FC Community
Discussion Boards => Off-Topic => Topic started by: steeda07 on July 24, 2009, 09:45:21 am
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...i know that religion is a controversial subject, but i would like some input on baptism!!!!
First off my boyfriend and i had my daughter out of wedlock, which in reality i would not change a thing! We definitely want to get married, but we dont want to get married for the wrong reasons! Both our families are catholic! My question is...does it really matter if i dont have my daughter baptized while she is a baby? I think that it should be her decision when she gets older!
~my parents dont care either way, that were not married or if we get her baptized!
~his mom is very un happy 1) for not getting married and 2) not having her baptized!!! She is very snarky and makes small remarks when she talks about how she was baptized as a baby!
Sorry to go on and on, i would just like some opinions!!! What are your thoughts on Baptism???? and should it be done at a young age??
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:wave: I think it should be the parents choice. I wasn't baptized until I was 9.
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i'm not catholic, but i don't really see how baptizing her as a child would change much - or make anything better, i should say. i don't think you should be pressured to do it.. i would let her wait until she's old enough to make the decision. but i'm southern baptist, so i realize there's a difference in our beliefs about baptism.
personally, i was 11 years old when i was baptized (september 6th, 1998..) i was old enough to know that i wanted to give my life to god. i made my own decision about it.
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Yes I was, as a baby (not sure what age).
Let them make the decision when they want to. In the cases I've seen where people wish to have their own Baptismal records removed from the church's records, they're denied the right. The Catholic diocese refuses their request. You cannot be "unbaptised" from the Catholic faith and I do not agree that it is a parent's right to choose their child's membership in any religion.
Nobody would agree that it's okay for a parent to sign their child's name onto a 25 year mortgage. You wouldn't support the idea that it's okay for a parent to enlist their six your old in the KKK. I don't see why choosing a religion for an incapable mind is any more correct. I find the whole notion pretty bizarre. After all, if you pull out of the mortgage, the worst that will happen is that you will be declared bankrupt. Even if you could 'pull' out of the religion, the price is eternal damnation in most cases. Hardly a contract that a child or baby should be entered into without their consent.
If you truly believe your religion, then I'm sure you would agree that your relationship with, in this case, the Catholic God is between you and him/her/it. It is a relationship that should be freely entered into, not something chosen for you before your mind is even capable of comprehending the notion that there are hundreds of religions and thousands of gods.
It shouldn't be done at a young age. The only reason the Catholic church (and many other denominations) promote doing it at a young age is so they can retain steady membership statistics (which is also the reason they deny anyone the right to have their Baptismal records officially destroyed). They know that if everyone was given the opportunity to choose if they wanted to enter the religion when they reach a respectable age of consent that a lot of people wouldn't enter. And that would destroy the very foundation of the organization. Their membership statistics would plummet; they would no longer be able to claim 33% of the world's population being Christian.
The issue goes deeper than this, but the post would be pretty long so I'll let it be :P
Short answer: Let them make their own decision when the time comes. This is not some random, unimportant factor in a person's life. In regards to the Catholic religion, it's an eternal decision that cannot be revoked. It should be decided by the individual.
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I think it truly is your religious beliefs. I don't believe that babies should be baptized... I'm a baptist and we believe that Baptism is once you give your life to God and claim him as your Lord and Savior, then you are baptized. It is up to you and your boyfriend... not his parents. If you feel it is necessary then you do what you feel, but I think it is perfectly fine to wait til your child is older and let them decide. It is their decision and is between them and God. I was 15 when I was baptized...
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I agree with the others who have posted. Let your child make the choice when she is old enough. Expose her to different religions and cultures. Let her know she has a choice instead of indoctrinating her at a young age. Kids believe anything so the church does want to hook them while their young.
I realize some people believe that unbaptized babies go to Hell or Purgatory. I can't understand why anyone would subscribe to a faith that would be so cruel though.
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I realize some people believe that unbaptized babies go to Hell or Purgatory. I can't understand why anyone would subscribe to a faith that would be so cruel though.
i agree with this statement. to think that a baby/young child could go to hell because of not being baptized is just insane to me.
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i was baptized when i was a baby, but hey do whatever u think is right
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thank you all, i appreciate your input! i just wanted to see what everyone thought, and see if anyone else would think less of me for not doing this while she is a baby!!!!
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My sister and I got baptized when I was 4 and she was 7... not many people can say they remember their own baptism, but I'm pretty happy that my parents waited until we were old enough to actually remember it. Growing up a lot of my friends thought it was weird, but now that I'm older I can definitely appreciate the fact that my parents waited until I was old enough to understand what was going on and what it was about.
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...i know that religion is a controversial subject, but i would like some input on baptism!!!!
