View Full Version : Christening??
Iwant to get my kid christened (4months old) but neither my wife or I are Church goers or intend to go to church regularly. Am I right to want to get him christened if we have no plans of following the Christian faith?
I wouldn't know where to start or how to approach a minister and say "hi I want you to christen my son but you'll never see me again on a Sunday".
Any ideas?? or similar situations??
Hallo Caithpal,
You've sort of answered the question yourslef by saying you 'dont want to follow the Christian Faith'
I understand Christening to be a promise to bring the child up in the Christian faith.
It's nice that you want a Church Service for the baby - perhaps a Blessing would be more suitable.
I'm no expert on such things but good luck, and do speak it over with a minister they deal with this every other day!
SD
If you don’t intend to go to church why would you want to have your child christened?
You’d be standing in church and professing to a faith that you simply don’t have. You’d then be making a promise to the church (and ‘God’) to give your child a Christian upbringing. If you don’t have that faith and don’t intend to raise your child in that faith then it seems a little hollow and meaningless to me.
If it’s simply the ceremony you are looking for, have you considered something along the lines of a humanist naming ceremony? That way you could have a day in celebration of your child without having to pretend to bring your child into the folds of Christianity.
changilass
17-Apr-05, 22:27
I know where you are coming from, when we have kids I want to get them christened. I too am not a church goer and have no intention of going to church on a regular basis. I am, however willing to take my child to church so that thy can attend sunday school. The wway I see it, is that I would want to give my kids an opportunity to decide for themselves. By having them christened, I would simply be giving them another option.
Go and talk to a couple of the ministers and see what they say, you have nothing to lose.
Christening is a tricky issue in most Protestant churches and I imagine the Catholic church would be even more strict.
jjcs right and it would be a hollow gesture to even consider the church option if your not into the goods.
Ive been to a couple of non-religious baby naming shindigs and it was just a bunch of people, some Christian some atheist some hindu and masel celbrating on behalf of the baby. There was also a promise given at one of the get togethers by friends of the babies parents that if anything happened to them (the parents) the friends would do whatever was necessary for the childs welfare. A sort of nogodmother and a nogodfather.
The babies seemed to have a good time too.
I had both my kids christened but I have never been one to attend church, my children were christened to follow in their dads family tradition, which I thought would be nice as their grand-parents and great grand parents were church attenders.
The wway I see it, is that I would want to give my kids an opportunity to decide for themselves. By having them christened, I would simply be giving them another option.
I'm afraid this makes no sense to me at all. By having your children christened, you are committing to raising them as Christians. You are not giving them an option.
If you truly want them to decide for themselves, allow them to choose whether or not to have a faith. Why impose a faith upon them when you do not share it enough to attend church?
They do not have to be christened when young - they can easily do this when they are older children, or adults, should they wish to.
How does it give a baby an option to be Christened into a religion non of you seem to care about? Why not have a Jewish ceremony or a pagan cermony at sunrise? What about killing a lamb and smearing the baby with blood. Thatll give the baby virility to produce more babies when it gets older.
These are real options, and when you consider the meaning of the symbolic act, all of them would be just as comparable to the Christian ceremony.
What about killing a lamb and smearing the baby with blood. Thatll give the baby virility to produce more babies when it gets older.
:eek:
:confused
[lol]
gravedigga
18-Apr-05, 02:06
I got christened in the church when i was a baby and it didn't make a bit of difference to me. I went to the Sally Ann for Sunday school and i liked going but only cos it was good fun - bit like playschool. Then as i got older i couldn't be bothered, luckily i wasn't forced to go when i didn't want to.
I know a lot of ppl who went to Sunday school who weren't christened so i dare say there's not much point getting a baby christened if it's only so they'll be accepted in to Sunday school.
Once i was old enough to decide for myself i done just that so i don't think it matters too much whether a child is christened or not as they will decide for themselves what they believe . . . . . . . . . well unless they're brought up to live strictly by the bible and go to church etc.
