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?

hmb, I think that's a very good point.

Can I pose a theoretical question? what happens if a christian parent loses their faith during the years their child is at a church school? If you take the view that only children of totally committed, practising christian parents have a right to be in that school, then wouldn't you feel morally obligated to remove your child from the school? I send my children to a church school. I do not have strong set beliefs either way but very much like and respect the christian approach to teaching that my sons recieve. It might even be enought to convert me to a stonger belief in christianty. I am open to persuasion.

If you have a few children you might be sending them to a primary for 15 years. Your views might change. I don't suppose I'll believe exactly the same things in 15 years time. An athiest parent might become an agnostic, and (gasp) even a christian and visa versa. Should you chop and change schools according to your current beliefs?

I think ladymucks view about parents, from her perspective as govenor of a church school, is a welcomely pragmatic one. Commitment to the church community for parents with children alreadly at the school can mean lots of different things ( helping at fetes, raising funds for the new church roof etc etc) it's not just about going to church, though granted, that's what you usually have to do to get in.

hmb, Jesus told the disciples to allow children to come to him and not to hinder them. He didn't mention fonts or holy water or vicars/priests. There cannot be any value in infant baptism, particularly when the parents and godparents do not believe. For a start you cannot repent of somebody else's sins. For another thing, what's the point of a non believer making vows to a God they don't think is there? How does that benefit the child? And if that's the only time the child is taken to church appart from for other Christenings, weddings, funerals (hatch, match and dispatch!!) then how are they going to know Jesus?

Am getting cross so here's a light hearted quote

"They have all sorts of services today. Now they've got a dial-a-prayer service for atheists. You call a number and nobody answers".

No, Christ didn't mention fonts at all But my reading of the text was that all children were to 'come unto him'. The Church is supposed to represent the work of Christ on earth. So how can a Christian say that an athiest child should not receive a Christian education? Since Christians are activly encoraged to preach the word, and convert the non-believer I would expect Christian to encourage non belivers to send their children to faith schools, not to decry them as hypocrites and parasites.

Christ's words were that the Kingdom of Heaven was for children, so how can a practicing Christian say' Yes, let those in, they come from Christian families, but not those children of non-believers'?

Since Christ said that children should be allowed to 'come unto him', isn't giving non believing children a faith education exactly what a Christian should encourage? And I am not being snide, this is a real question.

And Catholics would differ with your view about the value of one of the sacriments. I don't hold with it myself, but is is fair to knock the beliefs of fellow Christians?

Lots of good points hmb.
One question though- what is it that makes the schools attractive in the first place? If it is solely the league tables then what makes that school score highly in the first place? If you no longer select the children who previously scored high sats results and open it to all then would this in turn make score less hence become unattractive anyway.
Ds's school is catholic and is performs better than surrounding schools. What makes this so? Surely it would no longer be attractive if open to all as it would be as mixed as the surrounding schools?
What do people think?

Was avoiding the schools issue as don't have an opinion on it. I went to a C of E school even tho parents were not Christians (at the time) but then it was the only primary school for miles. I really don't know enough about C of E/RC schools to comment. Sorry, hmb, I'm sure somebody more informed will help! As to the views of various Christian denominations, well, none of them has got it all right. However, "infant baptism" is something I feel strongly about because it is not founded in scripture and also because it's so often done as a social event.

Well, the lat rites arn't founded on scropture either, but I know many deeply religious Catholics whould would be devistated if they were withheld for that reason.

And still no Christian has been able to explain to me how it can be right to prevent the children of athiests being educated in a Christian environment. Do the souls of these children mean nothing? Is the school a Christians only club? And how do you square that with Christ's injunction?

sorry Last Rites

Scripture, sheesh, my typing, sorry!

have been reading this with interest. I am a practising christian, DD was baptised at 6months, DH is aetheist, we got married in a church because it didn't matter to DH where we got married just as long as we got married and a church wedding was very important to me.

i think that baptising a child just to get a place at school seems a little extreme but in all honesty i don't have a problem with it. Im sure in years to coem your child may thank you as my DH does his parents because without them havign him baptised as an infant(the done thing) we would not have been able to ahve the weddign we did. CofE church's will not marry unbaptised people.

just to thorw another question into the areana would those of you who don't believe and would have a child baptise considered adopting other reliogions if say the best school around was muslim?

Good question. I also mentioned that earlier.

Agreed, a good question. I haven't had my kids baptised as an anything, so the question doesn't arise. As another faith that activly seaks converts, I would also be shocked if a Muslim objected to a child hearing the word of Allah.

hmmm

Not converts but reverts. Muslims believe everyone was born a muslim. I think the quesiton is more for those who are not Muslims though.

HMB,
not speaking specifically as a Christian, but my understanding is that these faith schools are open to those of all or no faiths. The issue of testing commitment or whatever only happens if the school is oversubscribed. Often the key criteria is a combination of siblings, church membership/attendance, and distance. If faith school places are scarce in an area then it seems to make sense that these are offered to those parents who particularly value the faith element of the school.

i have no problems with a non believer sending there child to a religious school providing they are prepared for the barrage of questions which are likely to come home with the child. 'like why don't we say grace mummy?' 'Joe bloggs is getting confirmed why aren't i?' 'can we go to church as a family, all my friends do'

My point was that it was unChristian to refuse a place in a faith school to a non-believer since there is a biblical injunction to bring children to Christ. A Christian had posted that non-belivers were hypocrites and parasites for sending their children to a faith school. I was interested to hear her views on my point. I'm still waiting

We're very similar beety.

beetroot, he is however accepting the ethos of teh school, singing and prasing God, he may not believe but he seems to respect it

I'd have thought that believers would prefer a non-believer's child to get a faith based education.

beetroot we're the oposite of you, i'm glad that you like my DH are allowing your children to make there own minds up.

Do you mean me?

Do I mean you? If so, no.

Didnt think so.