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Well, yes and no. It's not so much about avoiding the ruffling of feathers. More about me showing respect for others' faith regardless of whether I share it or not. This is such a huge and important step that so many people take seriously that I don't want to be just "humoring" them. It's hard for me to put into words.
It seems disingenuous for me to be taking oaths and trying to pick perfect hollow answers to questions just to please a few people. I don't want to degrade the event's significance, even if I don't share the faith.
I think it depends on the nature of the oaths; if you are taking a vow to raise a child in that particular faith, that can simply encompass not standing in the way of allowing your wife to raise your child as catholic.
I think it depends on the nature of the oaths; if you are taking a vow to raise a child in that particular faith, that can simply encompass not standing in the way of allowing your wife to raise your child as catholic.
OP, you know, 'ol man Kant once said -it is better to believe even just a little bit, just in case. He's actually considered one of the smartest philosophers ever. So no, it won't hurt to do some extra security.
I think it depends on the nature of the oaths; if you are taking a vow to raise a child in that particular faith, that can simply encompass not standing in the way of allowing your wife to raise your child as catholic.
We've spoken at length about the role of faith in how we want to raise the kid and decided that it will have only a minor influence. This was a big issue for me since faith has had zero presence in our relationship to this point. We are on the same page on this topic in that she knows I am not and will not ever be a man of faith. She is not particularly devout either, hence why we agree on the relatively minor influence of faith on our child's life. If the child wants to pursue their faith I would support them, provided that they were old enough to think critically on the decision.
We've spoken at length about the role of faith in how we want to raise the kid and decided that it will have only a minor influence. This was a big issue for me since faith has had zero presence in our relationship to this point. We are on the same page on this topic in that she knows I am not and will not ever be a man of faith. She is not particularly devout either, hence why we agree on the relatively minor influence of faith on our child's life. If the child wants to pursue their faith I would support them, provided that they were old enough to think critically on the decision.
Easier said than done, of course.
Have you considered just letting the child choose to baptized later if s/he feels so inclined? That's what I did with all my children, and I was a full-fledged Bible-believing Christian back then.
We've spoken at length about the role of faith in how we want to raise the kid and decided that it will have only a minor influence. This was a big issue for me since faith has had zero presence in our relationship to this point. We are on the same page on this topic in that she knows I am not and will not ever be a man of faith. She is not particularly devout either, hence why we agree on the relatively minor influence of faith on our child's life. If the child wants to pursue their faith I would support them, provided that they were old enough to think critically on the decision.
Easier said than done, of course.
Okay, I see what you mean. The Mr. is christian and I'm a heathen, and between the two of us it really hasn't been much of an issue (as far as religion and our kids go), but once other people's expectations are involved (extended family, the church community) it does get a little murky.
I'm replying to my own post to clarify my thoughts about hypocrisy. We all do it and you need to make a deliberate choice about the level of it by thinking it through beforehand. It's trickier when making a public promise....
I do agree that it's totally hypocritical on both our part. If I were a pastor I'd be incredibly annoyed if not flat out angry that so many parents are willing to go through the process and say the words that my life's passion has deemed necessary only to never see them again.
The child can still be baptized if they want to enter the Church later. I feel you should point that out. It would be a happy medium. Just because your wife wants it doesn't mean your feelings should be thrown under the bus.
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