My sister-in-law has baptised her kids as Catholic solely so they can attend a better school....?

Question

My sister-in-law is not Catholic, neither is her husband. They are not at all religious and never have been church goers.
Their daughter started school last September and they didnt like the school she was attending. So they have now baptised her Catholic so she can attend the Catholic school that has better results.
Im i overracting by being disgusted by this? I think its a terrible thing to pretend to have a faith purely for gain in this way.
Im not Catholic myself but i respect religion and i am aware of
Catholic beliefs, these people openly admit they have no intention of following this religion. In fact they laughed at the idea and said it was a good job the Vicar wasnt aware that she had had an abortion!
My sister-in-law and her husband have good well paid jobs, they could afford to move within the catchment area of a better school or ever pay to go private, there was no need to do this.

Am i overreacting? Is this common practise now??

Apparently she tried to get her daughter accepted at the school but it had conditions of acceptance, to live within a certain area, have Catholic family or exceptional circumstances. She couldnt meet any of those conditions except by baptising her daughter Catholic and saying they were now going to follow that faith. This school is not THE best school in the area, neither is it their closest. But it has a good and late 'after school' club for while they are at work so its more convenient for her.
I fully agree that it is our responsibility to ensure our children have the best education possible. But this is not neccessarily the best education, they were so many other options that they had that wouldn't be so morally wrong. Thats the problem i have with accepting it.
I had to sit in that Church and watch her mark a cross on her daughters forehead knowing she didn't give a damn about it and was thinking of the cheap 'after school club'!

Answer 1

And whats wrong with wanting the best for their children. They only have their best interest. And why should they pay for school, i bet they pay enough tax

Answer 2

you are not overreacting. i would be appalled if my sister did the same thing. i personally do not believe in mixing religion and education through a single faith. but do agree with multi-religion re classes to show tolerence for each others faith, i am an atheist by the way! when i lived in kent and london this was the norm especially by middle class people, even after moving to the desired catchment area first!!! good schools have waiting lists and people will do what is needed in order to get their children into a good school- who can blame them? but i do think the baptism of a child in order to access a school is disgusting!!!! hypocrisy is not a nice attribute to have!!!

Answer 3

I am not going to make a judgement call but I can guess that they did this because they thought it would increase their odds of her being accepted into the school. SOme might say they live in a pretty shallow society where something as obvious as this passes for acceptance. Plus the school still isnt free becuase they converted her

Are you over reacting - just a tad but this speaks more to their moral character and the example they are giving their child.
Is this common practice-not that I am aware of

IMO I think there may have been another way for them to accomplish their goal but I can understand that as parents they want the best for their child and are willing to do anything to get it.

It will probably come back to bite them in the but when there teen does something and they try to give a moral lesson but he/she says what a bunch of hypocrites-look at what you did you get me in school.

Hope this helps you-i feel bad for their daughter because she has already been exposed to what ails this society. in fact i had an aunt/uncle who lied about thier income to get their kids free lunch, free summer jobs, summer programs and a host of things. now their kids are corrupt and they wonder why-GO FIGURE

Answer 4

Well looking at it from a parent's point of view, she is giving her child a great education. But if they could afford to send the child to a private school that didn't have any religious affiliation then I would think that would be the best idea. My hubby's uncle attended one of the best catholic high schools in our area, but his family was VERY active in the church, and they still are. I would love for my son to attend the same catholic high school, but I'm not really catholic. I was christened catholic as a baby, but that is as fas as it went. I was raised going to a Church of Christ. I don't think its right to pretend to be something you are not just to get into a school. There are plenty of other schools out there, ones that are just as good. I don't think this is common practice at all. And to my understanding you can attend a Lutheran School (which in my area they are just as good as catholic schools) and not be Lutheran. But I'm not sure about that. I send my child to a public school and I love it! I hope you get the answers you are looking for! Good luck! Have a great day!

Answer 5

I find that so offensive. I was born a Catholic and raised as one. All of my children attend Catholic schools and in my understanding, you don't need to convert to be catholic to attend a catholic school. My childrens have a few school mates who aren't catholics and who belongs to different religion. They just don't give that child religion classes as the school respects the familys belief. They shouldn't have pretended that they will follow the faith. Who knows, maybe the child will end up converting her parents.

Answer 6

It won't be long before they find out that the parent are not Catholic. Because the school will now due to records in the local parish. If the child let it slip out that daddy and mammy don't attend mass etc. There have been case like this in the UK. But they were caught out. I know that in the UK they have rules that both parents have to be Catholic and have interview with the priest before the child is let into the school.

Answer 7

Well it is done and over with---and none of your business. It is a long convoluted story that has nothing to do with you---what did think you were going to do ?? This is no crazier than any of the other stuff going on in the world today--all they want is to try to get a better education for a child. Find a way to get past this---this is a real easy way to start trouble in a family. And do you know who usually suffers the most over silly butting in??? The kids--because family separations rob kids of the family unity and fun.

Answer 8

I've seen this done many times over the years,sometimes it backfires, a neighbour of ours, years ago was on and on about her kids who she had, through creeping , churchgoing etc. got into the very, very, good local R. C. high school, her daughter was studying Chemistry, her son English and Maths,both prior to attending university to study as teachers. the son is now in jail and god only knows what has become of her daughter. This story is true, also it is very sad for all concerned,unfortunately, Candide was wrong, things don't always work out for the best !

Answer 9

There used to be a term "rice Christians" meaning ppl who "became" Christians not out of religious conviction or beliefs, but mostly so that they could get free food from the Catholic missions. IMHO, the parents never claimed to be Catholic and having the kids baptised as Catholic doesn't make the parents Catholic. What the parents did might be a blessing in disguise-- the kids will learn about Jesus Christ and maybe they will accept Him as their Savior through their experiences in Catholic school.

Answer 10

No you're not over reacting but this is not uncommon. A lot of people seem to think Catholic School=Better school & this is not always the case. But just bear in mind that if this is a better school then it will advantage the kids & maybe with some Catholic instruction they may come out of it with better morals than your sister in law & her husband.....

Answer 11

I believe that it IS quite common having seen a TV play on this subject. It all ended very badly.

Without doubt it is morally wrong to use religion in this way. I think their daughter will have to follow the religion if she is to remain at the school.