I will be a first-time father in late July, and the question of whether or not to have my son baptized. My wife is an agnostic and she says that if I want to have him baptized, it will be my responsibility to do so as she has no preference either way. I was an atheist before becoming a Christian in a time of personal crisis (the death of my biological mother) and since becoming saved, despite prayer, church attendance, and living a Christian lifestyle, I still do not feel like a Christian. In addition, I struggle mentally and morally with several issues:

• The division between different branches of Christianity, each claiming that only they understand the true meaning of the Bible
• The inferior role of women, as mothers and help-mates to their husbands
• The repression and shaming of human (and especially female) sexuality
• The fact that the Bible contains many, many outdated ideas (slavery, women as property) and yet it is the foundation of our religion
• The overwhelming scientific evidence for evolution among other things
• The teaching of the Bible to children without allowing them to form their own ideas
• The (especially American) Christian's confusion between religious persecution and not getting everything they want
• Christian insistence of laws and policies that enforce their religion, even at the detriment to those of different or no religion
• Christian intolerance of homosexuals and/or gay marriage and adoption. This is especially relevant to me because I was adopted by two married gay men.

I'm sure there are others, but that is what came to mind quickly. My question is, should I baptize my son if I have so much doubt in my heart about keeping the faith? I don't want to teach him from such a young age and prevent him from using his own mind. Any help, either regarding the baptism decision or how I can live by faith would be appreciated.

Theo- you have asked many questions any of which could keep someone up late answering them. I also was an athiest so I can relate to that and the confusion of which church is right,what about this and what about that is normal as you want to be sure you are doing and understanding right. In the book of acts- one of those who heard us was Lidia who was a dealer in purple cloth. She was a woman who worshiped God and the Lord opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and the people of her house had been baptized" There are several examples in Acts like this. I am assuming the children were baptised but babies...?? I am not sure never the less children while a minority or unable to make their own decision are "covered" by the faith of one parent. Many children were DEDICATED to God for works of service and that is always acceptable. Some churches baptize babies by sprinkling but I believe in some of these churches the people when grown believe they are saved because they were baptised as a child. That is not true. Although Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.(jn:1:29The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said,"there is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world."..each person must accept Him to be saved when they grow up if they have not done it personally already. When a person accepted Jesus and what He did by dying on the cross for their sins that is when they usually got baptised (fully-immersed). So there is really no need to go rushing to baptise a baby. You have much time before this issue is important.

I'm going to touch on the subject of homosexuality. Biblically homosexuality is sin as any other sin is sin and separates a person from God. I believe sin of this manner is caused by demons living within the person or persons. Demons may be received from the parents seed,and by certain sexual acts on the baby or young person by a transference of spirits. Paul the great Apostle says:Gal 5: Talking about sin that those who continue in it shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
There are many who mock gays but to take one sin and attack instead of walking in love is almost as bad. All sex out of marriage between a man and woman is sin. Pray for and love the person in sin and perhaps God shall save them. Judge not less you be judged for in the same manner we judge we shall be judged. How can a person see to take the speck out of anothers eye when they have a log in their own eye.(Jesus).

How I can live by faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. I don't know how long you been a Christian but the word Christian means Christlike. It is important for you to read and study and meditate on the word of God. The word says study to show yourself approved so that you yourself can properly discern truth, what is right and how to live before God. A good reading programs where we go through the Bible reading every day a few chapters or even more It is important. Also daily reading of the New Testament in a study mode where you read just a few paragraphs but carefully look at every word to see how it applies to your life. Also many include reading a bit daily in the Psalms and in Proverbs.

Prayer is not the just asking of God for things. Prayer is a time of intimacy which may include your personal Bible reading, praise and worship, and quietly staying in God's presence so that he might show himself to you, touch your heart and speak to you. Developing a relationship with the Holy Spirit is to develop a relationship with Jesus and Father God. Many people hear that there is a move of God in this place or that and go to seminars, buy books etc. If you truly want to learn to live by faith learn to spend time with God. there is no substitute for this. remember God lives in side of you and you and him. When you were born again God created a new man. A spiritual man seated in Christ in a heavenly place (Ephesians) this new man not only lives in the heavenly place but he lives in your body. As Jesus is in the world so are you. You are not your own you have been bought with a price. So as the great apostle Paul says "reckon yourself dead" to self but alive to God. And let the mind of Christ dwell in you in all fullness. Christianity is not a religion. It is a personal relationship where you are guided by God. (enough for now)

Thanks for the advice. I think the bottom line is, I'm just not a believer. I will put off baptism unless I feel that I truly know Jesus, but at this point I don't think I do, or will.

