To Baptise or not too?

Amanda - posted on 01/04/2012

I do not think a child should be baptized. They don't understand. Baptism is for the washing away of sins and children are innocent and have no sins. Not only that but when you are baptized you are commiting yourself to God and a baby cannot do that.

Amanda - posted on 01/02/2012

i say do not get it done because why force your child into being baptized a certain religion when you dont even know if they will want to follow that particular religion. plus you guys dont go to church now so your child wont be raised following a particular religion. wait until your child is old enough to understand what religion is and let them decide whether or not they want to follow a faith and get baptized

Katherine - posted on 01/01/2012

I was never baptised but my husband is baptised catholic and did the communions and all of that, even going to catholic schooling!!!

We decided together that our son would not be baptized as we felt that since we don't practice and attend church that we would allow our child/ren to choose a faith that they want to follow when they are older.

I do go to church every so often with my mom, and I've regularrly attended a united and penecostal church growing up, but it's not something I've ever been huge in.

When our son is old enough and shows interest he is more then welcome, both his father and I will take him to which ever church/religous service he wants to attend.

As for god parents, we have verbally decided that my sister and brother in law (husband and wife) will get our son should anything happen to us.....if they are unable to our son will go to our best friend Julie.....if that is impossible then he will go to a set of the grandparents...they will fight for him no matter what. It's also been discussed that whoever has our son will make sure that he knows who his family members are and allows family to see him when they request it

Dusty - posted on 01/01/2012

Honestly, I don't think anyone should have their child baptized. And I'm a Christian. I don't believe a person should be baptized until they fully understand what it means. However, I'm all for having your child dedicated. This is when you declare (in front of God/whatever higher power you believe in, & in front of family/church/friends) that you will raise that child in a (insert religion) household. In my case, I dedicated my children to be raised in a Christian household.

Cheyenne - posted on 04/02/2011

i decided when i was pregnant that my son would be baptized but not until he is older and understands what is going on. i was baptized as were my two younger siblings and mother. i attended church when i was younger but havent been since i was 12(im now almost 21) although i do go to Good friday services every year with my aunt and do communion. i am Christan and my son will be raised Christian. if he decided he wants to attend church as he gets older i will not stop him. i havent picked god parents yet because alot of my family is older and couldnt raise a child. my boyfriend doesnt really have a faith, he never atteneded church, but i told him i wanted my son baptized and he agreed. in my opinion i think a child should be older to be baptized so they know why they are doing it and understand the meaning but agian thats my opinion.

Erin - posted on 03/31/2011

Its a myth that godparents take care of your baby if something were to happen to you. The only people that do that are the people that are specified in the will that you make. That being said my boyfriend and I plan on having our boys baptized catholic, and in that religion we are supposed to have at least one catholic godparent, which really made our choices hard. We always said i'd ick the girls and he'd pick the guys and weel not a lot of my friends are catholic. The ones that are aren't very good role models lol. So I picked my best friends, and the boys aunt. The male godparents are my boyfriends best friend and his brother. We wanted people that our kids know and will see often not just whoever. We wanted them to have a good healthy relationship with their godparents

Amy - posted on 03/31/2011

A baby detication is best. You are telling the Lord, 'here you go, guide him!' And a baptism is a person choice to live for the Lord and right now your baby cannot choose that. He will have to get baptised again when he is older, when he hears the word of God and learns it and understands the purpose of baptism! I hope this helps!

Valerie - posted on 03/30/2011

Good Question.. I hope this helps: Baptism doesn't cleanse you from your sin and reserve a place for you in heaven. In the book of John, in the Bible, it states: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. In the book of Ephesians it states: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
In the Old Testament, God's people needed to bring burnt offerings in order to be cleansed and be in the presence of God. When God sacrificed his son (Christ) on the cross, that was all that was needed to allow us to be with God . Because Christ was a sinless and perfect sacrifice, He paid the way for us to be in heaven with Him. According to the scriptures above, all that is needed is our belief and trust in Him.
No where in the Bible does it show people were sprinkled for baptism as a baby. Jesus was baptized as an adult and in a river. So why is baptism needed? Baptism is a profession of our faith. In the Bible, the examples given show people believing and then being baptized. Jesus was perfect, He didn't need cleansing from sin, He was simply leading by example.
God is our ultimate example, anything we say and do will always fall short. Look to Him for answers.
He has given us His Word (in the form of the Bible) so that we can understand who He is and His plan for us.

Nicole - posted on 03/29/2011

My husband it Cathloic and was baptised....but i'm not and was never baptised...we have three children and they were all baptised in the cathloic religion....but that doesnt mean that they cant choose a different religion when they grow up...and the god parents are usually close relatives but doesnt always have to be...

