[Closed] The Godfather... Dilema

I would be interested to hear a conversation between a vicar and an atheist would be Godparent.

er... it went along the lines of

'That went well didn't it'
'Yes, great atmosphere'

Nothing very thrilling I'm afraid.

[i]That'll be the pragmatist in me but I can accept that some more idealistic sorts disagree but still struggle to see why it really matters.[/i]

It doesn't, really, I suppose. I just got initially annoyed by the tone (not necessarily yours) of the thread which seemed to be "just do it, otherwise you're a bad friend", when it's entirely possible to have a principled objection. And if the people asking you were true friends, they would understand if you declined politely.

Anyway, this has been an interesting, and rarely for STW, pretty well balanced debate that has killed my afternoon time nicely 🙂 Thanks all, I'm going home.

tbh i couldnt give a flying about all this, the thing that gets me is this:

Well yes that too, although in reality I would be way down the pecking order, although if something did happen to them that wouldn't be something I would have a problem with...

and to junkyard, when i said think about it, i meant to have a little bloody think about whether you want to be even more linked to your sister if thats how you feel about them.

jesus, oops.

They're not so blinkered as to insist that all their friends are Christians so were perfectly happy to take a pragmatic/realistic view of it all and involve the people that matter to them.

As Godparents promising to support the Christian upbringing of the child? I do find that odd - very unlike Christians I know.

FWIW, I'd consider myself a bad friend if I'd said no but that's not really aimed at casting aspersions at you or anyone else. I would just feel that it was unreasonable. I guess I might feel different if I had been expected to stand up at the front and praise the lord and specifically promise to [s]indoctrinate[/s] educate the kids in the way of the church and so on but I wasn't so I didn't.

"just do it, otherwise you're a bad friend", possibly aimed at me too, that's the way I felt when I was asked. My friends are more important to me and it seemed more natural to accept than refuse, upholding a principle that I, at most other points in my life, give very little thought to.

Scotia you lost me with your mini rant. I have no sister but my family know me well enough not to ask. Not sure whether that make my family or your family closer you decide. Really why have you got so upset about this ?
[Bill Hicks]Forgive me [/Bill Hicks] 😆
Clubbers POV is perfectly reasonable and he argues it well. I disagree but we dont need to get angry do we?

sorry junkyard, tiger et al, maybe my friends are of the more modern idea

scotia - Member
tbh i couldnt give a flying about all this, the thing that gets me is this:

Well yes that too, although in reality I would be way down the pecking order, although if something did happen to them that wouldn't be something I would have a problem with...
and to junkyard, when i said think about it, i meant to have a little bloody think about whether you want to be even more linked to your sister if thats how you feel about them.

You still don't get that?

He meant he wouldn't have a problem looking after the kids if something happened to them, not he wouldn't have a problem with something happening to them!!

(sorry, this has already died, hasn't it 😳 )

I'm a multiple godfather and in no way religious in any proper sense - when people talk about religious values (or more speifically Christian ones) I interpret "god" or christianity as my internal set of moral values. As such I have no issue with suggesting that I'll instruct a child accordingly. I have no bother renouncing evil either.

I don't see this aproach as different to Christians ignoring some of the weirder rules in the bible & saying it can be read in a modern interpretation - I'm just more modern again in my interpretation.

Mind, I wouldn't accept the job for a properly religious family without ensuring that they understood my perspective.

Is it that much different to being sent on a course or sitting in meetings and sucking up all the bullshit, then mentally filing it in the shite folder - or should we all refuse to attend on the grounds that we'd be hypocrites to do so ?