Well Theo- I understand where you are coming from. The Lord is telling me in truth there is some problems about those you love NOT being right with God and that is bothering you quite a bit more than the baptism of an as yet unborn child. The lord I feel has given me an answer just for you. Prayer is talking to God even if God seems to be a million miles away. I am writing this prayer and please pray it to God and I believe God will move in your behalf.
Dear God....right now I am confused. You seem distant and I don't know for sure if I am really saved.Please reveal yourself to me in your own way in your own time
because what I have now is NOT doing it for me. Please make yourself real to me in Jesus name I ask you.

Any help, either regarding the baptism decision or how I can live by faith would be appreciated.

Regardless of your standing, or lack thereof, with the person of Jesus Christ, there is absolutely no profit in infant baptism and rather the potential for much harm.

1) The infant is not yet capable of exercising his own free-will choice in the matter; therefore, no advantage, spiritual or otherwise, can be realized, neither in the present nor in the future.

2) There is a searing of the conscience which takes place when on partakes of anything born of the traditions of men.

There is some advantage, however possibly obscure, you wish to gain by baptizing your baby. Most folks participate in the traditions of men because their motives are selfish. That you would question the practice on its face bodes well for you.

Just to add to what everyone has said, you need to start reading your Bible(start with the new testament as a new Christian, but you need to understand that you also need to read the old testament because without both, you will not really understand the whole thing. But take your time to understand what you're reading and always ask for God to give you understanding) Like I said, start reading your Bible by yourself and not just listen to what other people think you should do as a Christian. The Bible is the inerrent and infallible word of God.

• The divisions between different branches or denominations of Christianity is due to man-made doctrine, if everyone would go back to base, THE BIBLE, it will all be good. Nonetheless, if you have been reading your Bible, you would know that it was prophesied in the Bible that all of this will happen, apostacy and people following man-made doctrines and false spirits, but let me not get ahead of myself and confuse you.
• I don't know what part of the Bible you read that says women are property to be owned and condones slavery. Are you sure you have not been reading the Quaran instead? :-S lol But on a serious note, I am a woman and I believe that God made man and woman EQUAL, but with different ROLES. God tells women to submit themselves to their husbands, just as He tells husbands to submit theirselves to their wives. Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." Ephesians 5:28 "So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself." He tells husbands to love their wives and vice versa. Like I said, if you read your Bible, you would not be getting swayed by people's idea of what Christians should do as opposed to what God says we should do.
• Once again you have clearly been listening to what other people have been telling you. Just because people call themselves Christians, does not neccesarily mean that they are actually doing what Christ intends for them to do. By sexuality, i'm guessing you mean expressing seuxal desire? God gave us sexual desire :-O suprised? He did. He gave us that desire so that we can express it in marriage, to our spouses, the way He intended. Read about the songs of Solomon, read Proverbs 5
• Once again slavery is not the foundation of Christianity, I don't know what you're reading or who you're listening to. Read the Bible for yourself.
• There is also overwhelming evidence that evolution is wrong hence why it is called a "theory" not a "fact"(E.g. the formula used to calculate number of years using carbon-14 dating has a lot of flaws that are ignored which results in numbers that say billions in case where it might have said hundreds or thousands...once again I don't want to confuse you, so i'm going to stop) Evolution like many other things is man's effort to rebel against Elohim. This post is coming from a Christian who is a Scientist by the way and I do not believe in evolution. I do not believe it ever happened, I believer in incredibly intelligent design. One of the brethren on this website previously posted this link and I just loved it, when you have some time, you should some of the articles "everstudent dot com"
• Teaching the Bible to children is not equivalent to putting their brains on lock down, you are opening doors for them to learn the truth about God and ask questions. I was taught the Bible as a child and growing up, when I was a teenager, I still found time to rebel. However, thank God I found my way back to Him(thanks to my family for their prayers and constant love as Jesus instructed) Having a child is a responsibility, not just in a societal manner, but also in the sight of God. I believe that as a Christian, if you have a child that is going astray or a child whom you failed to teach the word of God, you alone will have to answer to God.
• I'm not too sure what you mean here, maybe because i'm not American? But there are Christians that are truly going through persecution, just simply for their faith in Christ. Look at a lot of middle eastern countries, look at North Korea, Nigeria, to say the least. Persecution of Christians is not a small matter, it really does happen even to this very day that i'm typing. It's not some far off "in the past" kind of thing. Jesus did warn us(Christians) that in the last days we would be hated and persecuted just for His name, so we know that prophecy is being fulfilled.
• God gave us all free will. Jesus never taught us to force people into Christianity; He said to preach the gospel and the gospel will bear witness for itself. If one has heard the gospel of Christ and refused to change their sinful ways, that's between them and God. Nonetheless, I don't think someone holdig fast to what they believe is forcing their beliefs down people's throats, it just simply is holding fast. What kind of followers of Christ would we be if we succumb and change our beliefs as soon as someone has a problem with them? The apostles in the time of Christ were persecuted and even killed for their beliefs that they held in Christ, we are also apostles of Christ this day and of course people will not like what we say and the stands that we have, but we should not sway and change the word of God, simply because they offend people. The pharisees and saducees in the time of Christ were offended by Christ's message, but He did not change His message because of this.
• Some Christians might seem harsh towards homosexuals and I do not personally condone violence towards anyone, including homosexual people, but I do have a belief based on the Bible. ALL sins are an abomination to God, this is what I believe and according to 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 "Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality, Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God." Hence I believe homosexuality is wrong and was and is NOT God's intention for healthy marital relationship. This does not mean I hate homosexual people, it just simply mean I hate the sin of homosexuality, just the way I hate the sin of lying, stealing, killing, fornication, adultery and e.t.c. The Bible does not teach to hate homosexuals or do them any harm as a matter of fact Acts 13:38-39 explains this better than I can "So let it be clearly known and understood by you, brethren, that through this Man(Jesus) forgiveness and removal of sins is now proclaimed to you; And that through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as his Savior and devotes himself to Him] is absolved (cleared and freed) from every charge from which he could not be justified and freed by the Law of Moses and given right standing with God." I did not add anything to the above except "Jesus" after the word "Man". This is one reason why I encouraged you previously to read both old and new testament. In the laws of Moses, a lot of sins were punishable by death(physical), examples being murder and homosexuality. Jesus came to die for our sins(and arose again) so that if we believe in Him and what He has done for us, we no longer have to die(spiritually) or be put to death by the laws(of that time). The problem with us humans is that we do not like to be told we are wrong, because accepting someone telling you this, means you have to acknowledge that you are wrong and then want to change; but we don't want to change because we are too comfortable doing what we are doing. With a believer having homosexual family member(s), you have to tell them where you stand WITH LOVE and of course pray for them; pray that God will touch their hearts and they would realise the kind of life they are living.

