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Why
baptism for your child?
To give
him/her a proper name?
Children are properly named when their birth is registered.
To make sure he/she keeps well?
Baptism is not a spiritual inoculation or insurance policy. Indeed, God
is displeased if parents and Godparents make the baptismal promises
dishonestly.
Because granny is pressing to have baby
'done'?
It's the child's parents who must give the child a Christian upbringing.
It is their faith which will count in the first instance, so they
must decide - whatever other people may wish.
To make sure that the child will go to
heaven if he/she dies young?
This idea is still prevalent today, but we would wonder what sort of a God
would judge children in such a way, whether they had been baptised or not.
To thank God for the child's birth?
This is a good thing to do, but there is a service especially for
thanksgiving for the birth of a child, which is not the same as baptism. A
service of thanksgiving is appropriate in instances where parents find it
difficult to make the promises demanded during baptism or when they want
their child to make up its own mind about baptism at a later date. The
minister will be pleased to advise.
To give the child a good start in life?
Yes, baptism is an ideal beginning, but it is only a beginning.
The child's Christian upbringing must continue otherwise it is start of
nothing and the baptism is meaningless.
So the child can grow up as a Christian?
The act of baptism does not make anyone a
Christian. That only happens when children reach a point of maturity when
they can make a profession of trust in Jesus for themselves. Until then,
they must rely on their parents and Godparents for their help and guidance.
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