Have your children been christened

Avenged7Fold · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:18

Dis86 said:
I'm gonna introduce him to the Jehovah's

You dont get introduced, you get harassed into it. You either join or you get rid of your doorbell. At least you can treat Scientology as a monetary investment to advance your acting career but with added university sci fi club initiation steps involved.

Luckystrike123 · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:20

The wife and I are having a baby which is due in December / January.

As an atheist I was initially against having a christening, but after listening to the wife's logic of "If you don't believe it means anything, then what is the problem", I'm just going to go along with it and treat it as a party for the baby.

Minstadave · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:23

No I don't believe in the sky pixies and don't believe in children being indoctrinated. My daughter can make her own mind up in the fullness of time.

Minstadave · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:26

cheesyboy said:
It's not easy finding a non-denominational school. When I looked, 12 out of the nearest 13 primaries to me were C of E or Catholic. So I have a son who believes in god etc. He's only 6, he'll probably grow out of it.

I don't tell him "god doesn't exist", favouring "some people believe in god". unfortunately, the school don't seem to try to strike the same balance - "god is real"

Schools in the UK should be secular. It's just obscene to have religion rammed down the throats of children from a young age.

Spacedeck · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:26

I won't be. I was and so was my siblings. We aren't a religious family though and don't go to church. Girlfriend wasn't christened, so we've decided against it for our child.

Avenged7Fold · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:26

Luckystrike123 said:
The wife and I are having a baby which is due in December / January.

As an atheist I was initially against having a christening, but after listening to the wife's logic of "If you don't believe it means anything, then what is the problem", I'm just going to go along with it and treat it as a party for the baby.

Good move, not doing it closes some opportunities. The ceremony means nothing in terms of bring the kid up, if you dont follow up on it. Not taking advantage of what a christening can offer just because you dont believe in it, is another silly form of self detrimental faith.

Sankari · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:28

teenwolf said:
Have your children been christened

Nope.

Battery! · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:31

Cleisthenes said:
I wouldn't christen my child unless they chose to be christened themselves

Same.

cheesyboy · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:31

Minstadave said:
Schools in the UK should be secular. It's just obscene to have religion rammed down the throats of children from a young age.

Yes, agreed.

I was a little upset when I heard he, when in the pre-school, had been having to pray thanks for his food before lunches. Just didn't seem right to put that on four year olds.

Em3bbs · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:33

Minstadave said:
Schools in the UK should be secular. It's just obscene to have religion rammed down the throats of children from a young age.

While I agree schools should be secular, I don't think it's fair to say that many C of E schools or Catholic schools are like that. I went to a C of E and I'm not religious at all, we sang a few hymns every now and again, it hardly brainwashed me. My son is about to start his third year at an excellent C of E now, and has never mentioned god or Jesus to me once.

Warbie · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:34

Cleisthenes said:
I wouldn't christen my child unless they chose to be christened themselves

Avenged7Fold · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:35

Minstadave said:
Schools in the UK should be secular. It's just obscene to have religion rammed down the throats of children from a young age.

Depends very much on the school. Many Catholic schools have policies focusing on religious and atheist tolerance. I remember a teacher getting in a lot of trouble for expressing that she believed abortion to be wrong due to her religious beliefs. She got into as much trouble for the religion part of it as the part which recklessly scares young girls into making bad choices.

johnny6 · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:35

Nope but we did do a naming ceremony, which is pretty much the same thing without the religious bits.

Uriel · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:36

2 kids. One dedicated (the parents make promises but no baptism), the other christened.

We changed churches between the two, moving from one that believes baptism should only be for believers to another that baptises infants. By the time we changed the older child was aware enough of what was going on. It's up to him if and when he wants to get baptised.

Guess I'm one of the few Christians in this thread. I used to be anti infant-baptism but I changed my mind.

Avenged7Fold · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:38

Uriel said:
Guess I'm one of the few Christians in this thread. I used to be anti infant-baptism but I changed my mind.

Off topic but, if you were not religious, would you still have the username Uriel?

EddScott · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:39

No1newts said:
Yes.

I wouldn't have bothered as I think religion is a complete load of bull but the missus really wanted it so life was easier for me if i relented.

This was me for the first one. Just seemed par for the course with the Mrs to have the kids christened. More of an excuse for a get together and a drinking session. With yours truly footing the bill for the food and the location.

Mrs passed away before 2nd's first birthday. In-laws haven't mentioned it and my side doesn't really have a feeling either way so I've not bothered.

Uriel · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:41

Avenged7Fold said:
Off topic but, if you were not religious, would you still have the username Uriel?

Probably not - but Uriel only has a very tenuous link to my religious belief. I originally chose it for a LAN cafe gaming name because the wouldn't let me have 'Beef Flavour Nipple Paste'. And I suppose it's in Elder Scrolls stuff - although I'm not sure that came into it at all.

james.miller · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:44

amigafan2003 said:
I've not been christened and I got married in a church.

Me too, although the wife is catholic. I just had to attend church a few times before the wedding.

edit: and our son isnt christened. He's 5. We have not pushed any religious beliefs on him but If he chooses a life a of religion on his own then he'll be fully supported.

Avenged7Fold · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:45

Uriel said:
Probably not - but Uriel only has a very tenuous link to my religious belief. I originally chose it for a LAN cafe gaming name because the wouldn't let me have 'Beef Flavour Nipple Paste'. And I suppose it's in Elder Scrolls stuff - although I'm not sure that came into it at all.

I am not familiar with that archangel, clearly i am not at all religious. Though my name is a reference to a metal band which seems to focus heavily on old testament themed Gothic music.

I enjoy reading that stuff the same way i would read lore to a horror style high fantasy book. Though it is not anything relevant to today's modern versions of religion.

BigT · 15 Jul 2016 at 12:46

I don't have kids, but friends who do have done christenings purely to get into the local Roman Catholic schools which are good. However the amount of planning is insane. A year before they decided trying for kids they started going to church so that when they had the child there were no issues in them being part of the congregation to get the christening, then five years going to church as a family so that the priest 'signs off' on the child entering the infant Catholic school and is in the system.

So seven years of church going just so they could get their child into a decent school!