advice on catholic in-laws

Pink_butterfly_3

pulliptears wrote: »

Ahh but Pink, all the fun people will be in hell

Too right, who wants to go to Heaven with all them goody two shoes anyway

eamon

I'll voice my opinion as a not very good at practicing Catholic. Stick to your guns and don't do it!
If you are a practicing Catholic (or other variation of Christian) then you are duty bound to lead/guide your children in your chosen faith. When your children are older they can then make up their own mind to stay or go. As you are not a Catholic you wouldn't find it easy to adhere/follow the doctrine etc, for example 1st confession, 1st Holy Communion, Confirmation.

Hope that helps.

Eamon

Errata

pulliptears wrote: »

One thought for you...

I'm Catholic (and Atheist!), but I had both my kids baptised Catholic. Not because I believed in any sin/heaven scaremongering, but purely because the best local schools in my area were Catholic. Nothing like a bit of forward planning lol

That said, this is your child so you should do exactly as you wish, and your inlaws will have to accept that.

Schooling is an important point, schools with a religious connection are the ones parents are always gagging to get their kids into.
Surely for anyone who doesn't believe in god or any god it doesn't matter a tinkers cuss what they promise because the promises are being made to something that doesn't exist for them.

Loretta

margaretclare wrote: »

I didn't think anyone believed this any more - about unbaptised babies going to hell.

It's certainly very old-fashioned.

It's Limbo not hell

garys_missus

Mmm interesting one this. I'm Catholic, practising but not yet perfect! Hubby is an athiest. Our 4 boys have all been baptised into the Catholic church, but only come to mass when I bug them, ( apart from Christmas and Easter when they come of their own accord). Hubby agreed, after many years of being asked by me, to be baptised, and it was carried out in our own home, by a local vicar who we both have always thought a great deal of. I now rest happy, (all Catholics out there will know where I'm comming from). One of my neices hasn't been baptised, and this has caused my parents a lot of worry, they even thought about taking her to be baptised without her parents knowledge, but listened to reason and went no further with the idea. It all depends really on how long you want the 'grief' to go on for? Do you really think that the in laws will bring it up at every occasion? And do you really feel so strongly that you're willing to run the gauntlet for the forseeable? Do you not feel able to compromise and have a baptism carried out by somebody other than a Catholic priest?

Loretta

We were all brought up as catholics and I went to a convent boarding school from the age of 5 until 18. I could become the board's catholic information centre, total brainwashing. It is almost like a superstition

Many years ago my sister had a baby by a married man which was bad enough (apparantly) but the worst bit of all, according to my mother was that she refused to have the baby baptised, catholics don't call it christened I think she was having a rebelious teenage moment and there were so many rows and hell fire and damnation. Very suddenly all this nagging stopped, just stopped dead. I later heard my mother telling her friend that everything was alright now as she had done it herself without my sister knowing. In an emergency anyone can baptise to save the person going to limbo, a nurse etc and my mother considered it to be an emergency that this baby who already had dire problems what with being illegitimate, a father who was not a catholic and being a man who was 'common' who she couldn't stand, would not be baptised in the normal way.

I think that whatever you do your in laws will probably do what my mother did, they won't be able to help themselves!

pulliptears

Errata wrote: »

Schooling is an important point, schools with a religious connection are the ones parents are always gagging to get their kids into.
Surely for anyone who doesn't believe in god or any god it doesn't matter a tinkers cuss what they promise because the promises are being made to something that doesn't exist for them.

In my area the local primary was failing badly, the local catholic primary was smaller and top of the league tables.

Just because I have no belief doesnt mean I instilled this in my children. I supported them all the way through their primary education, I went to church on the right occasions supported them through communion etc. As it turned out 15 year old DS decided he had no belief and went to a standard High School. DD 10 is a firm believer in God and I support her in that.

Its up to the kids to make an informed decision when they are old enough.

MrsE_2

larmy16 wrote: »

Anyone on here catholic and old enough to remember purgatory??? What with limbo, purgatory and hell being shoved down our five year old throats, I spent many a sleepless night I can tell you!

The bit about unbaptised babies not going to heaven.

I'm a Catholic, its something you are just taught, from way back & its a bit of kind of brain washing (but not in a horrible way IYKWIM) its just another worry, its just something at the back of your mind, however unchristian it sounds in reality.

Spendless

The phrase 'never explain, never apologise' comes to mind. If the subject comes up I'd say because this is what we want/don't want and then say something like "your curtains look really lovely" e.g totally change the subject.;)

sillyvixen

the whole ideal of limbo was perverse and incorrect - all babies are inocent and have no control over the way they came to be!! as a christian i would rather you baptised your child as a personal commitment to your beliefs rather than feel forced by the in laws or as in so many cases today as an excuse for a party.

dont feel forced into doing somthing you dont feel comfortable with just to please relitives!! its your child and baptisim is somthing you need to feel is right.