TruthBook Religious News Blog

Classes, support groups educate, guide new believers

Friday, November 7, 2008
By Meredith Heagney
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Inside a meeting room at the mosque, the converts stood shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot, right hands folded over left.

Now bend at the waist, the instructor told them. Make your back as flat as you can. It is said that the Prophet Muhammad's back was so flat when he prayed that you could steady a glass of water on it.

Newly converted Muslim Vanessa Cross followed along, paying close attention. A few minutes before, she had listened to a lesson in how to perform the nine steps of wudu, the ritualistic washing Muslims complete before prayer.

Cross, 31, of the Northeast Side, attends the New Muslim Support Group at the Noor Islamic Cultural Center in Dublin.

It is one of many classes where new believers are welcomed and instructed on their religion.

Such classes, offered in many faiths, explain basic beliefs, scripture and worship practices while giving new believers a chance to connect. Instructors give tours of the building and pass out educational literature.

Conversion isn't a unique experience among the American faithful. Twenty-eight percent of Americans have left the faith of their childhood for another religion, or for no religion at all, according to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. In some faiths, the classes are mandatory for new members.

Religious leaders want to help new people feel comfortable and committed as they navigate a new faith, which can be daunting. Some people are coming back to religion after a bad experience in another faith or denomination.

Cross told a group of women that she needed help putting on her hijab, the headscarf many Muslim women wear. When she would bend to pray, it would start falling off, she said.

New Christians get lots of help, too.

Evangelical megachurches such as Grove City Church of the Nazarene and Vineyard Church of Columbus offer seminars that teach about Jesus, reading the Bible and communicating with God.

After deciding to accept Jesus Christ as their savior, people often don't know what to do next, said the Rev. Brady Wisehart, an associate pastor at Grove City Church of the Nazarene.

In the Roman Catholic Church, those wishing to convert undergo the nine-month Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

It's a time for people to decide whether Catholicism is right for them. That's why the program takes several months and provides a thorough study, said Deacon Tom Berg Jr., vice chancellor of the Columbus Diocese.

A class gathered at St. Brigid of Kildare Catholic Church in Dublin recently to get a tour of the church from Monsignor Joseph Hendricks, the pastor.

During the tour, Hendricks explained the significance of the cross and the baptismal font, and gleefully pointed out the fact that from his vantage point at the pulpit, he can see people come late and leave early.

He cleared up misconceptions. Some Protestants think Catholics worship Mary, but they don't, he explained. They simply pray to her for intercession and honor her as the mother of Christ.

For Dan VandenBosch, every bit of information is helpful. The 29-year-old plans to convert to Catholicism from the Christian Reformed Church.

His wife of 10 months, Shannon, 29, is Catholic and will serve as his sponsor. Their first child is due in January.

"This is answering a lot of questions," Mr. VandenBosch said.

Labels: Americans, conversion, faith, Meredith Heagney, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, religion