Should I be a God mother?

getting back to the OP, you could suggest to your sister that she not have a christening at all once the child's name is registered.

she could have a naming ceremony (info is here: [broken link removed] ) and it is something thing the whole family can be involved in, in their own home.

I actually agree with Clubman, as a practicing catholic it annoys me when people use the church and priest "facility" without reverence and respecting the sacrament.
 
ClubMan said:
Normally being invited to be a godparent involves acting as a witness at the sacrament of baptism. In addition one normally makes some commitment to overseeing the child's Christian spiritual/religious upbringing. That is what I was assuming here.
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Yes, you're right. Sorry, I've been out of the loop for so long I completely forgot what was involved. This is indeed a full commitment and should not be entered into lightly.
This is actually more along the lines of where I was coming from. Something informal where you just promise your sister that you will be there if anything happens. Religious vows should not be taken if they are not intended.
 
Its called "a la Carte Catholicism", Its quite bizarre really, but you hear of brides/grooms getting stroppy with the priest cause he wants to celebrate mass as well as giving the wedding vows at a catholic wedding.

There is no way you should accept your misguided sisters invitation. As a non-believer you are not in a position to make the commitments you are required to fulfil as a Godparent at a Christian baptism. The PP should have clearly explained this to your sister.

As a previous poster stated you have to renounce the Devil but you also have to admit the existence of the "one true God" etc.

Tell your sister you will gladly do the guardianship thing but you are not in a position to be the child’s spiritual guide in case of anything happening the parents.
 
Taximan said:
Its called "a la Carte Catholicism".
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Which beats Catholicism off a set menu, as written by the Pope of the Day! (I’m still laughing after reading John Paul II was a Bob Dylan fan, but Benedict thinks his music is “the music of Satan”!).

As my old Granny used to say, ‘God is badly served on earth by men’. Do the boys in the Vatican, all through the years, not interpret the Bible to their own liking and pick and choose from it - a la Carte? - to suit their respective dogmas? I don’t think, for example, there’s a passage in the Bible that says HIV positive husbands shouldn’t wear condoms when they have intercourse with their wives, but the Vatican is happy enough to see thousands of such women die, in Africa in particular.

Is it any wonder some of us have long since walked away? Maybe the questioning a la carte Catholics are the bona fide ones?

Taximan said:
There is no way you should accept your misguided sisters invitation.
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Ah now, it’s that class of condescending talk from devout Catholics that turns some of us off! Misguided?!

It sounds to me like she knows exactly what she is doing and asking of her sister. You might think she’s wrong, but she’s guided by her own conscience, which, I’d guess, is good enough for her God, whatever about his servants on earth.

So Stano, if you respect your sister’s beliefs, without believing in them yourself, go ahead and accept her invitation. But if she thinks Bob Dylan composes the music of Satan I’d probably say ‘no thanks’. Mind you, some of his albums...........
 
I think the concept of being a godparent nowadays means an extra person looking out for the child under normal circumstances and trying to ensure the child was brought up the way the parents would like if there was a tragedy.
Reeling off quotes about renouncing Satan and one true God isn't very helpful. I don't have any kids but wouldn't hestitate to ask a non-Catholic to be a godparent if they were the right person were I lucky enough to be in that situation.
 
nelly said:
I actually agree with Clubman, as a practicing catholic it annoys me when people use the church and priest "facility" without reverence and respecting the sacrament.
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Nelly, I don't think this is really about a lack of reverence or respect for the 'sacrament', more a lack of reverence or respect for the men who run the church these days. That's why I have respect for people who believe in God, but not the church, if you know what I mean.

The more the laity try to reclaim their church from the politicians in the Vatican, the more I like it. Those infallible days are long since gone.
 

Excellent
 
KalEl said:
Reeling off quotes about renouncing Satan and one true God isn't very helpful.
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I agree but that's part and parcel of the deal when it comes to Christian baptism and being a witness/godparent. That's why some people (such as myself) would have to say no as this would conflict with their own deeply held beliefs (or non beliefs). Others might be happy to play along and just consider the sacramental declarations to be a form of words and nothing more. Personally I would consider that hypocritical and I'm sure that believers and clergy might (should?) consider it unacceptable. But each to his/her own I suppose.
 
stano said:
My sister has asked me to be God-mother to her new baby, she has asked me each time she has had a baby, this is her 3rd. I've always said no as I don't believe in any of it...
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I guess it really depends on what you mean by I don't believe in any of it. If you mean that you're a committed athiest, and don't believe in any god, or the possibility of a divine being, then I'd agree with the posters who say you shouldn't do it.

