If you and your spouse have diff. religions is it right to not baptize your child?

Question

For instance, a catholic and a baptist...but neither one wants the other for their child.

Answer 1

Parents have this odd belief that they have to be of one faith to raise their child. At some point the child will become an adult and will need to find their own spiritual foundation. They will make up their own mind.

Answer 2

Baptizing your child as a Catholic is public declaration that you are going to raise the child to love God, and also before God you state who will be the child's godparents.

As a Baptist, there is a ceremony of sorts where the the preacher gives the parents a Bible and the church publicly prays for the child and parent. But baptism itself is when the child or adult pubicly declares themselves reborn in Christ, and this can't happen till the child is old enough, usually after age 8 or 9.

It's about the same thing.

Answer 3

If you are not going to raise the child as a Catholic, I don't think there is a problem with not baptizing the child.

It would be worse to baptize the child in the Catholic Church, promising to raise the child in the faith and then break the promise.

Spouses with different faiths should discuss and agree on important issues like this long before they are married.

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

Well, the two people entered into a marriage with each other knowing that they had different religions. Therefore there should be tolerance and influences for both the religions within the household. I'm not too informed on how the two religions work, but I believe that they are at least a little similar.

I believe that the child should be allowed to make the dicision for him/herself, but If no solid arrangement can be met.

Then since there are two familes that love and care about the future of this child maybe you could talk to both priests or pastors, and see if maybe they have a solution that could satisfy both sides and allow freedom to the child to make his/her own choice when it comes time.

Answer 5

Id really wonder if a devoted Baptist and Catholic could survive with eachother long enough to concieve a child... however IF they do, they could have their child christened when they're infants, it means nothing and does no harm but it would make the Catholic feel better and then as the child grows, the Baptist can teach them what Baptism means and hopefully the child will recieve believers Baptism when they understand it.

Answer 6

This is a hard question, I believe that the child is the important measure in this and to not make it a war between the two. It is very important, if and a good sacrifice to stand back as long as the child is baptized.

Answer 7

Well i would wait till the child was older so he could be baptized the right way since both are wrong anyway

Answer 8

I have a friend who is a Jehovah's Witness and her husband was Islam. They decided to both teach her their religions, but not have her baptised or dedicated. When she was 18, she could decide for herself. The daughter became a Witness, and I believe it was because her mother put more into her teaching of the child than did the dad.

Answer 9

I think you should baptize the child. My mom didn't baptize me and I did it on my Owen and I promise you. It made me feel good I also did my holy Communion I dont go to church every sunday but I still feel good about being baptized.

Answer 10

Interesting question. I've been having a bit of a spritual debate with myself over this topic as well. I'm Pagan, my fiancee athiest, and our families Catholic. My family is unaware that I am Pagan and I would like to keep it that way for some time. So I am thinking about doing it just to keep them quiet. In your case, I perhaps would wait and educate her on both subjects. Let her choose for herself (Which is what I am going to do with my daughter-I will educate her about several religions and let her decide for herself.)