If you aren't religious - did you still get your baby christened?

[Firsttimemummy19]

Just that really, I'm not religious so very undecided..

No, we had a lovely naming ceremony for ours. Done by our registry office - very simple, we loved it.

Nope. Didn't have a naming ceremony either!

We are atheist. Still debating getting DS christened to send him to the Catholic school. We also got married in church because the register office wouldn’t let the dog attend!

Nope, same as many pp, dh & I are atheists and I find it disrespectful if the parents have no faith.

Friends who did - one who is a practising Christian (I went to that); one who is an atheist but wants to get into the right school (I made an excuse).

No. We aren't religious at all and didn't have a religious wedding ceremony either. MIL isn't overly pleased about it and has mentioned having them christened several times. We've always been very blunt with her about it.

No. Why would you? If you want a party and presents have a naming party.

Nope. Had a civil wedding too

It's something I don't understand at all. Why would you have your children christened if you're not a Christian? Genuinely would like to know

We did a church blessing ceremony after our wedding to satisfy my in-laws. I wasn’t keen but figured I could try to make them happy for one day. Now they want us to have a christening for our first child and we’ve said no. They weren’t happy about it, but I’m not going to go along with this forever when neither of us are Christian.

Yes but I also taking my kids to Sunday school so that they have a chance to believe.

Plenty do, it's currently the time when enquires come in as the school open days for entry in 2020 are happening. No coincidence I'm sure! It's a personal choice, we didn't because we felt it was their decision, one has, one hasn't chosen to be baptised.

No. MIL at one point said she would take them behind my back to her church to be baptised (this is a woman I have literally never known go to church other than weddings etc). The only way to get her to back down from this ludicrous idea was to point out that if I did want them christened it would be in the church I went to as a child, not the Anglican Church.

No of course not. If they develop a faith as adults that's fine, but I'm not foisting one on a child.

I honestly don't understand why anyone who doesn't actually follow a religion would want to use a church for any kind of ceremony. I think it's a bit disrespectful tbh.

No, but a lot of people I know, who are also not religious, did.

Yes. Hypocrites we are, both DC christened in a Catholic Church ( as I was as a child) and now doing extremely well at the best secondary school in the area. Their education comes before my morals.

If you’re not religious you won’t find any church happy to allow you to make a farce of the ceremony. And rightly so.

No obviously not. We had a tea party in the garden for each of ours for extended family only so grandparents siblings and our aunts and uncles. Read poems and had lovely family get together. So lovely in both cases.

Why? Are you thinking of schools?

I’m a Christian but none of my children are christened

Whatever choice ( or not) of religion is theirs and not my decision to make for them
You don’t need to be christened to be brought up with decent values

My sister however had a humanist naming ceremony for her Child it was lovely

No.
Not religious in the slightest.
We had a civil marriage ceremony and it’s not even crossed my mind to have dd christened. What’s the point?

Yes I did because my grandma would have been genuinely very sad if I hadn’t and I wanted to make sure they could go to the school which is 100 yards from my house then onto the catholic secondary with their friends.
I was brought up as a catholic and do feel an affinity to the church although I don’t believe anymore.
Also I don’t give a toss what anyone else thinks.

No why would you? I have been to a christening where neither parent is remotely religious. It was such a farce it was embarrassing.

TheGrey1HoundSpeaks - my non-religious niece and partner are having their baby christened in a CofE church next month. Vicar more than happy, even though he's never met them before and won't again.

The vicar in our village asked if we intended on getting our two christened. I told her we aren’t practicing Christians and I want my children to decide, we educate regarding all religions and she fully respected that so why would parents auto assume a religion they don’t believe/practice.
We are getting married in the church but that’s to keep the family happy (vicar also knows this) although we don’t go to church we still get involved with community days that they are heavily involved in