (Whether or not you actually do is totally up to you, but I’m guessing you’ll be wanting that.) ;-) The elder acting as voice will also bless you howsoever the Spirit dictates. Finally, after the baptismal ordinance is complete, the bishop or branch president will probably invite you to join him on the stand for a minute or so and ask the congregation to sustain you as a member of the Church and welcome you to the ward. Anyone that wants to do so (which is usually everybody that’s old enough to understand what’s going on) will raise their hand to so indicate. * * * * * Now… how to talk to your parents about it…. That can sometimes be a tough one. I had the incredible blessing that although I still lived at home, my parents’ minister had grown up in Palmyra, NY, and had learned a lot about the Church through some LDS childhood friends. When my parents went to him for counsel, he assured them that it was a Christian Church and that they had absolutely nothing to worry about. I realize this isn’t typical, though; many ministers have gotten a lot of misinformation about “the Mormons” (or at the very least vehemently disagree with what little they do know) and are consequently quite vocally derisive. The unfortunate truth is that a lot of people just take their ministers’ word for it and wind up fearing the Church of Jesus Christ without even the slightest clue of what we really believe. The best counsel I can give you, when it comes to discussing your decision with your parents, is to use an outpouring of love. Maybe they’ll support your decision, maybe they won’t; I don’t know them, so I can’t really say. The two things you need to emphasize, though, are that this decision was not made lightly and—even more importantly—that it will certainly not affect your love for them. A lot of people have the mistaken impression that “Mormonism” is one of those weird, brainwashing cults that’s designed to take people away from their families, whereas just the opposite is actually true. Invite them to come to Church with you, or at the very *least* to your baptism. Assure them that they’ll still be just as much a part of your life, that you love them and that there’s nothing in the teachings of the Church that could ever change that. I can testify from personal experience that my relationship with my parents actually *improved* after my baptism, if for no other reason than my newfound respect for them. The last thing I’d like to say is that, if your parents are apprehensive about the Church, invite them to speak with one or more members of the local congregation. The bishop or branch president is usually a good choice, but he’s certainly not the only one. If your parents are anything like mine were, they may even start reading some literature that’s very critical of the Church. Respect their right to do so, but request that if they have any questions about what you believe, to ask you directly instead of taking someone else’s word for it. It’s been my experience that almost every time someone portrays our beliefs in a negative light, they’ve either misunderstood what we believe (like the ridiculous misconception that Adam and God are the same guy), misunderstood simple facts (such as the misconception that no black Latter-day Saint could hold the Priesthood before 1978), or dredged up some long-since disproved explanation for the source of the Book of Mormon (such as the nigh-impossible tie-in to Ethan Smith’s “View of the Hebrews”). There’s no dearth of claims against the Church out there, but I’ve never come across a criticism that didn’t have a simple and consistent answer. If you’re not sure, ask someone; there’s 13,000,000 of us out there, and you can bet that any question you have is one that somebody else has had before you. ;-) * * * * * So… now that I’ve written an entire pamphlet for you, I’ll be signing off. If you have any more questions, you know where to ask! Blessings to you and your family, and congratulations on your baptismal plans!

1) Tell them you have found something important 2) hand them a fish and smile 3) walk out the door.

I am not a hater, i am a realist. one gives up a lot to become a LDS member.

Then make Ur Own Mistakes & remember Christ already paid for them but U need to be a "Christian" to receive "His Gift". John