Rebecca - posted on 03/29/2011

sorry I worded that wrong. what I was saying is that not everyone (all Christian churches) believes in "Original Sin" by your definition. That is not to say they don't believe there was a first sin. My church believes that each person is responsible for their own sin and therefore can not be cleansed of another persons sin. We also believe that Adam and Eve were punished for the first sin by being kicked out of the Garden of Eden. I wasn't trying to bash you or anything. I won't even go into when and why the Roman catholics started teaching Original Sin and infant baptism.

Ashley - posted on 03/29/2011

Original sin is not something someone commits. It's the sin that this world (and most everyone in it) bears as a result of the first sin committed by Adam and Eve. And you should indeed want to be cleansed of it as quickly as possible.

Rebecca - posted on 03/29/2011

every Christian church is different and though most follow the same teaching (the bible) they have different interpretations of it. I know that Catholics require infant baptism while other denominations don't ALLOW for parents to baptize an infant in the church. The church I grew up in believed that baptism was a commitment to follow Jesus and try to live a sinless life. While we all know it is impossible to be without sin, the act was a way of saying that you would TRY not to commit sin. The church also believed that children are pure and can't commit sin (because they do not understand it). The sacrament (as mentioned by someone above) is a VERY catholic thing and not believed by all churches. It is the reason that catholics baptize infants because it "frees them from original sin". In other churches they believe that children are blameless and pure and therefore don't need to be freed from original sin, because there is no original sin. In the church I attend now and also the one I grew up in, we dedicate infants. This means we are dedicating their life to GOD and also that the parents are choosing to raise their child in the name of GOD. That's just my point of view and what I know from being a preacher's kid and growing up in the church.

Marty - posted on 03/29/2011

I was baptized and went to catholic school.. I did my communion but chose not to do the thing that comes after that..not sure what it is..
My daughter is not baptized because I don't consider myself to be "religious" I'm more of an agnostic. Where as I believe there may or may not be something bigger then us, but I won't go out of my way to practice anything. I've lived a pretty happy life that way. I want my daughter to chose whatever religion she likes, if she so choses to follow any one at all. Once she's older and understands the concept of religions, I will support her if she decides to be interested in one. I guess the main point is that a religion should be chosen by the person, and be forced upon just because its "tradition" or because its the one YOU follow. I am my own person, I make my own choices and have my own beliefs. And I like to have them respected. So I'm going to give that to my daughter as well. :)

Ashley - posted on 03/29/2011

Baptism does NOT make you part of a church or a religion... it is NOT a dedication to a faith. The only thing it does is free you from original sin. That's it... so it is less important where or to which religion you baptize your child and more important that you do it. It's not something you have to be old enough to understand because it's not a commitment to such-and-such a faith as other people on here seem to think. It is ONLY the sacrament (ritual or what have you) that frees the person receiving it from original sin.

Lacye - posted on 03/29/2011

My daughter was Christened in a Methodist church. My husband is athiest and I am Methodist. He went along with it because he saw that this was something that I wanted to do. As for Godparents, they don't actually have legal claim over the child. They are there for help religiously. I chose my sisters to be my daughter's godparents. I knew that if she had a question and I wasn't around, they were people that she could go to for advice.

Alex - posted on 03/29/2011

i was baptised in a catholic chuch but never felt close to the faith. my husband was never baptised. we are both agnostic. i believe that it should be our children's decision to choose a faith, if any, that is right for them when they are old enough to understand it. i have explained all different religions to my daughters and what the different beliefs are. My family is very religious and we, still to this day, get alot of flack from them about not having the girls baptised but we stand by our decision and how we want to raise our children. i understand that to alot of people, it is a very big thing and important to them and their faith and thats fine. but not for us! We have friends of all different faiths and my eldest is very big on asking questions about everything so i think that when she is old enough to want to make a decision she will be well informed and we will support her in that decision whatever it may be! best of luck to you and i hope you find the answer that is right for you and your family! :)

Ashley - posted on 03/29/2011

The purpose of Baptism is to rid your child of original sin. Not to dedicate the child to God, that's something entirely different. Think of Baptism as an immunization for the soul. You can choose not to do it and the baby may still go to heaven, but why take that risk? There is a wrong and right here... now granted my churches "opinion" founded on 2000+ plus years of history may be wrong but if it is there is no risk in waiting, where as the newer churches "opinion" founded on what some pastor thought the Bible might have meant some thousand years after Jesus died, puts your child at a great risk spiritually. So I'd rather be safe than sorry. People are entitled to their opinions but having an opinion doesn't make you right and I mean this in the most serious and respectful way possible.

