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12 year old brothers Catechesis.
May 8, 2012 at 11:00 am
Ok, first off, I’m new to this whole forum thing, I’ve never posted on a forum or anything before, but I have kind of a biggie… question.
So today it’s my little brothers Catechesis, he’s 12 years old, and he’s confirming his faith tonight… My brother expects me to be his sponsor, I don’t quite think he knows that I'm an Atheist, and to be honest, I don’t really think he knows what one is, he’s grown up being taught that God is all good and everyone wants to go to Heaven when they die, so to him it’s simple. We’ve grown up in a Catholic family. All our schools have been Catholic schools since Primary School all the way through to my Sixth Form College, which is where I'm at now.
So, still assuming assuming that anyone is reading this, my role tonight is to place my hand on my brother’s shoulder while he confirms his faith to God, and pray for him.
As an Atheist, of course, I feel like I can’t do this, yet as a brother should I support my brother through this?
My parents think I should, even if I don’t believe in God, simply because my brother is expecting me to be there for him.
In my opinion my brother has no idea what he is getting himself into. But what can I do…
Opinions???
Ta.
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RE: 12 year old brothers Catechesis.
May 8, 2012 at 11:05 am
This is important to your brother, and he wants you to be the person there with him.
Its not as if atheism is some sort of faith that would be violated by inclusion into a religious ceremony.
The fact its bloody stupid isn't really relevant, if its important to him that you be there, even if it is slightly hypocritical, I would support my sibling still.
Oh, and welcome to the forums...
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RE: 12 year old brothers Catechesis.
May 8, 2012 at 11:08 am
(This post was last modified: May 8, 2012 at 11:10 am by Phil.)
(May 8, 2012 at 11:00 am)diego_luna Wrote: Ok, first off, I’m new to this whole forum thing, I’ve never posted on a forum or anything before, but I have kind of a biggie… question.
So today it’s my little brothers Catechesis, he’s 12 years old, and he’s confirming his faith tonight… My brother expects me to be his sponsor, I don’t quite think he knows that I'm an Atheist, and to be honest, I don’t really think he knows what one is, he’s grown up being taught that God is all good and everyone wants to go to Heaven when they die, so to him it’s simple. We’ve grown up in a Catholic family. All our schools have been Catholic schools since Primary School all the way through to my Sixth Form College, which is where I'm at now.
So, still assuming assuming that anyone is reading this, my role tonight is to place my hand on my brother’s shoulder while he confirms his faith to God, and pray for him.
As an Atheist, of course, I feel like I can’t do this, yet as a brother should I support my brother through this?
My parents think I should, even if I don’t believe in God, simply because my brother is expecting me to be there for him.
In my opinion my brother has no idea what he is getting himself into. But what can I do…
Opinions???
Ta.
Ditto what NMF said.
(May 8, 2012 at 11:05 am)NoMoreFaith Wrote: This is important to your brother, and he wants you to be the person there with him.
Its not as if atheism is some sort of faith that would be violated by inclusion into a religious ceremony.
The fact its bloody stupid isn't really relevant, if its important to him that you be there, even if it is slightly hypocritical, I would support my sibling still.
Oh, and welcome to the forums...
System only let me give 1 kudo but you can count it as 1 x 10 9.
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RE: 12 year old brothers Catechesis.
May 8, 2012 at 11:12 am
I think it's too late to talk things through before the ceremony, but I would suggest that you do, once the time seems right.
When I was young, there was a god with infinite power protecting me. Is there anyone else who felt that way? And was sure about it? but the first time I fell in love, I was thrown down - or maybe I broke free - and I bade farewell to God and became human. Now I don't have God's protection, and I walk on the ground without wings, but I don't regret this hardship. I want to live as a person. -Arina Tanemura
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RE: 12 year old brothers Catechesis.
May 8, 2012 at 11:48 am
Quote:he’s grown up being taught that God is all good and everyone wants to go to Heaven when they die, so to him it’s simple.
All of them are simple. That's the problem.
12 might be a bit young for him to face reality - that's why the church likes to fuck with their minds while they are still young - but the opportunity will arise for you to let him know that you reject all their nonsense. When he asks you "why" start to tell him.
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RE: 12 year old brothers Catechesis.
May 8, 2012 at 12:33 pm
(May 8, 2012 at 11:00 am)diego_luna Wrote: Ok, first off, I’m new to this whole forum thing, I’ve never posted on a forum or anything before, but I have kind of a biggie… question.
So today it’s my little brothers Catechesis, he’s 12 years old, and he’s confirming his faith tonight… My brother expects me to be his sponsor, I don’t quite think he knows that I'm an Atheist, and to be honest, I don’t really think he knows what one is, he’s grown up being taught that God is all good and everyone wants to go to Heaven when they die, so to him it’s simple. We’ve grown up in a Catholic family. All our schools have been Catholic schools since Primary School all the way through to my Sixth Form College, which is where I'm at now.
So, still assuming assuming that anyone is reading this, my role tonight is to place my hand on my brother’s shoulder while he confirms his faith to God, and pray for him.
As an Atheist, of course, I feel like I can’t do this, yet as a brother should I support my brother through this?
My parents think I should, even if I don’t believe in God, simply because my brother is expecting me to be there for him.
In my opinion my brother has no idea what he is getting himself into. But what can I do…
Opinions???
Ta.
I'd suggest that you go through with it without any prevarication. You can support him, but let him know that you don't believe in in god or those religious ceremonies. It seems that your parents know about your beliefs, so it's not necessary to keep them a secret. And this would be a good way of introducing your brother to ideas outside what the church teaches. 12 seems old enough to start facing reality without psychological crutches.
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RE: 12 year old brothers Catechesis.
May 13, 2012 at 12:13 pm
If it makes him feel better then do it, it won't do any harm. Maybe talk about it at a more suitable time.
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RE: 12 year old brothers Catechesis.
May 13, 2012 at 12:23 pm
(This post was last modified: May 13, 2012 at 12:23 pm by KichigaiNeko.)
If it were me i would stand there smiling all the while supporting my brother and "sponsoring" him into his next stage of life. After all he's still a kid
What kind of brother are you to let you little brother down?
Oh and  to the forums.
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