But Jesus drank wine!

So I just got back from my best friend's Mormon baptism.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this. From a purely selfish point of view, I'm losing my favorite drinking buddy. In fact, that's pretty much how I feel about this.

The Mormon church is... different. The service included a few lessons about the religion, even though all but five of us present were already Mormon. People got up to give testimonies, all of which included "I know this church is the truth". Almost everyone cried, which was convenient because when [friend]'s Unitarian mom put her arm around me after the dunking and said, "I just keep picturing her on stage in a garter belt", we both broke down. Just as long as no one knew why we were crying, we fit right in. Admittedly, losing one's daughter trumps losing one's drinking buddy, but still.

I wonder a little, because [friend] is a bit of a serial monogamist, and this isn't the first time she's altered some part of herself to fit better with the boyfriend of the year. But before it was always little things, like when she was dating a boring guy and became boring - she never changed her religion before. I mean, what happens if they break up? But she thinks this guy is "the one", and she was unhappy with her own religion; I guess the natural progression is to look to a significant other's beliefs, right?

At the hors d'oeuvres reception after, my mom and I were kinda cornered by the missionaries. My mom fared better with that than I did: I always assume people are trying to convert me. But these two girls were nice, and in the end, I learned (via Mom) a lot more about the religion. Apparently I had stumped them by my protest (relayed by [friend]) of, "But Jesus drank wine!", but alas, the Wild Vines is still a no-go. As I was saying my goodbyes to [friend], she gave me a hug and said, "Thanks so much for coming," then added, "Sorry."

That, I think, is unfair. No, I do not understand why one would choose to become a Mormon. Yes, I do think the whole church is pretty bizarre. Yes, I will continue to make fun of it. And yes, I think [friend]'s mom and I will have a bond now that we've experienced this, dare I say suffering, together. But on the other hand, if she's happy and has found a place for herself, who am I to say anything about it? She's still herself; I've seen that since I came home and she told me she was converting. And she's my friend, and I'm going to support her in whatever, however much I might cry at the thought of that garter belt.