However if you mean, you don't really have alot of time for the rigamarole of the Catholic Church (I'm assuming it's a Catholic baptism, but the same could apply to any of the other Christian denominations which baptise infants), but do still sort of believe in the general concept of the Christian God, then I'd say go for it. I think Bushfire states this case quite well.
 

Fair enough Clubman, it's a principled stance, but I don't think there's any harm either in taking part in the religious ceremonies of friends and family, it's just a mark of friendship and respect for their beliefs, it doesn't mean you have to give up on your own non-beliefs or regard the ceremony as anything other than a "form of words" that have no meaning for you. Your mere presence is what your friends want, it's a sign of what you mean to them.

Personally, I don't see it as hypocrisy or playing along, it's just a sign of maturity, a mark of respect and friendship, regardless of the religion. Whether it should have been allowed or not my brother's best man was C of I (the brother being RC), he found aspects of the ceremony comical, but was honoured to be asked and thrilled to be part of it. It wouldn't have been the same if he wasn't best man, being my brother's life long best friend. But some would say my brother should have chosen someone who was a devout RC, even if he wasn't a particularly close friend. Each to their own. Surely lifelong friendship and loyalty should rank above anything else, in any religion??

PS I wouldn't worry about what the clergy consider as unacceptable. Being a touch anti-clerical myself, whatever they regard as unacceptable usually does for me. But that's just a mark of my complete immaturity.
 
Bushfire said:
The more the laity try to reclaim their church from the politicians in the Vatican, the more I like it. Those infallible days are long since gone.
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your challenge (I am assuming here that you are baptised) should you choose to accept it....

Its about time that people seperated the religion / christianity / faith and priests actions. If you don't believe in God thats one thing - if you do but can't be arsed getting out of it on a Sunday morning and blame it on the priests actions decades ago thats another.
If the OP believes in God and can renounce Satan and all associated then she should take part, if she doesn't she is actually pretending to be something she is not - something she probably detests about the catholic church of yesteryear - the hypocracy.

I wouldn't worry about a COI dude smirkin about a catholic service - I bet he would have had the same comments at a COI service because they are quite similar last i attended one and anyway each part of a wedding service is chosen by the couple. His reaction seems to me to say more about him than the actual service IMO. To be fair a best man does not have to do anything except hold rings and sign as witness.

thats it - me and me soap box are going home....
 
I read a quote from someone a while back. I can't remember who. It was along the lines of

More and more people are leaving the church and turning to God.
 
Bushfire said:
Your mere presence is what your friends want, it's a sign of what you mean to them.
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Yes - but taking an active part is different to just attending in this case. Another good example would be our President taking CoI communion (when this is fundamentally incompatible with the Catholic beliefs which she purports to hold) rather than just attending such a service and declining communion.
 
Do all you good folk who refuse to be godparents actually avoid the ceremonies as well, and do you ever attend church weddings?

People, you will be dead a long time, do the deed for your family/friends. If you are so sure there is no god, why do you let down your friends/family because of him (or not-him)?

Are you trying to prove to yourself or to others that you are not a hypocrire?

If your friens/family want you to be godparents, ask them what they mean. If it is loaded with religion, and you object/dont-believe, then fair enough. However, to many people today being a godparent means having a special secular position in the childs life. How can you object to that?
 
BlueSpud said:
Do all you good folk who refuse to be godparents actually avoid the ceremonies as well, and do you ever attend church weddings?
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Of course - but there's a big difference between just attending and actively/officially participating in proceedings as I have tried to explain above.
People, you will be dead a long time
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We already were.
do the deed for your family/friends. If you are so sure there is no god, why do you let down your friends/family because of him (or not-him)?
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Well, speaking personally, I have a strong aversion to mumbo jumbo and its propogation so always do whatever I can (no matter how small) to avoid this.
Are you trying to prove to yourself or to others that you are not a hypocrire?
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And what would be wrong with that? I would have a lot of respect for anybody who always strove to avoid hypocricy in their actions even if I had no time for their beliefs.
Because in most cases it can involve the godparent (as well as other participants) being expected to hypocritically profess in public to beliefs that they do not hold at all. To me that is at best silly and at worst hypocritical and insulting to those who do hold such beliefs genuinely.
 
Because being a godparent in a CofI ceremony involves giving your word that you are a practicing Christian and that you will ensure the child in question is raised as a Christian.
If you do so and you are a non believer you are a hypocrite.
 
Huh!??
 
Isn't it time we got over this superstition? Or mumbo jumbo as Clubman so eloquently put it...
 
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