Baptising a Child

Sultan85 · Post by **Sultan85** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 2:34 pm

Most people baptise their children at a very young age. By doing this, aren't you deciding what your child should believe in, instead of leaving it to be his or her choice?
When children are so young, their brain is not developed to tackle such hard issues, that we as adults cannot even come to agreement with. When you sell this story to children, they will easily believe in it (which could be a possible explanation to why anyone is religious at all). When doing this, you are by definition, indoctrinating a defenseless child; which I would argue is psychological abuse.

Question: Are Baptising and teaching religious doctrine to children morally wrong? On that grounds that it interferes with his freedom to choose.

Lux · Post by **Lux** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 9:58 am

Indoctrination is wrong. Forcing your teenage kids to go to church is not all that good. Baptizing a baby or small child is just pointless. People who have been baptized grow up to be anywhere between fervent believers to atheists, so it would seem baptism is ineffectual.

Whether it's worth the hassle to book the church, find a caterer for the party, put a pretty and expensive dress on your baby who doesn't even know what you're talking about when you say Jesus and make all your friends wake up early on a Sunday, all for something that is not likely to have any real effect on your kid and that he/she could just choose to do when he/she knows what it's about, is up to the parents.

Kuan · Post by **Kuan** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 2:41 pm

Gayatheist, I understand where you are coming from. See I have always thought that too. Are my parents forcing "mormonism" on me. Truth is that they weren't. I had all the freedom to choose any religion or no religion, I wanted. It is not the babptism that is bad. It is the parents who take away the freedom from kids to choose. I chose to be mormon, my parents didnt force it on me.

LiamOS · Post by **LiamOS** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:15 pm

They may not have forced you, but you were socially conditioned to be a Mormon.

If you've seen the film The Truman Show, this next point should make an apt analogy. If you haven't, go watch it.

At no point up to that which the movie concerns itself with did they 'force' Truman to remain in Seahaven; he always had the choice to leave.
It was the manner in which he was raised that prevented him from leaving. This is arguably forceful, and in the same manner, raising a child into a religious household in a religious community is arguably forcing a religion upon them.

Kuan · Post by **Kuan** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:34 pm

AkiThePirate wrote:They may not have forced you, but you were socially conditioned to be a Mormon.

If you've seen the film The Truman Show, this next point should make an apt analogy. If you haven't, go watch it.
At no point up to that which the movie concerns itself with did they 'force' Truman to remain in Seahaven; he always had the choice to leave.
It was the manner in which he was raised that prevented him from leaving. This is arguably forceful, and in the same manner, raising a child into a religious household in a religious community is arguably forcing a religion upon them.

Keyword, arguably. Yes but it is the parents duty to nurture and raise the child. If the parent truly believes their religion, they will teach it to the child. When parents don't nurture their children and raise them, the child will grow up and become a gangster, criminal, or very rarely will they actually become good people. Teaching a child religion along with the other required teachings, is a small price to pay compared to not teaching them.

LiamOS · Post by **LiamOS** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:39 pm

Not teaching religion doesn't require neglect.

Also, it stands to reason that if your beliefs are correct that a child will later be able to deduce those same beliefs as true for himself.

Kuan · Post by **Kuan** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:44 pm

AkiThePirate wrote:Not teaching religion doesn't require neglect.

That is true, but we cannot control what parents teach. Therefore, usually religion will come with the rest of what should be taught.

Also, it stands to reason that if your beliefs are correct that a child will later be able to deduce those same beliefs as true for himself.

You would think but look at how many religions are in our world.

LiamOS · Post by **LiamOS** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:47 pm

[color=green]mormon boy51[/color] wrote:That is true, but we cannot control what parents teach. Therefore, usually religion will come with the rest of what should be taught.

But is it still not wrong to do so?

[color=orange]mormon boy51[/color] wrote:You would think but look at how many religions are in our world.

Wow.

I don't think anything could have prepared me for that level of irony.

Kuan · Post by **Kuan** » Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:51 pm

AkiThePirate wrote:
[color=green]mormon boy51[/color] wrote:That is true, but we cannot control what parents teach. Therefore, usually religion will come with the rest of what should be taught.
But is it still not wrong to do so?

Maybe, I still dont know...

AkiThePirate wrote:
[color=orange]mormon boy51[/color] wrote:You would think but look at how many religions are in our world.
Wow.

I don't think anything could have prepared me for that level of irony.

:D/

Ann · Post by **Ann** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 4:54 pm

mineman43 wrote:As a Christian, I have one thing to say if it is morally correct. My answer is, It is ABSOLUTELY WRONG to baptize a young child. Being baptized is supposed to be willfully done, and before you are baptized, you need to know what it means. I do agree with you there. Catholics do that. Not to completely be mean, but what they are doing is wrong. VERY VERY WRONG. I'm a Church of Christ member, and it doesn't matter where you are, or what day it is, or whatever. If you truly believe that you are ready to be baptized, you will be baptized (of course, in water, completely submersed).

Let me ask you this: Do you believe that baptism is necessary for salvation? Do you believe Christ's words that unless a person is baptized he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? Think about that for a minute. Christ says that unless a person is baptized, he will not enter Heaven.

Now, in the case of child (or infant) baptism, I would ask you to point to any passages in the Bible which say that baptizing a child is wrong, but you can't because there aren't any. In fact, the bible says that entire households were baptized. Households generally include children. There is a reason why children are baptized. I refer you back to the words of Christ quoted above.

LiamOS · Post by **LiamOS** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 5:12 pm

Would you therefore have no reservations about children being initiated into non-Christian religions before they are capable of deciding? Keep in mind that such a level of indoctrination will make it next to impossible for them to later become Christians.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.