In preparation for James' baptism this Sunday, tonight my husband and I attended a "baptism preparation" class conducted by the church. This session, which we attended along with four other couples, was mandatory for parents of children who will be baptised.
Our church makes a strong effort to avoid patronising or lecturing, which means that it is naturally difficult for them to hold classes of any sort. It is difficult to talk about religion without resorting to sermon or lecture, and as a result, the main focus of the session was a women with long hair sitting on the floor, moving around replicas of Noah's Ark and the animals and reciting the fable that all of us already knew. The room was silent aside from her narrative whispers punctuated by long pauses. During these vast periods of silence, I stared at the floor, hoping (or, should I say, "praying") that I wouldn't laugh.
There was one relatively interesting element of the session. We discussed the rationale for our decision to baptize our little one. Why, indeed? When I was a child, my parents allowed me to choose my own religion and my own church. Aside from being given reference materials and various religious texts including an illustrated bible, I was never really pushed in one direction. It occurred to me tonight that by baptizing our son, we may be pushing him in a particular direction - one that I am not even sure of.
I ended the night realizing that there are other elements of the church that I am pursuing for James. The local church community, the shared understanding with our family members, the traditions that have been passed on through my husband's family - all of these may be equally valid reasons for pursuing a particular religion for our children. While people may not be quick to admit it, it is probably these tangential benefits, rather than the chance to worship, that encourage most parents to join a religion. Now, we must wait and see how our children like our choice.
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