Non denominational christening?

[Penguindreams]

Does anyone know if this is possible? I'm currently pregnant with twins and the issue has arisen again about what to do about christening them.

The H is Catholic. I absolutely do not want my kids to be Catholic. I am C of E, and he feels just as strongly about that! Neither of us are even vaguely religious in real life, but the H is adamant that they have to be christened so as not to go to hell .

Is there an option for us to get them christened but not into either religion specifically?

Thanks if anyone can help!

Unlikely that a loving God would condemn an unbaptised child to Hell. The Catholic catechism (admittedly not exactly clear on the subject) says:
"1261 As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God, as she does in her funeral rites for them. Indeed, the great mercy of God who desires that all men should be saved, and Jesus' tenderness toward children which caused him to say: 'Let the children come to me, do not hinder them,' allow us to hope that there is a way of salvation for children who have died without Baptism?."

I don?t think there is such a thing as a non-denominational baptism as such, but a Catholic baptism is recognised by the CofE and vice versa - if you convert from one to the other you don?t get re-baptised. Did you get married in church, what about returning to that church?

If you really can?t decide could you arrange for a blessing and let the child make their own mind up when they are older?

If your DH has read the bible he will know that it explicitly says that children too young to have made a decision to become Christians will be welcomed into heaven. I suggest you blow the dust off his copy and send him off to read it.

How about getting your baby baptized in the Methodist church? I believe they do infant baptism, you are baptized a Christian, not Catholic or Anglican.

All baptism is non-denominational - you are baptised as a Christian, and all (mainstream) Christian churches recognise it as equally valid.

But if you don't want to have it in either an RC or CofE church, to avoid any signs of bias, then as MaryBS says you may be able to have the baptism at a Methodist church or some other denomination, depending what you have locally.

But it also depends how those churches feel about people having a baptism when they have no intention of raising the child within any church, as baptism is not meant to be a superstitious "one-off" event, but the start of raising a child as a Christian.

I know, I know - the whole hell/purgatory thing is ludicrous - but that seems to have been the one thing he took away from the priests at his school!

You have all massively put my mind at rest regarding the service itself, thank you.

Our wedding was non-denominational Christian too - we were married by an ordained minister but got married in a hotel in the US. We had prayers but chose our own vows - something of a hodge podge!

We both do want to raise the kids as Christians - but there are major bits about each other's (nominal) religions that obviously run deeper than we both thought they did!

Well, if there is anything I can do to help re resolving issues ... I'm a Licensed Lay Minister (aka Reader or Lay Preacher) in the C of E, but used to be RC, so technically I have a foot in both camps :).

(I can't baptize, though, except in an emergency, but anyone can baptize in an emergency!)

Many thanks, will keep you in mind as peace broker!