Religion - pregnancy has me thinking of it differently....?

Question

I am not a very religious person. I believe there is a higher power for everyone but I am not sure that it is God. Since I have been pregnant (and I am only 6 1/2 weeks), I have been thinking alot about a baptism and finding a church. I guess it isn't that I dont believe in God, Im just not sure. Do you think that I would be a hypocrit for attending church and having my baby baptized even if I am unsure about my religious views. I just think "Oh Geez - what if I am wrong and damning my child" if I don't do it. Again, please no hateful replies. Spirituality is a journey that we all go on at different paces. I admire you if you are strong in your faith but please don't criticize me for not having that same resilience. I wish I just believed. I am thinking about my child though. My mom forced me to attend church until I was 16 so I feel like I have a good background and I think I want to give that to my child so he can make his own decision about religion. Thanks for your thoughts

For those of you who could see that I am really trying to do the right thing and offered sincere advice - thank you .

For those of you who think i am ignorant because I am looking at all of my options - like a responsible, yet religiously-confused parent, that you too. It confirms alot of things for me.

Answer 1

Hmmm. Do you honestly think that God is so blind that He won't know why you're having your child baptized?

I'm not saying you shouldn't -- I'm just saying that if you're doing it insincerely, surely it will be known... my recommendation would be to find a denomination of Christianity that makes sense to you (if Christianity is your religion of choice) and have your child baptized in a tradition that you can fully get behind rather than one where you are lukewarm. You might find the Belief-o-Matic quiz helpful:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

It will match you up with various denominations, depending on your answers, with a writeup for each one. The results can be very surprising.

Answer 2

Being forced to go to church was not a whole lot of fun for me as a kid. In fact, I missed the point entirely.
What made me turn around was losing my grandma, a woman of faith, and then looking at others who truly were faithful to God, not just church attenders.
From that point I sought a relationship with Him, beginning with the question, "Who are You, and what do You want of me?"
I think that forcing a child to go to church will drive him away from God. I try to live what I believe and show my children that being a Christian is often about humbling yourself before God and asking for help.
There have been times I have attended church every week, and other times when I rarely attend. The relationship with God, the daily time spent with Him, the peace and the joy that come from a relationship with Him, I put these things above organized religion.
From reading your question it sounds as though you come from a dogmatic church that tried to scare you out of hell, rather than loving you into heaven. There are churches that believe that God is love but you will have to look for them.
I pray that God will lead you on the journey and that you will learn things about Him that will give you hope and joy. God is not about damnation, and baptizing a child is not salvation. Go to Him in prayer and trust.

Answer 3

Your statement reveals the same level of ignorance that so many people have today.

There is nothing magical about baptism.

Do yourself a favor and read the Bible. Those who underwent baptism are those who believed the gospel. Can a baby understand such a concept? No.

If you truly want to do what is right for your child, then you have to be the proper example. Actions speak louder than words.

Finding a church is fine, but what if you get caught up in a deceptive church? How will you know unless you educate yourself first?

Read read read.

.

Answer 4

Yes having a family of your own suddenly boosts your parents IQ about 50 points. In my church we bless babies, but don't baptize them until 8 years old. Still parents should give their children the benefit of religious understanding. You may have chosen to walk away at 16, but if you had not gone at all, you would have missed out on a lot. It is easier to return to church than to start with nothing.

Answer 5

You're only making a decision for your baby until s/he's old enough to make another one.

My own experience is that I had to spend my twenties working through my religious upbringing and mending some of the damage it did. It's been an interesting path, but I honestly wish I had been able to devote that time to other pursuits.

All of parenthood is doing the best that you can. You won't get everything exactly right. And that's alright.

Answer 6

i've got been having an identical recommendations honestly. it is humorous how being pregnant gets us thinking isn't it? i individually have not stumbled on a single faith that I trust. So what i've got been doing is traveling distinctive church homes for some weeks and attempting to get a experience for that faith. i'm hoping this might help me ascertain what i ultimately choose for my baby. and then each now and then i think of, I won't rigidity my baby right into a baptism or a faith. i'm going to easily teach him/her on what's accessible and permit him/her make an excellent conscious determination while s/he's satisfactorily old. i'm hoping that helps, and don't difficulty approximately it too plenty. something you ascertain for the betterment of your infant could be the wonderful selection. Congratulations!

Answer 7

going to church and getting your life in order is a good thing...dedicating your child is also a good thing indicating that you intend to raise your child with in the Christian faith....baptism is a thought process that one must think about...a baby can not do that...

find a bible believing sabbath keeping church...God Bless...

Answer 8

I think baptising your child in a religion that you don't believe isn't a good idea.

If you have a church that you believe and follow and you want to raise your child in those same traditions, that's one thing.

But to have your child baptised simply to have an "Afterlife insurance policy" is something completely different.

Answer 9

theres nothing wrong with that,, I hope you do,, who knows you may even come back to God,, you know of him now is the time to began a relationship with him,, My family was the reason I wanted to go to church,, and it has done amazing things for my daughter,, I know now that she also has a relationship with God and knows that she can always turn to him when she is unsure of things...God bless you and your baby...which is a gift from God.

Answer 10

ok my mom did this to our family and it really screwed me up, honestly. we were originally catholic, but then she kept changing churches because she ran into one high-and-mighty judgmental christian after another. then, we didn't go to church for years, only for her to decide to give it another shot.

now that i'm an adult, i understand why she wanted us to have religion in our lives as a foundation for morals, etc. but she wasn't ever sure about it and never felt comfortable. i would have been better off with no religion in my life than i was with this hodgepodge of confusion.

i don't know if this had anything to do with my becoming agnostic later in life or not. but nonetheless when i have kids i'm going to teach them about all the religions when they're old enough to understand so they can decide for themselves. when they're young, it's just brainwashing.