I was my great-niece's godfather and even though I could've supplied them nobody asked me for credentials. That was probably 10 years ago. She's in college now, doesn't practice or go to church, and no one has blamed me. So it was an honorary position at best.
Her parents stopped going to church after both their kids were confirmed. It was just a facade - a "check the box in case I ever need it" thing which I think applies to many folks.
Rave: Godparent!/Rant: Catholic Church
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Radbird
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Socnorb11
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Re: Rave: Godparent!/Rant: Catholic Church
Personally, I think you need to delve deeper to see what your brother and his wife are expecting of you before signing up to be a "godparent".
If they're expecting you to be a spiritual/religious role model for their daughter (which I'm led to believe by the confirmation requirement), then it would only be fair to explain to them that you're probably not the ideal candidate for that, due to your status as a non-believer.
If they're just wanting you to be a role model for their daughter, then you certainly don't need a label for that, and so following through with the confirmation doesn't really seem necessary.
If they're expecting you to be a spiritual/religious role model for their daughter (which I'm led to believe by the confirmation requirement), then it would only be fair to explain to them that you're probably not the ideal candidate for that, due to your status as a non-believer.
If they're just wanting you to be a role model for their daughter, then you certainly don't need a label for that, and so following through with the confirmation doesn't really seem necessary.
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Freed Roger
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Re: Rave: Godparent!/Rant: Catholic Church
Yeah, I was assuming lombard's brother/sister in law were good with his religiosity - since they asked him and a baptist to be godparents.
It may require the brother to lie on some of the paperwork. IMO it's your brother/sister in-laws call.
It may require the brother to lie on some of the paperwork. IMO it's your brother/sister in-laws call.
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Socnorb11
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Re: Rave: Godparent!/Rant: Catholic Church
I was assuming that his brother wasn't aware of tlombard's religions non-beliefs. Since they aren't really in the same part of the country, maybe it never comes up and his brother just assumes that he's the same follower of the Catholic faith that he was as a kid?
I agree that it's their call, unless they're expecting him to be a religious role model for their daughter, a role that tlombard obviously wouldn't be comfortable in. The key is having a conversation and figuring out everyone's expectations. Without doing that, it's really hard to come up with a clear-cut response.
I agree that it's their call, unless they're expecting him to be a religious role model for their daughter, a role that tlombard obviously wouldn't be comfortable in. The key is having a conversation and figuring out everyone's expectations. Without doing that, it's really hard to come up with a clear-cut response.