First off my boyfriend and i had my daughter out of wedlock, which in reality i would not change a thing! We definitely want to get married, but we dont want to get married for the wrong reasons! Both our families are catholic! My question is...does it really matter if i dont have my daughter baptized while she is a baby? I think that it should be her decision when she gets older!
~my parents dont care either way, that were not married or if we get her baptized!
~his mom is very un happy 1) for not getting married and 2) not having her baptized!!! She is very snarky and makes small remarks when she talks about how she was baptized as a baby!
Sorry to go on and on, i would just like some opinions!!! What are your thoughts on Baptism???? and should it be done at a young age??
Jesus wasnt baptized until he was like 30, so im pretty sure it wont matter if a baby is baptized at birth. Baptism is to clean your body of sin, but has a baby really sined? Some people say its the original sin, but i think thats more for tradition. I'd baptize, but its ok if you dont i think.
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ok i believe that baptism is an outward confession of an inward change. i was dedicated as an infant but when i turned eight i begged to be baptized and my pastor thought i was too young i kept on bugging until finally he asked me why i wanted to be baptized and i remember telling him i loved jesus and wanted to show everyone else that i wasnt ashamed and also how much i loved Him. so after a few more questions he agreed to baptize me and the following sunday i was baptized i remember standing in front of the church and giving my testimony lol. i have a son myself and i had him dedicated but i've not had him baptized when he is old enough to know what and understand what it means and he is ready to be baptized then i will support him.... i hope this helps
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I'm very religious, and was baptized at an early age. I don't think you have to get baptized though...As long as you have faith.
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...i know that religion is a controversial subject, but i would like some input on baptism!!!!
First off my boyfriend and i had my daughter out of wedlock, which in reality i would not change a thing! We definitely want to get married, but we dont want to get married for the wrong reasons! Both our families are catholic! My question is...does it really matter if i dont have my daughter baptized while she is a baby? I think that it should be her decision when she gets older!
~my parents dont care either way, that were not married or if we get her baptized!
~his mom is very un happy 1) for not getting married and 2) not having her baptized!!! She is very snarky and makes small remarks when she talks about how she was baptized as a baby!
Sorry to go on and on, i would just like some opinions!!! What are your thoughts on Baptism???? and should it be done at a young age??
It doesn't matter if she's baptized as a baby or a toddler or preteen. As long as you, your future husband and your daughter have a relationship with our creator, God.
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I think it should be up to the parents. Let her *bleep*, its your child. In time if things change and yall feel as a couple that you want to get ur daughter baptized then do it. Dont let her rule ur roost. lol Its your life
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I think it should be up to the parents. Let her *bleep*, its your child. In time if things change and yall feel as a couple that you want to get ur daughter baptized then do it. Dont let her rule ur roost. lol Its your life
It's actually very much the child's life and this has nothing to do with a child having power over the parent. This is an irreversible "contract" that would be entered without their consent. And if consent isn't important when one is, supposedly, forming a "one on one" bond with [insert god], then that religion becomes nothing but obvious manipulation of innocent minds. Frankly, I don't think most people would want their religion to be characterized that way.
Should a parent then have the right to sign their child up to the KKK or sign their child's name on a 25 year mortgage? Probably not in most people's opinions.
Parents do have certain rights when it comes to their children, no doubt about it - this is well established in law. The question is, if it's not okay for a parent to sign their child's name on a 25 year mortgage or any other type of contract, why should a parent be allowed to enter their child into an eternal "contract" that includes no future opt-out clause without that child's consent? *ding ding winner* They shouldn't.
Let's have a scenario:
When one "enlists" in the KKK, their membership is recorded and they're counted in the KKK membership statistics. Let's say a parent "enlists" their son in the KKK when they're three years old. I'm not sure if there is a process for having the mentioned records destroyed, but let's assume there isn't, as there isn't a process for this when it comes to Baptism. Assume this child grows up and 30 years down the line wants to run for public office of some sort. And here come the smears. Not only was this person running for public office a member of the KKK as a child, but because there is no process to have these records destroyed, this person is STILL officially listed as a KKK member.
Now obviously someone is going to think, "well, being in the KKK is a negative social stigma, being a Christian isn't a negative social stigma." Not the point. The point is that a contract of this nature, which has no process for opting out of the membership statistics, is not something that should be decided for a person who is mentally incapable of making rational decisions on their own. An eternal contract should most certainly be consensual, should it not?
To conclude, whether someone wants to officially enter into a specific religion or not is an individual decision that should be made by said individual when they're mentally capable of comprehending there actually aren't gigantic red dogs named Clifford roaming around and purple dinosaurs don't have TV shows.
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i am battized my moms decision when i was a baby
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BAPTISM BECOME IN YOUR HEART.