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?

Can't believe I've missed this thread! Dh and I are athiests and didn't have a church wedding for this reason. However, if my ds could get into a 'better' school if christened I'd be down that church pronto.

Just wondered though, when a school asks if a child has been christened do you have a certificate or something to prove it?

True, I miss typed myself, I should have said, the scientific theory of evolution and the facts of contraception. However it is a highly thought out and useful theory.

I teach both in my lessons, and I would be unhappy if children missed out on either of them.

genuine question, do you belive that the world was created in 6 days just over 6000 years ago a la Bishiop Usher?

Interested that you didnt pick up on my more biblical question to Donnie

certainly we had to show evidence of our own baptism to the vicar before he would consider baptising our daughter, Northerner. All baptised children are given a certificate of Baptism, like a birth certificate and most churches require proof that the parents or at least one of the parnts of the child has been baptised before the child can be baptised. Which is why I am still intrigued that Israel claims to have had her kids baptised despite being a practising Jew. I await her response with interest.....

sorry hmb, didn't mean to ignore,was posting at the same time. What question pleaese?

Both me and dh were christened in a C of E church, but we have no proof that I'm aware of.

Do you disagree with the biblical injuction 'Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not' If there is any ingere=nt value in infact baptism, then it must be a good idea for children to be baptised, and also any interaction with the church should be encouraged, should it not? The one sermon the parent hears might be all it takes to draw someone onto the church. How can that be wrong.

And I thought that we were to avoid casting stones at others.

Sorry typo, inherent

oh yes, about evolution. I believe God created the earth and Mankind. Absolutely.I believe God created everything including good and evil and that Man was granted free will and choice, which is why we can have this discussion! I do not believe I am 'morally superior' to people who don;t believe in God, as a certain poster suggested. I couldn't care less what people belive in, and even if I did it wouldn't stop them believing in it! but going back to the original point, why baptise your child if you don''t believe? if it is for the sole purpose of getting your child into a faith school then you are sabotaging the chances of children who really ARE of that faith and want to go to the school BECAUSE it is a faith school.I don't know how else to explain it!

I agree with you hmb. If that one occasion persuades someone towards God then great,fabulous. Was I 'casting stones'? if saying to lie is wrong is casting stones, then I suppose I am guilty.

but then I never said I was without sin.I sin all the time, as we all do....but hey, that's life as far as I can see....I am a mere mortal.

And I am asking you should you be allowng 'liitle children' to hear the word of Christ, as you are told to do in the Gospels. You can argue that your children will hear the Word thosenon-believing families will not,in fact don't they need the place in a church school more? Or is the educational benefit that you childen will get woth more to your mind that the eternal soul of a child?

And neier of mine has be baptised, and they take no-ones place in a Church school, I just like a good discussion

I think that it was the tone of the 'hypocrite' posting that needled a bit.

well, it IS hypocritical to pretend you are something you are not! and I, too, have been 'needled'on this thread by language which is very disrespectful and flippant about something I cherish in my heart.But I suppose that is what free will and choice is all about.

But as a Christian I didn't think you were supposed to judge others? Or am I wrong? And I realise that we have all sinned and fallen short etc.

But don't you think that it would benefit a child from an athiest home more to go to a Christian school? Isn't their soul of value, or do SATs results for believer's children matter more?

I'm finding this a really interesting thread (she says, firmly sitting on the fence!!). I am pagan and my dh is a Christian. I am fairly spiritual (for the lack of a better phrase) and would quite like ds to go to a more religiously minded school, and dh (having gone to a CofE himself) assures me that CofE schools religious education cover a variety of faiths.

That said, I did not have ds baptised (and would feel strongly against him being baptised) because I want him to make up his own mind when he is older, and I feel I could not honestly make the promises that are required in the baptismal ceremony. Dh and I have discussed whether he should start taking ds to church when ds is a bit older (currently dh is not a churchgoer) which, if we're honest, would be primarily so he would "qualify" for a school - but not sure if this is hypocritical or not. We still haven't come to any definite conclusions.

What used to annoy me intensely with the CofE school near where we used to live was inclusive in that they allowed other faith children in, but ONLY if they had a letter from the equivalent of their priest. Now as a pagan, we are our own priests so we would effectively have been excluded! That I consider unfair.

Apart from anthing else it is hard to explain, in any scientific way,modern cosmology unless you accept that the universe is very old. Evolution also explains things like antibiotic resistant bacteria. So creationists attemt to circumvent this by allowing that 'micro' evolution takes place, but not the full thing.

as a secondary school teacher I care nothing for SATs.Where exactly do they enter the discussion, hmb??or have I missed something crucial here ?anyway I have said my piece and feel I have nothing more to offer. I am thankful my dd is going to attend our local ( very reputable) nursery and then infant school because it is CofE. I have not yet investigated their SATs results.....

But don't you think that a non-believers child has more need of a Christian education, since then they are more likely to be saved? Or do you simply want you child taught with no unbelievers around them. If it is good for your child, who I assume is being raised in a Christain household, then surly there is greater need for the child of an athiest to be in the faith school. And if you believe the biblical injuction you should let that child come to Christ. Why should you, a Christian, sand in his/her way? Doesn't that make you more reprehensible (since you know and undertand the teachings of the bible) than the child's athiest parent?

well thanks a lot for calling me names hmb. Nice of you.I can't post here anymore.

Donnie I didn't call you anything, I simply asked a question. On the other had you did call a lot of people hypocrites at the start of this thread. I have not posted a single unpleasent description of you in this thread. You cannot say the same thing. I am simply asking a believing Christian how they can argue the case that athiest children shouldn't have the benefit of a Christian education, since this runs counter to Christ's direct command.

Aloha- I'm not a Christian as such- dh is though so no i dont believe it but I dont tell ds it is just a story. I want him to make up his own mind but respect dh wanting to bring him up in his faith which to him is far more than just a story.