Erin - posted on 03/28/2011

I also feel that it is something that the person should decide for themselves when they are old enough to understand the meaning behind being baptized. I was baptized as a baby, and went through Holy Communion in middle school. Communion was a meaningful experience for me. And if it was the practice of our church at the time, I would have opted to be baptized again, to go through the motions, feel and understand the commitment in it. I also believe that children are born pure, without the ability to sin. Baptism is not necessary to get into heaven. God loves all his children!

Patrice - posted on 03/28/2011

my personal opinion is that baptism is between your child and God. He should make that decision for himself and understand what it means. We did dedicate our son to God at 4 months. In doing this we stated that we would raise him with Godly priniciples and in a Godly home. This way we were making the committment. not him. I would encourage you and your fiance to sit down and discuss the principles you would like to raise your son with and let that be your guide. We do have God parents for Chance. We believe in this cause it takes a village to raise a child. Also if God forbid anything ever happen to us and our families could not care for him, someone would still remain to take over the privilege. I would make the decision on someone(s) I trusted and would provide the same(if not better) type of home for my child and we had similar principles.
I was 7 yrs old when I was baptized. I remember the day like it was yesterday, It was a very exciting time for me and I understood what it meant, Great decisions a head. Good luck. Congrats on your baby boy

Ashley - posted on 03/28/2011

Brittany, I totally agree with you (almost). Even if the parents don't understand it Baptism will still save the child from original sin. I mean, the baby certainly doesn't understand so why would it matter if the parents do? This is a sacrament given to us by God and yes it saves us from original sin. Which is probably something you'd want to do right away for your baby not wait until they "get it".

Brittany - posted on 03/28/2011

My daughter was baptized at 1 month. I would have done it sooner but the church I go to only does it once a month and it was too close to her due date. I was baptized Evangelical but became Catholic at 12 (not that there is a huge difference between the two). My husband was baptized non denominational and converted a few years ago.

If you aren't religuous why baptize? If you don't understand why it is done and what is involved, it wont help your child.

I disagree with Lorinda, you baptize infants to save them from original sin. So the sins of Adam and Eve. Confrimation (in the Catholic faith) is where the child makes the decision to continue their faith or not. It is one of the reasons it is done at 17-18 years of age.

Esteth - posted on 03/28/2011

I have two kids a 1yr old n a 7month old and i havent bapitsed neither one in the religion i was raisied in the children choose when they r older we dont baptise them when they r small just guide them in the right path you can how ever present them in the church its just like a dedication but my husband and i have decide to just let them choose when they get older

Ashley - posted on 03/28/2011

I have the opposite opinion as Lorinda as I was raised in a non-denominational church and convert to Catholicism. The Bible was put together by our 37th Pope, Damasus. And should be consider as inspired by God but was certainly written by men. So it is not the only place you should look to for your thoughts on faith. Church teaching should also hold a place of importance as this is sited in the Bible and since the Bible came 385 years after the Church it should in no way be the ONLY source for your faith.

Lorinda - posted on 03/28/2011

A baby can't make a decision like that. I was raised catholic, and they believe that you must baptize shortly after birth, the bible says you must repent of your sins. My best advice is to read the bible, and go by what it says. I have not baptized my children (5 and 3) because I feel that they are not ready, they can't do what the bible says is needed to make that commitment. All that matters is that you follow what the word says. :) As far as God Parents, they are not who you will place your children with upon your demise, they are spiritual parents for the child. Choose people who are good Christians and follow what the bible says. The bible says train a child up in the way he should go and he will never depart from it.
You have a lot of important decisions to make, pray about it, God won't steer you in the wrong direction.

Rene - posted on 03/27/2011

When it comes to God parents, We decided on the family member that we believed would love our child as much as we do. No one loves your baby as much as you but there is always the person that can relate the love. My younger brother was our choice because he has two baby girls and is a great daddy to them both. He is very responsible and has a BIG heart. He is completely responsible and I have no second thoughts about my baby being with his uncle and aunt.

Christina - posted on 03/27/2011

I had my children dedicated when my daughter was one and my son was 5. I was raised Holiness and my husband was non-denominational. We now attend a Baptist church (which we don't claim any denomination, we just love Jesus). We also believe that children are not to be baptised until they are old enough to know the meaning. The dedication represents that you are giving the children back to the Lord and putting your complete trust in His protection over them. It also represents that you will take responsibility to raise them in a Christian environment. Hope all is well! God bless :)

Allie - posted on 03/27/2011

I decided to allow my daughter to make the decision when she is old enough. I have my beliefs, but I dont like pushing my beliefs on others. I'm protestant and my church does dedications for children, and starts baptisms when they are 12, I believe. I did give my daughter a God-Mother, but when it comes to who will take care of my child if I were to pass away, I decided my oldest brother because he is 13 years older than me, Stockbroker in NYC, financially stable, married to his high school sweetheart and has a son and a daughter around the same age as my daughter. I feel that the most stable enviroment is the best for children with deceased parents.

