Being sisters child's godmother - not nessacarily Christian
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Anonymous
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I have been asked to be my pregnant sisters child's god mother. I am
Agnostic, I respect all religions and believe in a higher power and being an all around good person... However I would not be labeled Christian even though i go with my family to religious events as i know they are important to my family members... I will absolutely be the best god parent possible and respect whatever they ask of me... That being sai Should I make mention of it to my sister who knows I'm not religious but not to the same degree as she is? Or should I just quietly continue on? |
Anonymous
| Just do it |
Anonymous
| We didn't ask the most religious people we know to be our sons godparents, we asked the people that were most important to us. You are clearly important to your sister and she wants you to play an important roll in this child's life. |
Anonymous
| If you believe in a higher power, you are not agnostic. |
Anonymous
| Just do it. Neither of our Godparents are religious. Pretty sure my brother is Agnostic and no idea what SIL is. Then again, we aren't religious either and did it to please MIL and DH's grandmother. |
Anonymous
| I'm an atheist but also the godfather to a friend's child. My friend was aware of my lack of belief when I was asked, and I was honored to be asked. |
Anonymous
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I don't know, OP. I think you're right to hesitate. I would find out a little more about what is required and what is expected of a godparent. If it is any meaningful role, then you are agreeing to support the child on his/ her religious journey, through baptism, confirmation, etc.
It seems to me that this should be a little more than a photo op for your family, assuming that your sister is going through all of this for the right reasons. |
Anonymous
| Were you baptized as a kid? If you are, you qualify. |
Anonymous
| As long as spelling isn't a prerequisite... |
Anonymous
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My BIL is a priest, and I was asked to be his son's godparent. I am not religious, and he is aware of this.
Follow up question. Is it generally expected that a godparent will be the one to take care of the kid if the parents die? (Of course following whatever is stated in a will...) |
Anonymous
Godparents are NOT by default, legal guardians when the parents die. If you don't know what your role as a GP will be, ask when you are invited to be one. Our kids each have their own set of GPs, neither of which is listed in our will as legal guardians. The people who we wanted to help guide our kids in their religious journey were not the same people we would want raising them day to day if we were gone - for many reasons (geographic, their family structure, economics) |
Anonymous
It would be inappropriate for you to be the godparent. Being the godparent requires you to be involved in the child's religious teachings. So if you're agnostic, you are an inappropriate choice. |
Anonymous
Totally disagree. Your sister and the baby's father (if he's around) are the only people qualified to decide who is an appropriate choice. Talk to them about what you do and do not believe and what they see your role as in this case. Then decide together. They may be completely aware of your beliefs and still think you are a great choice for their own reasons. Or they may assume you are a beliver since you attend religious events with the family. Once they and you are clear about expectations, it will be pretty obvious whether you're the person for the job. FWIW, my GPs and many of my friends GPs were purely figureheads and had NO input into upbringing, religious or otherwise. It's a really personal thing. |
Anonymous
| Ask your sister what she envisions the role of godparent being. If you don't feel you can fulfill that role, discuss it with her. |
Anonymous
| It depends. What religion is this? If you are Catholic, you are supposed to pledge to support the child's being raised as a Catholic, do whatever you can to help, etc. I would feel uncomfortable asking someone who is not ok with this to be my DC's Godparents. |