Confused over christening......

[PoppyIsApain]

Hi, i have a 17 month old ds and have looked into getting him christened. The thing that puts me off is MIL says it is out of fashion now so dont know how she would take it, and most importantly, everything i have read about it, is it is worded that you are giving your child to God.
I personally believe in God but dont go church as there is no church around the area i live that i should go to, im a unitarian, i believe if ds is not christened he wont get into heaven etc...
I really dont want to feel im giving my ds away, can somebody please help me make my mind up and tell me whether iam wrong or not.
Im also unsure as to what church i should have ds christened in if i do, as there is no unitarian church around should i go baptist or methodist, i admit i dont really understand it much but would like to.
Thanks for reading if you got this far.

First - ignore your MIL. Sod fashion, if you want to do it, do it.

Second - you are not "giving your baby away" - you are giving his life to God, in that you are saying you will bring him up in the knowledge and the ways of the church/religion you are part of

Third - I don't know whether Baptist or Methodist is better for Unitarians - we had DS christened in a Methodist church because I was brought up a Methodist and DH is a Catholic-turned-atheist.

Fourth - if no one helpful comes on here, find out the name and number of the local minister of either the Methodist or the Baptist church and PHONE them. They will be more than happy to help you.

A Baptist church won't baptise/christen your baby. They may offer you a dedication service instead, but the very word Baptist comes from an insistence on the baptism of believers - adults, basically, or children old enough to ask for themselves.

I'm not sure what the Methodist practice is.

I think it would be best to go along to a service or two at the churches in question and see if you'd feel comfortable even thinking about it further.

As Thumbwitch says, ignore your MIL and agree, you are giving his life to God. The same loving God who made him.

As a Unitarian, I would have thought a trinitarian baptism would be difficult for you. Also, my experience of Baptist churches is that they do not believe in infant baptism, so that is probably not an option (any Baptists might like to correct me!).

I certainly don't believe that unchristened babies do not get into heaven.

It must be very difficult for you to be a Unitarian with no church to go to.

Im in Northampton, and our church got closed down, it is an office style thing now, i was brought up at a unitarian in Hinckley, Leicestershire, but it is 45 min drive away and would love to have ds christened there but 4 years ago my side of family had a big row with my grandparents, me and my mum have tried making up numerous times and they dont want to know. Prob with that place is my grandma arranges the christenings and grandad is secretary, i would dearly love ds to get christened there but couldnt do it, as it is not fair on my mum and grandparents. I got christened there as did my siblings and my mum, so it is such a shame. Now i just want to make a new start at a new church that i can feel welcome at IYKWIM.
Thanks for the help with the Baptist churches, seems that one needs me phoning first.