Perhaps some parents like to hedge their bets when it comes to God...TheodoraElizabeth3 said:What's the point in baptizing a kid in the Orthodox Church, if he won't be raised Orthodox? Especially if neither parent is Orthodox.
If you've got the money, many priests have the time.Paisius said:Would it be possible for a mother who is not Orthodox to have their infant baptized Orthodox if they have an Orthodox godparent?
I would assume, barring an emergency medical situation, that the household would be baptized together in the ancient custom.KBN1 said:What if a child is born while parents are catechumens? Just a curious thought that this thread raised...
This is true, I have to admit. If not baptized in the Orthodox Church and the child died, it'd go straight to hell. Better safe than sorry.Basil 320 said:On what grounds would the church reject the admission of an innocent child's enrollment in the Book of Life and the path to eternal salvation?
That's what I've been told, as I asked my priest what would happen if I was to give birth while still in my catechumenate period and wanted the child baptized. But I don't know if that's because we are catechumens or if that is a general rule across the board.Basil 320 said:It may seem strange because of the question as to why a non-Orthodox parent would desire to have their infant baptised in the Orthodox Church, but it is my understanding that the parents canonical standing with the church (or lack of standing as in the question in this topic) is not an issue with regard to an infant candidate's proposed Baptism, Chrismation, and first Holy Communion. The Godparent would be responsible to have the child raised in the church. On what grounds would the church reject the admission of an innocent child's enrollment in the Book of Life and the path to eternal salvation?
Is that a known fact or just a surmise on the part of the Orthodox Church?Asteriktos said:If not baptized in the Orthodox Church and the child died, it'd go straight to hell. Better safe than sorry.
I apologize, I was in something of a bad mood this morning. The above was meant to be a sarcastic response. I think the opposite is true, so reading stuff about "enrollment in the Book of Life and the path to eternal salvation" just seemed very over the top to me. And I responded poorly.theistgal said:Is that a known fact or just a surmise on the part of the Orthodox Church?Asteriktos said:If not baptized in the Orthodox Church and the child died, it'd go straight to hell. Better safe than sorry.
And do all Orthodox believe this, or just some? IOW, is it essential to being fully Orthodox that one accept this as a fact?
Asteriktos said:I apologize, I was in something of a bad mood this morning. The above was meant to be a sarcastic response. I think the opposite is true, so reading stuff about "enrollment in the Book of Life and the path to eternal salvation" just seemed very over the top to me. And I responded poorly.theistgal said:Is that a known fact or just a surmise on the part of the Orthodox Church?Asteriktos said:If not baptized in the Orthodox Church and the child died, it'd go straight to hell. Better safe than sorry.
And do all Orthodox believe this, or just some? IOW, is it essential to being fully Orthodox that one accept this as a fact?
Yep.Ionnis said:One can believe that baptism is salvific and essential and reject the idea that all unbaptized infants burn in hell absolutely and without question. What happens after death is a great mystery.