Saturday, March 9, 2013

I Had My Son Baptized... Now What?

I have spent most of my life as a follower of the Catholic religion. I took a break from church in college, but delved back in when I decided to have a child. I wanted more than anything to have my son Baptized. All Catholics know that he would go to hell if I didn't.

I was going to church weekly to... well... to show up so the priest would see me there, and recognize me as an active member of the church when it was time to have my son baptized  I also went through a 3-month process to have my Bahamas marriage-on-the-beach recognized by the church so I could have my son baptized in the faith.

Well, fast forward to today, and I'm an atheist... but I still feel guilty about having baptized my son in the Catholic faith. I realize that there is no big guy in the sky that I pledged my son's allegiance to, but I still feel guilty about it. I guess part of the problem is that the church recognizes my son as a member.

I feel fortunate to have discovered atheism early in his life, when little damage has yet to be done. He's only been to church 3 times, and he's only 4 years old. I also have a daughter, who has never been baptized.

BUT... with all of the atheist cries about childhood indoctrination & the harm of baptism, I ask you all this... what do I do now?


3 comments:

  1. I was baptized Catholic, went to a catholic school for six years. I'm now an atheist. I don't think any "damage" has been done in the way of your son. I bet if you stopped going to church altogether, he might not even remember it six years from now or tomorrow if you don't bring it up. Honestly, who cares if you go to church as long as you remind them afterwards that all of it was a bunch fictitious nonsense.

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  2. 11/12
    Just like the Anon above me I was baptised but I have been in Catholic education for 11 years, I've never been religious and when I was little I remember calling religion "that thing stupid people believe in" in school and getting sent to the "naughty wall". Your kid got some water poured on his head, so what? Just don't force him to go to church because that's what causes the real "damage". try not to send him to a religious school either, hey teach their religion like it's fact, my religious education teacher hates me and one day I'm going to correct her when she says that she "remembers Jesus".

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  3. You do nothing because it means nothing. They will be fine. You are atheist now, there should be no guilt, no doubt. Keep it up, knowing that god is not real is the biggest relief. Pass it to your kids.

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