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QUESTION:
"I was not brought up in a religious home, in church, anything like that but my husband was. We just had a son & the topic of having him baptized (saved?) with their church came up with my MIL. I don’t have an opinion about it because I’ve never been exposed to those types of things, but it seems important to my husband & MIL. I don’t know how I feel about it, or if I myself want to be a part of it. I’m fine with our son going to church with my husband/husbands family & things like that, but I have always stayed behind out of personal preference even before our son was born, has anyone else been in this boat? How did you go about it?"
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TOP ANSWERS (AS SELECTED BY MODERATOR):
The following top answers have been selected by a moderator from hundreds of responses to the original question.
"I guess that’s up to you. Even if baptized he will grow up and believe his own beliefs. My mom was baptized when little and she never goes to church, prays, or anything of the sort. I would do research on it, I would say just my personal opinion… it wouldn’t be a bad thing. I don’t know a lot about it but it’s always good to have a little faith when it comes to your kids you know."
"My mother waited until I was old enough to decide myself. What if I chose another religion that would consider me tainted for it?"
"Why not its not going to hurt and defiantly go its memories. Your son can choose when he is older if he wants to be part of the church or not and if your fine with him attending then I think its a mute point."
"If you have no opinion about it one way or the other then honor your husband’s desire to baptize the baby."
"As long as you’re not dead set against it, I would allow my husband to have our child baptized. You two are married and it’s a partnership and he has as much right and say so as you. Is this something you guys discussed before having children?"
"You should have him baptized. It is respectful to your husband & his family. Especially if personally you don’t care one way or the other. How active he is in church should be his decision when he’s older."
"I don’t see the harm. He will decide what he believes in his own time despite what decision is made now. I spent alot of time at church between all my grandparents although neither of my parents did. I remember being baptized. I am not religious in the least. I just believe in doing the right things and that I know very little in the grand scheme of things. It won’t hurt him and it will not effect how he views religion while also making the family happy"
"Baptize him, and if you not religious expose him to religion so at least give him the opportunity when he is older to decide on his own which path he wishes to pursue. Just because you are not religious does not mean at a later stage he won’t be. He may ask to to go to Sunday school or youth with a friend at a later stage in his life."
"I’m no religious and I don’t go to church, but I was semi raised in church. We baptized our son solely because it’s what my mom wanted. I didn’t care either way but it seemed important to her and it was literally 2 hours of my time and I was ok with that. I didn’t fight her on it and she got to do something special to her with her only grandson."
"f it’s something that you’re indifferent to, but it means something to your husband and his family, have the baby baptized. Come to an agreement with your husband that he can be baptized as a baby, but as he gets older, the decision to attend/not attend church will be left up to your son as well as what he chooses to believe."
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