Rene - posted on 03/27/2011

I personally feel that it is up to you and your familys beliefs. I personally believe that if you attend church and at an older age he decides for himself that he wants to be baptised then that is the best time to do it. If you are familiar with the bible, kids are in Gods grace until the age of 7. I feel that it is an individuals choice. If he or she is brought up in that environment then they will make the choice for themself when they are ready. Before that I feel it is only for the parents comfort of mind.

Jodi - posted on 03/27/2011

Just for the record, the Godparents don't necessarily have any legal claim to your children if something were to happen to you. So it's NOT actually choosing who to look after your children if that were to happen. A Godparent is simply a person you trust to help you, as parents, oversee your child's religious upbringing. No more than that. They have no legal standing whatsoever.

Just wanted to throw that in there, given it was mentioned.

Anastasia - posted on 03/27/2011

My fiance's parents are catholic though he and I are indifferent to religion. I'm athiest, he's agnostic. In any case, for his parents piece of mind we had our first daughter (and presumably our newest addition too) baptized at their church. We had to get up and blahblah and the people we had as her godparents in that church were not and are not her actual godparents (the "godfather" of our choice is my best friend, a lesbian female, so you can imagine how that would go). In any case, I figured--if it makes them more comfortable, whatever. Since I dont have a faith, its just water to me--what harm can it do unless its littered with pathogens?! Lol. I was baptized at birth--but when I was ten I chose to go to a baptist church of my own free will and they believed you should make the choice when you were old enough. At the time I thought that decision was right for me--so I was again baptized but of my own choice. Pretty much right after that I decided I just really didn't believe in any religion... did the fact I was baptized change anything? No--it was just water. And I'm sure if there were a god and he wanted me to go to hell I would go despite being baptized. And I also guess if there were a god it wouldn't matter that you weren't dipped in "holy" water as a metaphor if you were a good person your whole life. I don't believe he would hold it against you. So for now, yes its your decision... But realize it really doesn't change much except in the eyes of those who embrace traditional religion.

Nicky - posted on 03/27/2011

i baptised my son at 4 weeks old i am a catholic and was baptised myself , i am not a devout catholic but i try so i just felt it was the right thing to do with my son.
im from Ireland and all the schools well most of them are based around the catholic religion for example communion and conformation so i also done it because my son wouldnt of been part of any of that in school and would of prob singled him out which i didnt want to do, so part of it was for exceptence into society really !!! but i will do it again if not for the faith for the drinking session that night ;D hehe

Sonia - posted on 03/27/2011

me and my partner are both baptised we do not attend church for the most point because we feel all they want is money and i have a relationship with god in my own home. im catholic just not a practicing one and our son is 2 we are having a family friend baptize him in our local lake its easier

Firebird - posted on 03/27/2011

If you don't go to church, then why baptise? Seems kind of pointless. I haven't involved my daughter in any of my rituals (I'm pagan), and won't until she shows interest. If my daughter wants religion, she can choose for herself when she's old enough to understand what it's about.

Charlotte - posted on 03/27/2011

I was baptised as a catholic when I was a newborn but I am not at all religious and certainly not a catholic! I decided not to baptise my kids as I think it would be hypocritcal of me to do so and if they decide to choose a religion later on that's up to them. I live in France and all 3 of my kids where born here. Recently the state created "civil baptisme" where you can choose god-parents for your child. I think it's a great idea but I don't know if such a thing exists in other countries.

Kari - posted on 03/27/2011

I haven't baptised or dedicated my children. They are 3 years old and 18 months old. My husband and I are not religious and I feel that it will be up to them when they are older what religion (if any) they want to be.

Stifler's - posted on 03/27/2011

We haven't. My mother in law is pushing the issue and I just won't come to the party. I don't believe in baptising kids. I think it's a choice that should be made by the person being baptised.

Ashleigh Jade - posted on 03/27/2011

I have not baptised or anything else my children. I am not religious, neither is my partner. My children can choose if/what religion they want to be when they are old enough.

