Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

My DH and I were discussing raising the baby as far as religion is concerned. We are both Catholic but neither one of us is really religious or ever goes to church. I am much more spiritual and I believe in something just not what the Catholic church dictates to me so my problem is how do I raise my kids? He thinks its silly to make them go to Catholic school but I feel like doing nothing is depriving them of something? Can I or should I at least have a christening??? I am so confused and should I post on parenting board?

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

We were having the same convo last night, neiter one of us go to church but we go married in a church, so we decided we are going to have a christing so when the child is other and wants to practice they can, but we will send them to religion and things of that sort, but prob not sunday mass all the time....

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

Can I give the baby's perspective?

My mother was raised Catholic, but not religious and my dad was protestant of some type but never went to church. When my sister and I were born we were not baptized or christened. As we got older, my parents told us that they did it so that we could choose what religion we wanted to be when we got older. They felt that it was forced down their throats as kids and didn't want us to feel that way.

Honestly, I am a nerd and I love to study different religions. It is really cool from a non-biased opinion. But my DH is Catholic and would like our baby to be baptized. I do not have a problem with this.

I appreciate that my parents were so foward thinking when it came to things like this.

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

Dh is Catholic and I'm Jewish, so it's a little different, but we don't plan on raising our children with ties to either religion. There will be no christening or Briss. We will celebrate all religious holidays with our familes- as we always have. And we will explain to our son what each holiday is for, so he will have an understanding of the celebrations. But we will not be taking our son to church or temple and we don't intend on registering him for any kind of religious schooling.

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

My parents families were not religious - my dad's fam is jewish and my mom's is I believe Episcopalian (sp?). I was not raised under any religion and I think I turned out great! I still to this day don't consider myself any specific religion.

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

My lil girl will be baptised catholic....me and DH are having a second ceremony this Saturday to have our marriage recognized by the catholic church. We did not get married in the church originally. Neither one of us goes to church regularly though

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

My mom is catholic and my dad jewish. I grew up for the most part with just my mom, so I celebrate the catholic holidays, even though I was not baptized cause the families argued and I grew up nothing (and I"m perfectly happy the way I am). I can't even say we celebrate the holidays--they're more an excuse to get the whole family together than to worship. However, my DHs family is catholic, and even though he doesn't care, we'd probably baptize our child and send them to school for a while, still exposing them to other things, and they can make their own educated decision on what they choose to believe later on.

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

I am Lutheran and went to a Catholic school. DH is not religious. I was very involved in my church at one point, but did not like how everything was changing. I will be sending Steven to Catholic school and am debating Christening him Catholic.

I don't totally agree with all of the teachings of the Catholic church either, but my church has deviated so far away from our Lutheran teachings and is soooo similar to the Roman Catholic church that I may as well just Baptize him Catholic

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

DH is non-religious Jewish.
I was raised Catholic, received several sacraments and attended Catholic elem. and high school but I do not practice. I feel it would be completely hypocritical for us to insist on raising our children in either religion at the expense of the other.

Despite this DH and I are very spiritual and respect the validity of ALL religions. BTW: We were married in a very spiritual ceremony overseen by a Unitarian minister.

We discusssed this topic in depth before we were even engaged. My last "hang-up" was about baptizing or not baptizing our children so I started to seriously consider it...

Why are children baptized? To erase the "original sin" given to them by the physical nature of their parents sexual relations that resulted in them... see book of Genisis, apple, snake, etc.

So I started to ask myself... Do I believe that babies are born with original sin? NO (IMO)! So why would I still consider it when I don't practice. Superstition and family pressure!!!! Well, I don't cave in to family pressure and I don't believe that an innocent child will go to hell if they are not baptized so therefore, after thinking about it for THREE days straight, I said, "Yeah, it would make no sense to me and it would be hypocratical for me to want to baptize my child when we don't practice."

Most organized religions are EXCLUSIVE... their way is the right way and everyone is is doing it wrong DH and I, despite being raised in different practices, believe in the same universal humanist truths.

We found our spiritual home at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington. The ONLY house of worship I have ever attended of any religion that is truly inclusive of ALL beliefs. Our children will attend RE classes there and learn about ALL of the religions of the world (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Muslim, Zoroastrianism, etc.) for we want them to be citizens of the world and not think other's beliefs are the wrong way but just different.

Sorry this is so long but I feel very strongly about this topic.

Yes, children need a spiritual foundation however, if the parents are not regular practicing Catholics (or any other religion) than I think it is hypocritical to go through the sacraments just as a right of passage. It's not about the party, the invites, etc. it's about the spirituality and your foundation of faith.

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

Posted by Tah-wee-ZAH

DH is non-religious Jewish.
I was raised Catholic, received several sacraments and attended Catholic elem. and high school but I do not practice. I feel it would be completely hypocritical for us to insist on raising our children in either religion at the expense of the other.

Despite this DH and I are very spiritual and respect the validity of ALL religions. BTW: We were married in a very spiritual ceremony overseen by a Unitarian minister.

We discusssed this topic in depth before we were even engaged. My last "hang-up" was about baptizing or not baptizing our children so I started to seriously consider it...

Why are children baptized? To erase the "original sin" given to them by the physical nature of their parents sexual relations that resulted in them... see book of Genisis, apple, snake, etc.

So I started to ask myself... Do I believe that babies are born with original sin? NO (IMO)! So why would I still consider it when I don't practice. Superstition and family pressure!!!! Well, I don't cave in to family pressure and I don't believe that an innocent child will go to hell if they are not baptized so therefore, after thinking about it for THREE days straight, I said, "Yeah, it would make no sense to me and it would be hypocratical for me to want to baptize my child when we don't practice."

Most organized religions are EXCLUSIVE... their way is the right way and everyone is is doing it wrong DH and I, despite being raised in different practices, believe in the same universal humanist truths.

We found our spiritual home at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington. The ONLY house of worship I have ever attended of any religion that is truly inclusive of ALL beliefs. Our children will attend RE classes there and learn about ALL of the religions of the world (Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Muslim, Zoroastrianism, etc.) for we want them to be citizens of the world and not think other's beliefs are the wrong way but just different.

Sorry this is so long but I feel very strongly about this topic.

Yes, children need a spiritual foundation however, if the parents are not regular practicing Catholics (or any other religion) than I think it is hypocritical to go through the sacraments just as a right of passage. It's not about the party, the invites, etc. it's about the spirituality and your foundation of faith.

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

DH is way more religious. He really wants a baptismal. I am not convinced that I need to do that, but it is important to him & his family.

I would like to send my child to private school, but it does not necessarily have to be a catholic school.

Re: Sorry in advance if this is too sensitive a topic

my parents are catholic, but ot practicing at All. They sent all of us to reigious instrcution though- my mom said she wanted to provide us with a relgious foundation, and then we could decide what we wanted to do with it (whether convert or what not- she still felt that we should have at least some foundation).

we'll probably do the same with our kids.