With the original question about baptising babies, I don't think i've read anything in the scriptures encouraging(or discouraging) this, which leads me to think that it is another man-made religious act.

Brother Theo. First welcome! You have been through a great deal! You as,all of us doubt from time to time,every single disciple did to!!( Matt 26:56) The problem for us, is that when we receive Jesus, we usually follow, the church that lead us to Jesus. All Churches have there problems in it,the reason for this is in there man made doctrine. And if you allow this to become a part of your faith,you find that Jesus is not who you first thought.AH!!!BUT Brother Theo!!! HE IS!!! The purpose in my humble opinion of the pastor is not to preach Jesus so you will believe him!! ( john 3:30-31)

The purpose to preach is to get you to open your Bibles up for a change and measure your faith by the Word of God and not by any church people,or doctrine. Here is what you will find when you seek bro!!( Matt 7:7) First ,your Son is saved through your faith in our Jesus. ( 1 Cor 6:13-14) SO!!! You child is already Holy! Notice I present the Word to you?? This is the very reason to give your time more to the Lord,so you to can partake of his great love,and his Wisdom! Why do we baptize our children??? Because my brother it is the very act of following! I baptize my son or daughter because Jesus himself was also baptized,even though he is the very God who made us all!

We do not measure our faith by others,we measure our faith by the very Written Word of God! Do not worry what man thinks. Man knows only in part!( 1 cor 13:12) To understand our Lord,we must be willing to spend time with him,following is not easy! It takes discipline and very hard work on our part! I judge not any,only myself!( 2 Cor 13:5) For when I go before the Lord,I will not have all kinds of people around me to point at me,or to defend me.Only Our Living Word will Judge me!! And!! YOU! Will have the same! We have no excuses my brother, in following,we have His Word,and his Word does us no good if we do not open it except on Sunday! Do you not feed your flesh daily? WHY? because you know that if you do not, you will grow weak,then why would you not fill you Spirit man with the Word of God? Sure you feel weak,because you are weak.We all will get this way being away from God's Word!

It is my brother the very truth that sets one free,but we can only become free, when we do something about it. Jesus opens the door to our cell,we must step out of that cell of bondage and follow him to the City of Light!( matt 5:13-16!!) The City has no purpose unless those who live in that city have the light of Jesus shining brightly for him! The question for you my brother is not if your child should be baptized or not,but if you should! ( Acts 2:38) There are so many scripture on this!! But this one scripture tells us to become baptized. Do you find it odd to be in the book Of Acts? That is because baptism is an action!! An action my brother of following! So will you follow?

