~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~
Question: Neither my wife nor myself are religious people but we are being pressured buy my wife's grandparents to get our baby that is on the way christened. I believe in living a good a decent life and lying is not something that I do. I do not want to get the baby christened if it means that I am showing a false pretense to the church. What is your view on this? Is this a "no harm" thing that I can do for the child, if, later on in life the child decides to become religious....and if that is the case should the child wait until then and make up his or her own mind about this, or due to belief's, should I have this done sooner?Answer: Your situation is not uncommon. Grandparents and Great grandparents are known to be very opinionated concerning their children and grandchildren. Be thankful that they are concerned about your child(ren). However, there are limits as to their involvement concerning their grandchildren. They must realize that they are YOUR children, not theirs.
Since you are not believers who have strong convictions, I feel that you do not have to heed your in-law's wishes. If I were you, I would just kindly explain to them that this is not your beliefs and that you appreciate their concern, but in your heart, you just can't go through with this.
I would like to explain what the Bible teaches about this matter. The child is not accountable to God until they reach a certain point where their conscience is awakened to the reality that there is a God and that He requires obedience to His commands. There is no set age here. It is roughly at the age of 7 or older that this awareness and accountability takes place. The reason I bring this up, is because there is no where in the Bible that teaches christening (baptizing of children). What it does promote however, is the dedicating of children to the Lord and His care. A good example of this is Samuel, whose mother Hannah dedicated him to the Lord (1 Samuel 1-2). Also, there were parents who would bring children to Jesus that He might bless them (Matthew 19:13), not baptize them.
I would hope that you would strongly consider going to a Bible-believing, fundamental, and Spirit-filled church. Not only for your sake, but your children's as well. Going to church will not save you, but it is a place where you can get to know God, and have explained to you the great spiritual truths that are necessary to become a Christian. We live in a very ungodly world, and your children will have a greater chance of 'turning out' good if you as a parent will rear them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I firmly believe that all parents will give an account unto God for the way we raised our children.
May God give you the wisdom you need in making these crucial decisions concerning your children!
