Modern parents weigh social pressure as Baptism rates decline

More and more parents are choosing not to baptize their children. Despite their personal beliefs and values, some still yield to pressure from their immediate surroundings and family. Often, this happens out of fear of rejection from family and friends or due to numerous unpleasant experiences faced by those wanting to live according to different principles than most of society.

An example is a Reddit user who shared her story with netizens and sought advice on navigating this difficult situation.

I moved to the United States six years ago, while my family lives in the Philippines. Although I was raised in the Catholic faith, I no longer practice this religion. I believe in a higher power, but I don't like the part of my upbringing where people rely on prayers to get what they want from life.

The woman is the mother of an eighteen-month-old son, and her grandmother keeps asking when the child will be baptized. "For us, the most important thing is to treat people with respect and to be good parents to our son," she emphasized.

The post's author wrote that she owes a lot to her grandmother, including financial support that enabled her education and overseas travel. "I don't want to baptize the child against my beliefs and just because I feel guilty towards my grandmother because she has given me so much in life," she wrote.

I feel frustrated; I don't want my boundaries to be crossed.

The woman also expressed that both she and the child's father want their son to decide in the future if he wants to follow any religion.

Many comments and pieces of advice appeared under the post. One portal user wrote: "My grandparents forced my parents to baptize all of us. If they hadn't done it, they wouldn't have inherited anything. I've always thought it was absurd that they gave in. It's a personal decision; it's not up to the grandmother. Tell her that."