So the more I thought about the christening, and with the help of your comments, I have decided that while I wouldn’t mind if they wanted to have some sort of blessing done for Noah at their church, that I don’t really want him christened into any one faith because I don’t intend to raise him any one faith. So that is that. Unless of course Mark has strongly different feelings – cause I guess he has a say too. And now Noah’s sitting on the floor playing with a copy of “Awake” just delivered by some Jehovah’s Witnesses. I wish I would have photographed them – they looked like they arrived in a time machine. They were two elderly black men wearing straw hats, plaid pants, suspenders and bow ties. It was like they were going to an Orville Redenbacher convention. I have to admit that if I’m going to be evangelized by strangers I definitely prefer them to be nattily dressed.
Susan and Francesca are coming for lunch today so time is short. I was tagged on SHTEZQ and will succumb to her will later this afternoon. Beware.
5 comments:
Aw, I get a say? That's sweet.
I'd have no problem with a simple blessing-type dealy-o, but I'm sure that's not what they are after. I'd probably even be alright with a "give this baby's soul to Jesus so he doth not perish in flames" (or whatever) classic baptism - after all, if it turns out to mean everything, good for him; if it means nothing, what's the harm of a couple lost hours? Plus, it's not like I get to dictate everything this child will do, think and believe in his lifetime, so I can be bent to the will of certain kind, worthy family members.
The problem is, however, that I expect any professional, factory-warrantied baptism would involve our promise not only to continue to indoctrinate him but also to believe (HALLELUJAH!) ourselves, and to agree to that would require a level of hypocrisy I don't think I could muster.
Now, with a "vftmncft" and a "godspeed," fly away mighty comment!
the problem still remains that you have to find someone that will do this for you since you're not already hallelujahing all over the place, if you decided to do it.
this is just the first in a loooong line of stuff you might find yourselves standing your ground on. after all, it's your baby, not theirs.
feyhrx!
glad you made a decision...that will be the easy part. :) all the fun stuff comes now.
OK, my experience on the subject. My parents are seriously mormon. As we all know already. When I had my first child, the subject of getting her blessed in church came up, along with the obligatory guilt trip and disapointment undertones. I told them (her) I'd think about it, and I did. My decision was, I'd love it if my dad wanted to give her a priesthood blessing in their home, with all of our family there. I thought it would be a sweet, spiritual experience we could all share without the pressure of the congregation, and the guilt trip. I did NOT, however want my parents to take my child to their church to hold her up in front of their peers and somehow try to make her part of it. My mother bawled, and didn't take me up on the offer of letting my dad bless her. Sad. Mostly because I think they missed out on sharing in a personal, family experience that could have been really cool. But, they seem to have only been after it for purely religious reasons. Strange how the religions and the spiritual can often be so SO different.
What's up with the word verification thingy? We have to be able to see and type to comment? I don't get it. Does it help deter the blogvertisers somehow? That'd be cool.
Hey Nicole,
We have to meet Noah! Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time that we saw you and Mark. About the baptism dilemma... You probably got a sense from hanging out with Mark's aunts and uncles about how entrenched they are in Catholicism(my mom being one of those people). I wonder what would happen with us? I have always envied Atsushi because not only is Japan a completely secular society, but it is also a society that has never been affected by any Puritanical guilt. I will have to ask him about baby rituals. I know that children get dressed up in Yukata (cotton "Kimono" type outfits) at ages 3, 5,7, and 20 and they visit a shrine but it is not really for worship. Japan is so areligious because the government used Shintoism as propaganda to encourage people to fight for the "Emperor god."
I was brainwashed with a fire-and-brimstone Catholicism at such a young age, (GOD IS WATCHING YOU!!!!) that it nearly made me Atheist. I don't embrace an organized religion but I often feel a nagging thought that I was brainwashed so I can't feel at peace like Atsushi does. I like Buddhism and practicing Yoga, and I extract from most world religions the parts about treating each other with respect. Unitarians might be able to do a nice blessing for Noah. I go to their church to watch movies from time to time and I am involved with some of their social activist causes. My former boss was Unitarian (she said she was Atheist; (she was another former Catholic). By the way, I saw your posts about celebrity crushes... I would've had 4 of the same people on my list. One of my friends thought I was weird because I have a crush on Jon Stewart!
Take care and Happy Birthday to Mark!
Colleen
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