I wonder if I should title this "us" Catholics, after all, I was raised in the church, confessions at 7 years old and everything.
Is it a sin to confess to something you didn't do just so you wouldn't waste the priest's time?
I thought I got away from the church though. I lapsed myself out of going to church, saying confession, lighting candles, rosaries and crossing myself. And I don't miss any of it.
But my husband has been feeling the guilt.
We haven't baptized our kids. I don't mind so much because I really don't believe that splashing some water on my kid's heads is going to make a damn bit of difference on where my kids will go when they die. (hopefully many many many years after me) But it's wearing on my husband so out of respect for his feelings (fear) we'll be baptizing them.
The church is a pain about the whole thing though. We had planned on getting our daughter baptized right after birth but the local church wanted us, and anyone who would be the godparents, to jump through some serious hoops. I remember classes were involved. Needless to say it didn't get done because no one we knew (relatives included) could do all the stuff the church demanded.
We're in a new area now and we'll be looking into the Catholic church out here to see what their demands are. What a pain.
I'm pretty comfortable with stepping outside the church and baptizing my kids in a Christian church of pretty much any denomination just to get it done with, but I bet my husband is going to insist on doing it the Catholic way. In most cases this wouldn't be a problem since I usually do everything. But I've been dragging my feet on this one and my husband so hates to do anything himself, so the process has been seriously stalled.
Why am I doing this? I'm not precisely sure. I don't have any problem with baptizing my kids, I just don't really buy into the biblical version of how I should live my life. I already do so many things the bible doesn't approve of, what's one more? I don't believe gay people are bad or evil, so I'm already cherry picking my belief system and the bible doesn't like a lot of the cherries I pick.
Does this mean I don't believe in God? Not necessarily. I just don't believe in the biblical version of God any more than I believe in Zeus. I can't disprove God exists so I guess I'll leave the option on the table that he could exist and leave it at that. Mostly I prefer to live my life according to the Golden Rule. You remember that don't you? "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Good words and ones to live by IMHO. I try to be ethical. I return wallets if I find them-- unopened (have done this), try not to lie (this should be easy but sometimes the "does this make me look fat" question has no tactful answer) and generally try not to curse or cut people off in traffic-- but no one is perfect.
Anyway. No Catholic guilt for me. I leave that to my husband.
6 comments:
Oh, this is such an ongoing debate at my house. My life. I am NOT Catholic. My Significant other is not only Catholic, but Mexican Catholic.
It's a VERY big deal that our daughter has made it to five without that splash of holy water.
My Goddaughter is being raised Catholic, which I have reservations about, but at her Christening, I had to pretend to be Catholic, which rather appealed to my sense of subversion - I'm not even christened.
Like you, I don't think religion has anything to do with our well being.
Puss
Factor 10
I feel for you.
Puss
That's great, I wish I could find a Godparent like you.
This would tax me, too, as I find religious rituals have very little to do with the quality of the people involved.
Gotta say: I'd leave it all up to the hubby. If it really matters to him, he needs to make it happen.
I funny how I should read your blog today. Last night, I admitted to my mother that, as a child, I used to lie in the confessional just for something to do and say. I really thought my mom would have freaked but she just sat there and laughed and laughed.
Small World!
I wonder what the priest would have said had I confessed to lying when I confessed? He would probably think that I was lying about that as well... Now I am confused!! :-)
Jocelyn
Yeah, I've been thinking it's his baby to take care of.
Dave
I guess the Catholic experience is pretty universal. My husband and I both did that as kids and I bet it's really common.
Thanks for stopping by.
Post a Comment