Thanks for your response. It's good to get the opinion of someone who is actually religious to balance this out, it helps. However I'm a bit confused by some of the questions you've asked here - I have specifically said in my post that my child won't be baptised, we're not religious and that the people in question will not be teaching them about religion so I'm not sure why you've asked me about that here?
In answer to your other questions though - no, they will not be promising to bring my child up in the Christian faith, because they won't be doing that so it would be silly to promise it.
If my child turned to the Christian faith later in life then I wouldn't try to turn them away from it. I certainly won't be joining them in it but if they needed a lift to church or some volunteers for some sort of charity event then I would be happy to do things like that. I am friends with our local children's pastor because his wife works with my husband so I already do take part in a few out of church activities. He's aware I'm not religious and he's ok with it. (As an edit to this comment I would like to add that I would certainly debate them on the issue. I will never coddle my children or expect them not to hold their own when asked difficult questions about their beliefs.)
Where I live is small and the church is a big part of the community so I have accepted the fact that this may influence all of my children somewhat and they may become religious. I see no major issue with that, it's ok for people to believe different things. I would prefer them not to be religious but they will grow into their own people and I wouldn't like to stop that from happening, they don't need to be carbon copies of my husband and I. Perhaps when they are teenagers it would become more of an issue as teenagers tend be very strong willed and less accepting of other people's beliefs, but I will tackle that challenge as an opportunity to "parent" them in tolerance. Wish me luck with that lol.
IIN to ask close friends to be god parents if you aren't religious?
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Thanks for your response. It's good to get the opinion of someone who is actually religious to balance this out, it helps. However I'm a bit confused by some of the questions you've asked here - I have specifically said in my post that my child won't be baptised, we're not religious and that the people in question will not be teaching them about religion so I'm not sure why you've asked me about that here?
In answer to your other questions though - no, they will not be promising to bring my child up in the Christian faith, because they won't be doing that so it would be silly to promise it.
If my child turned to the Christian faith later in life then I wouldn't try to turn them away from it. I certainly won't be joining them in it but if they needed a lift to church or some volunteers for some sort of charity event then I would be happy to do things like that. I am friends with our local children's pastor because his wife works with my husband so I already do take part in a few out of church activities. He's aware I'm not religious and he's ok with it. (As an edit to this comment I would like to add that I would certainly debate them on the issue. I will never coddle my children or expect them not to hold their own when asked difficult questions about their beliefs.)
Where I live is small and the church is a big part of the community so I have accepted the fact that this may influence all of my children somewhat and they may become religious. I see no major issue with that, it's ok for people to believe different things. I would prefer them not to be religious but they will grow into their own people and I wouldn't like to stop that from happening, they don't need to be carbon copies of my husband and I. Perhaps when they are teenagers it would become more of an issue as teenagers tend be very strong willed and less accepting of other people's beliefs, but I will tackle that challenge as an opportunity to "parent" them in tolerance. Wish me luck with that lol.