Baptism for non religious reasons?

[Penguin2]

Has anyone out there had their children baptised for non religious reasons, eg to get them into a school or to provide them with a broader social life? Are you prepared to talk about it?

YES.....in my part of the country you either pray..pay or move!!!With the later two...no option...so had both children baptised to get them in the right school...GOD forgive me!!!....
I never mentioned about the naming ceremony in the synagogue!!!...it just had to be done!!!...a mothers love and all that...israel

I would also have had my children baptised had i realised that it meant they could go to a better school.

When dd1 was about 3 1/2 i was absolutly horrified at the nurseries/schools on offer where we lived at the time, and would of done anything to get her in to a better one.
Luckily we moved and the local non religous primary was fine.

I know it sounds terrible but i if i'm honest i wouldn't have thought twice about it.

I have to say I do find this attitude very offensive. It's like saying "I think your religion is a load of shite and garbage, but I still want to exploit it if I can possibly get something out of it for myself". So Israel, can you explain a little further please? are you saying you are Jewish but still had your children secretly baptised as Christians? if so, what support have you and your family given to the Christian church in return?

and what would your Rabbi say?

None of mine are baptised. We moved out of London when dd1 was going to start school, for a few reasons, but one of them was the fact that the only decent schools in our catchment were church ones, adn it would have required attendance at the church in question, and a baptism. I felt hypocritical, and so did dh, so we didn't do it.

Where we live now are also church schools, but we have never been asked anything about baptism or church attendance. They take anyone in the catchment area, and are the only primary schools anyway. Vc rather than VA I think, which makes a difference in their criteria for accepting a child.

I do find it strange that (some) church schools have got so strict about their entry criteria. I went to a church junior school just because it was our nearest. My father's an atheist (brought up Catholic)! My mother is CofE and my sister and I were baptised. Had intended to baptise ds, even though I don't go to church (don't hate me, observant Anglicans). Feel that it is his culture and there's lots I respect about the CofE. But haven't done anything about it yet (he's 9 months), partly because dh is a very convinced atheist so I'll have a real fight on my hands. I'm very grateful for my religious education. And horrified that so many people (who don't belong to any other faith) are so ignorant about Christianity. It's part of the history of this country and no work of literature beats the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer IMO. I just think you miss out on so much if you don't learn about this as a child (clearly if you do have a different cultural background and religion that's another matter).

Neither of mine are baptised as I don't believe in god. But if it was a choice between them going to a rubbish school or being christened, their heads would be in the font pronto.

LOL Badhair at head in the font.

I'm 99 % certain I couldn't /wouldn't baptise any child I have (fingers crossed) just to gain a place in a better school. I couldn't do it for the same reasons I wouldn't get married in church - I would feel a hypocrite. I am, however, a god parent to my neice which I had real difficulty with and pondered over my decision for quite a while. In the end I did it for her (my siblings are godparents to her too) and my view is that you don't have to go to church to be able teach right and wrong. I am agnostic but try and keep an open mind. By the way - each to his own as they say (another moan for the curmudgeon thread)! If people want to batise their children for that reason then that's up to them.

I totally agree about the hypocrite bit Delgirl, and believe me their lack of baptism has been a bone of contention in our family. But if the difference between a good and a dreadful school was just a splash of water and what I consider to be empty words then I'd go for the good education.

I hope you gave a big donation to the priest for wasting his time Israel.

The point of going to a religious school is that you will practise this faith at home and support the school in their ethos which will be indoctrinating your child in that religion. I hope you dont feel uncomfortable with this when it happens.

I doubt that I would feel at all guilty. Its what you teach at home that counts - if you get that right then what's force fed to you at school is like water off a duck's back. I can (hopefully) teach my children right from wrong without using any religion to prop it up, which should lead them to be tolerant of all views, whether religious or not.
And having said that, many CofE schools barely touch on religious issues other than a short assembly session twice a week.

But if you dont want your child to be forcefed and dont support the ethos of a school then why send them?
Dh is catholic nd ds goes to a catholic school and religion is a major part of the school.

You are also taking the place of a child whose parents may well support the school!

I would be sending them for the bulk part of their education - English, Maths, Sciences etc. I do stress that I would only send them to a religious school if the alternative school was dreadful.

I couldn't do it either. It would feel wrong. I think when a child goes to a school both the child and the parents should be willing and able to support the school to the full. In a religious school, more so catholic than CoE IME, this would been attending various religious events in your own time - weekends, evenings, etc. If you are not abl to do this and take an active part going to a religious school IMO is pointless.

And, as hercules says, you are using up a place which a fully supportive child and parent could use.

But religion in a religious school often permeates all subjects. It must be confusing for a child to be a told at schooll certain things are "truth" to then come home and be told it's not.

I take your point BadHair - I did say I was 99 % certain didn't I

No, i'm not backing down - When I was pregnant last year, I moved to be nearer a better school (bit premature but I wanted to move anyway). There is another school quite near me too which has a very good reputation and is a church school - I would send my 'child' there but probably only if i dont have to go to church to do it or baptise them - deja vu creeping in so i'll stop now

where do you draw the line? What willyou do when all the other children in the class are having their holy communion? How will you explain that one?

You will send your child to a church school only if you dont have to go to church?

in dss school we had to sign a form saying we wil support the ethos of the school.

I assume that was directed at me Hercules. I;ve heard that to get into that particular church school, you dont have to actaully go to church or pretend or do anything else so they are obviouslt very open minded about it so thats why i wouldnt mind sending my child there - does that make sense??

Yes badhair.
If they dont expect it then they cant expect it iyswim. my comments were mainly for those who were intending to baptise their children and lie purely to get in to the school.

Sorry I mean delgirl