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BostonMyrtleBea
Guest
My brother, his wife, my husband, and I have jointly taken in my nephew due to issues at my sister’s home. My nephew lives with my brother and I have him some of the weekends and take him to/from visiting my sister from time-to-time. Our two families share the financials.
When moving up here, it was made clear (with the blessing of my sister) that he would attend church on Sundays with the family (my brother converted to Episcopalian when he married my SIL). When he is with me, he’ll come to Mass.
My sister is a non-practicing Catholic. When she was a teenager, she caught the CYO adult leaders behind the building cheating on their spouses. She never returned to the church (though even through this day I’ve encouraged her to go back).
From what I gather, my brother-in-law is (I think) an athiest, though I don’t know if that’s the label he uses. I know he thinks that when you’re dead, you’re dead. No afterlife.
Anyway, the only religious experience my nephew has had was one summer when he attended a Baptist church with a friend. Apparently it was a strange? scary? negative? experience.
My nephew is, I think, terrified of the whole “religion” thing and said he wanted to stay home and is afraid that everyone is going to try and “convert” him. He went to his first service on Sunday (with my brother’s family) and claimed my SIL was trying to convert him because she signed him up for the youth group! Then he said “what if you don’t believe in GOD? Do you still have to go?” I did press furhter and he admitted he believed in God, but he’s not going to sign up for any religion and some other jumbled stuff.
He has some emotional problems and is very introverted, so signing him up was for social reasons, primarily. He shuts down and withdraws quite a bit.
My sister said that when he’s at my brother’s house, he’s do do as the family does. She did say that she’d like me to take him to a Catholic Mass to introduce him to it as she prefers he do something Catholic than Episcopalian because she doesn’t know anything about what they do.
I’m a unsure as to how to approach it. I think bombarding him with religion when neither parent has ever helped guide him in this direction will result in rebellion. On the other hand, I’m so excited at the chance to bring him. My brother said he totally shut down last Sunday and was visibly withdrawn.
Ideas? He’s 13.
When moving up here, it was made clear (with the blessing of my sister) that he would attend church on Sundays with the family (my brother converted to Episcopalian when he married my SIL). When he is with me, he’ll come to Mass.
My sister is a non-practicing Catholic. When she was a teenager, she caught the CYO adult leaders behind the building cheating on their spouses. She never returned to the church (though even through this day I’ve encouraged her to go back).
From what I gather, my brother-in-law is (I think) an athiest, though I don’t know if that’s the label he uses. I know he thinks that when you’re dead, you’re dead. No afterlife.
Anyway, the only religious experience my nephew has had was one summer when he attended a Baptist church with a friend. Apparently it was a strange? scary? negative? experience.
My nephew is, I think, terrified of the whole “religion” thing and said he wanted to stay home and is afraid that everyone is going to try and “convert” him. He went to his first service on Sunday (with my brother’s family) and claimed my SIL was trying to convert him because she signed him up for the youth group! Then he said “what if you don’t believe in GOD? Do you still have to go?” I did press furhter and he admitted he believed in God, but he’s not going to sign up for any religion and some other jumbled stuff.
He has some emotional problems and is very introverted, so signing him up was for social reasons, primarily. He shuts down and withdraws quite a bit.
My sister said that when he’s at my brother’s house, he’s do do as the family does. She did say that she’d like me to take him to a Catholic Mass to introduce him to it as she prefers he do something Catholic than Episcopalian because she doesn’t know anything about what they do.
I’m a unsure as to how to approach it. I think bombarding him with religion when neither parent has ever helped guide him in this direction will result in rebellion. On the other hand, I’m so excited at the chance to bring him. My brother said he totally shut down last Sunday and was visibly withdrawn.
Ideas? He’s 13.