Sarh - posted on 03/27/2011

Aubrey, hope I didn't offend you when I said, " Religious people say you have to baptize a newborn to wash away their sins... they think that the child going through the birth canal is a sin because it is a woman's private area, or at least that is how my aunt explained it to me because I asked her why she has been nagging us about baptizing our son." As I had said I know squat about religion and I am pleased to see/hear that southern baptist believe that babies are born free of sin and innocent!!! Sorry when I said religious people. :)

Sarh - posted on 03/27/2011

When I had my daughter baptized I chose my dad and my sister, I felt closest to them (aside from my mom) and I knew they would take great care of her if anything were to happen to me! I had her baptized at 6ms old, it was summer and we did it in my mom's backyard.
I was baptized non-denominational, but I had to go to a private school for 2nd+ grades due to being kicked out of public schools (we wont go there haha) and I was forced to do 1st communion so now I am technically Catholic. I NEVER attend church, I don't know squat about the religion or really any religion for that matter. So I chose to have my daughter baptized non-denominational as well, her god parents are I believe both Lutheran and it made no difference.
You can have your child baptized in the park by a non-denominational priest/minister whatever they are called!

My son is 9ms old and neither my fiancee nor myself attend church (this is not my daughters father). He knows quite a bit about all the different religions, but does not practice any and doesn't really have any desire to. We have chosen god parents for our son, but we're in no rush to have him baptized. Religious people say you have to baptize a newborn to wash away their sins... they think that the child going through the birth canal is a sin because it is a woman's private area, or at least that is how my aunt explained it to me because I asked her why she has been nagging us about baptizing our son. I told her she was crazy and my son has not sinned! Whenever we do decide to have our son baptized he will be baptized non-denominational. I believe my fiancee is Baptist Lutheran or something like that. We will probably have this done in his parents back yard (where we are getting married in June, by a non-denominational whatever they are called) or at the park.

Good luck! Don't let anyone pressure you into it. You don't have to get him baptized at all if you do not want to.

Rachel - posted on 03/27/2011

i baptised my daughter at 8 months i chose my sister and my partners brother as god parents and we baptised her catholic because my partner is .... most religions are the same i googled the "difference between religions" and there wasnt much .... the reason i baptised her was because i was always told if ur not baptised u dont go to heaven lol pretty silly excuse but i liked it enough to listen and do it ha ha and if u died the god parents dont get ur baby ... u write who gets him in ur will ....

Audrey - posted on 03/26/2011

i am southern baptist and we dont baptise children. the way we believe, children are born pure and innocent so they dont need to be baptised. we leave that decision up to the individual when they are old enough to decide for themselves. i have nothing against baptising children though. i have accepted christ, but still have never been baptised. neither has my husband. my grandpa was the best christian i have ever met but was never baptised, and i have no doubt that when he died last june, he went straight to heaven. i dont really know why i have never gotten baptised (both my parents were), but i have never felt pressured to do so, and never felt it was going to hinder me from going to heaven.

Allie - posted on 03/26/2011

We did a dedication for our son, meaning we stood in front of our congregation saying that we would raise our child in a christian home. My husband and I were both baptized (methodist and presbyterian) but the church that we attended at the time didn't believe in baptizing children until they were old enough to make the decision for themselves.... we've recently moved and have been trying to find a new "church home"... I do know that if a child wasn't baptized as an infant they have the opportunity be baptized during a confirmation class in the presbyterian church)...

My advice, you and your fiance go visit some churches until you find the right one... its never to late (okay well I guess there IS a too late, but I'm sure you know what I mean) to be baptized so don't worry so much about WHEN to baptize your son. Also, definitely get on the same page with your fiance about how you all plan on raising your son (in a christian home etc.)

Julia - posted on 03/26/2011

We had a baby detication for our son. I wanted him baptised because I was but my husband does not believe in baby baptism so we agreed to do a baby detication instead it is the same as a baptism without the water. The adults plege that they will help lead the child on the rght path I hope this helps.

Jennifer - posted on 03/26/2011

thanks brianna, that really does help a lot!!
:)

Brianna - posted on 03/26/2011

my daughter was baptised at 4months old. I am a catholic so is my husband we dont even go to church but we did when we were children, be believe in god but dont feel we have to attend church. In the catholic church you must take a baptism course before ur child can be baptised and in the course they explained that god parents dont have to be who gets ur child if something happens to u, the godparents are supposed to be the ones to help guide ur child in religous journey. in ur will is when u pick who gets ur child is something happens to you. my daughters god mother is my sister and godfather is my hubbys brother and my future children will all have different godparents but if something should happen to me my oldest sister who is financially well off and happily married will raise my children. also when u pick who will raise ur child if u died try thing of who u think would raise ur children the same way you would like them to be raised. hope this helps