Here’s the thing though, when it comes down to spirituality, I’m actually more involved than the mother. She currently doesn’t attend any church or such, she only wishes a catholic baptism because that’s her family’s background.
I have suggested to her that if its something she wants done than to begin attending catholic church and begin taking him. Another suggestion I had made was to begin with that and wait until he is old enough to choose for himself weather to be baptised catholic or protestant, which is also required by protestant church’s that the child makes their mind up with free will.
The thing I don’t understand regarding the last post is the promise to god part. Wouldn’t taking him to my church still for fill the promise? He would still be attending church which is also required by the protestant church as well…
Any who I’ve made an appointment with a priest to discuss the matter, luckily he also knows my pastor so may be able to shine some light on the situation
I’ve tried to self educate myself on catholic traditions, but the internet can only get you so far lol
Your perspective sounds like it is more mature than your mate’s (although, to be fair, we have not heard her side of the story). What is the point of baptizing the child to a parent will not provide a Christian upbringing? Well, it sounds like you recognize the importance of baptism, even though you may otherwise differ from Catholic belief, and intend to raise him according to your beliefs to the best of your ability. Even for your wife, maybe this is the thing that will draw her back into practicing her faith (unlikely, but possible). Your advice that she attend Catholic Church herself is spot on.
I started writing this post with the understanding that you were Lutheran. Only I now realize you never said you were. Oh, well. I will post what Lutherans say anyway, since I have already pasted it, and it sounds like you are under the impression that most Protestants do not baptize infants. In fact, most Protestants, including Lutherans, Presbyterians, Anglicans and Methodists practice infant baptism.
Deferring baptism till the child can choose for himself may seem like a good compromise, but it is contrary to both Catholic and Lutheran beliefs. The Augsburg Confession of the Lutherans reads as follows:
Of Baptism they teach that it is necessary to salvation, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God, and that children are to be baptized who, being offered to God through Baptism are received into God’s grace.
3] They condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism.
And the Formula of Concord:
[The proposition] [t]hat children are not to be baptized until they have attained their reason [the use of reason], and can themselves confess their faith [cannot be tolerated in the Church].
I hope you’ll take my word for it that Catholics believe similarly on these points and that Catholic parents are obligated to baptize their children shortly after birth (a matter of weeks, not years).
The obligation to attend mass is not just to attend any kind of church gathering. Attending your church’s Sunday services would not satisfy this obligation. This is chiefly for two reasons. First, your service is not and does not claim to be a mass. Even a Catholic service like vespers (a prayer service chiefly made up of the singing of psalms) would not count because, even though it is Catholic, it is not mass. Second, it must be Catholic. So even an Eastern Orthodox mass, where Catholics recognize the priest is a valid priest and their Eucharist is a valid Eucharist, does not satisfy the obligation for a Catholic.
Another aspect is the matter of raising the child in the faith. Like I said earlier, if there were no significant differences between Catholics and Protestants, there would never have been a Protestant Reformation. There are also very significant differences between various Protestant groups. Take confession for example. Catholics believe that we are obligated to individually confess our sins, and that priests have authority to forgive sins in Christ’s name (cf. John 20:23). Your church probably does not believe this is necessary and probably does not practice confession. We believe that parents are obligated to have their children baptized, and that it washes away sin and pours out God’s grace. In the view of Baptists (which sounds like where your church fits in), children cannot be baptized, and baptism merely symbolizes the forgiveness sins, but is in no way instrumental in washing away sins. Those are by no means an exhaustive list of differences between Catholics and Protestants, just a couple of examples, and probably not the most important ones.
For getting an overview of differences between Catholics and Protestants, this site is a good resource. Besides the message board,
Catholic.Com has a lot of articles on this subject. It sounds like you are taking the right step by talking to a priest about your situation. The two primary things you should keep first in mind are (1) the welfare of your child, and (2) not making a promise you won’t keep.