I had all my children christened. I have been to church on and off over the years and it was to me important that my children be christened at the time. today i would not do so- i think i would opt for a "celebration" and pick four of my dearest friends to be the childs "guides" rather than godparents.
a Jewish ceremony
A wee bit more to it if the baby happens to be male in that case :eek:
Wow! I actually agree with jjc on this one! None of my children were christened, cos I don't believe splashing water on a baby's head makes a blind bit of difference to the choices they make when they grow up. To me the cermony is more about extracting a promise from the parents to bring the child up as a christian. since I keep my promises, I didn't want to make one i wasn't sure of, so I chose to leave it to them when they were older. They did go to sunday school however.
It's like a wedding, non church goers marry in church for the big ceremony, and it all looks very nice - but it should mean something, otherwise why bother? The child won't remember.
Wow! I actually agree with jjc on this one!
Happens to the best of us eventually ;)
Wow, this is a first -- jjc, katarina and I are in total agreement over something! Do I spy white smoke coming from the chimney at Caithness General?
How can christening a child give him or her more choice? If anything, surely it gives them less choice? Anyone can choose to be christened or baptised later in life; you can't choose to be un-christened.
Well, perhaps you can: I have been told that you have to be confirmed in the Anglican and Catholic churches otherwise it doesn't really count, but in the Church of Scotland it is indeed for life. Maybe someone who is more knowledgeable than I on these matters may care to comment.
Gleeber, thanks for making me smile. :)
I don't know where the idea of christening babies came from anyway. Certainly not from the bible. If anyone disagrees, please let me know and we can have another discourse.
I was Christened in a now defunct church, it is now flats. I guess that's why I am the biggest cynic and atheist going, but since God created everything then He must have intentionally made me that way for a purpose. [cynicism intended]
I am reading between the lines on caithpal's intentions and i can't help getting the impression that he wants a christening just for tradition or for the benefit of the grandparents. There may be some pressure there.
Once you have accepted atheism on its own terms then you are on the road for a fullfilling life and death.
SandTiger
19-Apr-05, 12:30
katarina, is it not a symbolic form of Baptism?
I found a couple of comparisons between christening and baptism here (http://www.pcusa.org/theologyandworship/worship/faq-sacraments.htm) and here (http://www.rci.org.au/faq/faq_personal.htm).
Good God, today must be a very special day indeed: is it really the case that jjc, katarina, Rheghead and I are all in agreement over something?
SandTiger
19-Apr-05, 12:51
For some biblical references then you may want to check http://www.stjohn-lcms.com/infantbap.htm
Good God, today must be a very special day indeed: is it really the case that jjc, katarina, Rheghead and I are all in agreement over something?
It is surely is God's work... :roll:
katarina, is it not a symbolic form of Baptism?
Yes. but baptism is done at an age when the person can understand and accept for themselves. Christ was baptised as an adult and by full emmersion. When children were brought to him, he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.
For some biblical references then you may want to check http://www.stjohn-lcms.com/infantbap.htm
I looked this up. Then the refs up in the bible. All these references seemed to me to be to adults, telling them to repent and be baptized. Baptism meaning to repent of all sins, the emersion in water being symbolic of washing these sins away. Doesn't sound like something you can do to a little baby does it?
The following quote sums up todays 'christenings' Why not just have a 'naming day' and celebrate the new baby with all the trimmings?
quote; So one problem with the term "christening" is that it has come to have the sense of a private event of welcoming the child into a human family, rather than the church's engrafting that person into the body of Christ.
Tugmistress
19-Apr-05, 15:10
katarina, is it not a symbolic form of Baptism?
Yes. but baptism is done at an age when the person can understand and accept for themselves. Christ was baptised as an adult and by full emmersion. When children were brought to him, he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.
Errrr, not strictly true!
If that is the case why do i have a certificate of baptism from 1967 when i was born in december 1966? either i must have been very forward for my age, or the decision was not made by me.
