Religion (not a debate)

bubblebathgirl

inmypocketnottheirs wrote: »

I would not worry. religion is just a badge that we wear to describe what we believe in. TBH tolerance and respect is more important than the label.

I agree :j

poppyscorner

Thanks to all who have taken the time to post a reply,

I can appreciate that many may feel that it is just a badge and I would suggest my hubby would agree but my personal belief is that it is not that I feel that it is a sense of belonging and in desperate times I have felt that that is what I wanted comfort and support at my church someone to turn to to help me make sense of what is going on and I have had some pretty awful experiences Now I cant plaster my beliefs to my children and I know that but I want them to have that sense of belonging that I did not have and I should also point out I was christened in the same church as DS1 and as an adult I have made up my own mind but I don't resent my parents for making that choice for me if my boys grow up and decide they do not want to be part of the catholic church then that is OK with me but I want them to have from an early age somewhere other than home that they feel a sense of belonging and to be part of that bigger family tbh as a child I could not have told you a thing about religion and it wasn't until the death of my daughter that I ever felt that I needed it.

Edited to say I totally agree with tolerance and respect being highly important and I am also raising my sons in this way.
Thanks again
Poppy

melancholly

i wasn't baptised as a child (neither was my sister), but i did go to church often with my grandmother and decided to be baptised at 17. even in the years when i went to church before the baptism, everyone was welcoming and friendly. if it will make you feel better, then go for it, but i would hope that no church would turn anyone away in their time of need, regardless of them being baptised or not!

on a purely practical note, it would probably be good for your daughter to have experienced a few catholic masses before she starts school - just so that she doesn't feel awkward or confused by what goes on (although this obviously depends on how strict the school are).

heather38

on the back of my daughters baptism certificate it says that her baptism is recognised in the catholic church even though she was baptised c of e, so you may not have to 'rebaptise' your son.
my stepfather converted from catholic to cofe when he married my mother and he had a special blessing by the bishop the same day i was confirmed

Mrs_pbradley936

I think you are looking for the sense of belonging that is very strong within the Catholic community. You can drift away because in some phases of life you do not need as much support – in fact sometimes it can seem stifling. The ceremony and ritual of the Catholic Church and the standards of personal behaviour to be aimed for (not always achieved) provide boundaries that are important for us psychologically. I am on another thread at the moment which is deriding religion but they are mostly scientifically biased, professional men who have no need of nor understanding of the support religion can provide.

Go and see the people at your local Catholic church, explain how you feel I am sure they will make you welcome.

jamgirl

you say you are not a practising catholic. am i right then in thinking you don't attend weekly mass at all?

in my parish then the priest would not entertain baptising any child if the parents do not attend mass. he has turned away lots and lots of families.

i think you need to talk to your parish priest about how you feel and see what his thoughts are.

good luck with whatever you decide :-)