SandTiger
19-Apr-05, 15:16
katarina, is it not a symbolic form of Baptism?
Yes. but baptism is done at an age when the person can understand and accept for themselves. Christ was baptised as an adult and by full emmersion. When children were brought to him, he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.
I found this bit to possibly be of relevence under Regeneration for All Ages:
Yes, we baptize babies. Unmistakably Scriptural proof substantiates that doctrine. Christian history, unbroken and uninterrupted, reflects such practice in each generation. Conscientious Christians do not delay but hasten with their children to Baptism that they may receive the gift of salvation and regeneration and gratefully embrace the Apostle's affirmation extended to those of all age groups: "For as many of you as have been baptized have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).
If that is the case why do i have a certificate of baptism from ...
You get a certificate?
I'm sorry, but doesn't God just, well, know that you were baptised?
What happens on the day of judgement if you've left your certificate in your other jacket? ;)
My opinion why there is a tradition of baptising babies is that I think there is a passage in the Bible that if you have not had your sins washed away then you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. In an age where fatal childhood diseases were rife, most parents thought it would be wise that their babies should be baptised ASAP....just in case.
The pagan Romans had a more pragmatic approach to death of infants, they didn't consider a child under 12 months really human so if they just threw out their dead babies with the rubbish.
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Errrr, not strictly true!
If that is the case why do i have a certificate of baptism from 1967 when i was born in december 1966? either i must have been very forward for my age, or the decision was not made by me.
I think you get that when you're christened. Church of Scotland sees that as the same thing.
My opinion why there is a tradition of baptising babies is that I think there is a passage in the Bible that if you have not had your sins washed away then you cannot enter the Kingdom of God. In an age where fatal childhood diseases were rife, most parents thought it would be wise that they should be baptised ASAP....just in case.
The pagan Romans had a more pragmatic approach to death of infants, they didn't consider a child under 12 months really human so if they just threw out their dead babies with the rubbish.
Amazingly enough I still agree. And as for the pagan romans - don't we still do that with aborted babies? Just a case of doing it sooner rather than later.
How true about aborted babies, I never thought of that, it just goes to show how much we have improved morally in two thousand years of Christianity...
I'm sure there are a lot of people in your situation, do I or don't I get my child christened/baptised. But at the end of the day it is your choice and if you want the child christened go ahead, eveyone likes a good get together. I personally didn't get my child christened as I am not a follower of God and my child can choose what way to live whether that means involving the church or not when he is old enough to make that decision for himself.
You don't have to be christened/baptised to be a better person or indeed a better christian but matters is that you become a decent human being, they(decent folk) are getting increasingly thin on this planet!
oh my where to begin *grins* aheeemm i was born and raised a baptist! but thats beside the point.. the main reason babies were baptised not because they needed it to get to heaven but back in the day when the evil withes and such what abounded .. they thought that by using the flesh of an unbatised infant gave them all sorts of dark powers.. im talking flesh fat all the little bits.. generally you do not baptise babies.. but have dedication ceremonies.. now this is where the familys that do follow the faith come in.. you go before the congregation and promise to raise your child by Gods law.. and when that child is old enough to choose for himself then they will do so.. as long as a child is under the age of reasoning their sins are yours.. as you are their parents and it is your duty to teach them right from wrong.. and moral values..
the age of reasoning is often thought to be around the age of 8 when most children are old enough to understand right from wrong.. but it can be at any age.. just when ever the individual person can be held accountable.. as knowing what they are doing is either right or wrong..
then after that age if they choose they are baptised and become members of the church...
god parents are the ones that parents choose to take over the rearing of thier children if anything happens to them they are usually obliged to be their guardians and spiritual advisor.. to teach them along with their own children.
the word christening means
noun: giving a Christian name at baptism
verb: administer baptism to
so if you do not want to have the religious side to it .. then you can use it as giving your child thier proper name .. AND.... *shock gasp* you dont have to do it in church .. you can have it in your home if you want... or at another place to give a function.. *grins*
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