Will you begin to give Jesus at least equal time? It is not that you cannot,it is rather the very act of becoming a true follower,not a part time follower. I judge you not!! I only present Jesus to you where he can be found,in his Very Word! And from that word we eat of daily my brother we become a very part of him,because his Word now abides in us! And get enough of his Word in us,you will find a great miracle takes place!! To Love Jesus is to love His very Word,love his Word enough,and that very Word which was sent unto us to become saved and baptized comes on us to abide in us as well!!( john 14:23) You have no worry anymore,you have no reason to fear anymore,because LOVE brings the final act we have in Jesus!!! Perfect PEACE!!!

( 1 John 4:7-21) and the result from this Love of Jesus!!( john 14:1 and John 14:15-27!! THIS!!! My brother is Jesus in Truth!!( john 8:31-32) Now it is your call.My prayers are with you,and I believe,that even though you may be in some shock right now, that the Lord in me would speak unto you,you know this is true. For Holy Spirit bears witness to His very Word in you! ( matt 16:24-27) We know we believe by whom we follow,and we know who we follow, by the deeds we do in HIM!Grace given by God so we can Follow our Lord Jesus! Blessing bro!

Yes, I am certainly reading the Bible, not the Qur'an; just because I am new to calling myself a Christian does not mean that I am new to the Bible as well. In fact, MANY things written in the Bible are quite scary and have no place in a civilized society. For example:

If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her. Deuteronomy 22:28-29

If within the city a man comes upon a maiden who is betrothed, and has relations with her, you shall bring them both out of the gate of the city and there stone them to death: the girl because she did not cry out for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbors wife. Deuteronomy 22:23-24

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Ephesians 6:5 NLT

Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse. 1 Peter 2:18

A man is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 1 Cor. 11:7

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. 1 Tim. 2:12-14

If however the charge is true and no proof of the girl's virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death... Deuteronomy 22:13-21.

You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20:13
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.If she does not satisfy her owner, he must allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her.But if the slave’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave but as a daughter. Exodus 21: 7-9

So thanks but no thanks, I think I'm just going to stick to atheism.

Ok Theo18 Much of what you spoke of was in the Law,at that time as you know,they had to have some kind of laws,sure some of them were quite harsh! We are not under the law but under grace, and as for the woman, please do look at this scripture as well. To God there is no difference in the Word which is preached. Gal 3:23-29!!) You will do as you wish,but I will not have your blood on my hands either!! What you do with the truth you have received is all in what you have decided as an excuse not to believe. So you need a sign hu? ok!!! By the grace of God, and by his power and his own might,you shall have one.Maybe like Pharaoh more then one, I do not know? But you will know the truth,this I promise you in the Lord!

My question is, should I baptize my son...?

What prompted you to even consider baptism in the first place?

MANY things written in the Bible are quite scary and have no place in a civilized society. For example:

If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her. Deuteronomy 22:28-29

If within the city a man comes upon a maiden who is betrothed, and has relations with her, you shall bring them both out of the gate of the city and there stone them to death: the girl because she did not cry out for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbors wife. Deuteronomy 22:23-24

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Ephesians 6:5 NLT

Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse. 1 Peter 2:18

A man is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 1 Cor. 11:7

I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. 1 Tim. 2:12-14

If however the charge is true and no proof of the girl's virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death... Deuteronomy 22:13-21.

You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20:13
When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.If she does not satisfy her owner, he must allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her.But if the slave’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave but as a daughter. Exodus 21: 7-9

Without getting into the requisite context of the above passages, the quick answer to your apparent dilemma is that, to the natural man (i.e. one who is not born again in Christ Jesus), the word of God is foolishness because the things of God are spiritually discerned:

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 KJV)

The division between different branches of Christianity, each claiming that only they understand the true meaning of the Bible

That is known as denominationalism, and it is one of the greatest deceptions ever foisted on an undiscerning world. Also, you have quoted from a modern copyrighted book which is not representative of the genuine Holy Bible.

So thanks but no thanks, I think I'm just going to stick to atheism.

Atheism is also a religion, as you must believe there is no god, thus you are no less "religious" than any other poster here.

The overwhelming scientific evidence for evolution among other things

There is no such "evidence" - only a vast assortment of personal opinions.

Christian intolerance of homosexuals and/or gay marriage and adoption. This is especially relevant to me because I was adopted by two married gay men.

The heathen love their children no less than we love ours; it has nothing to do with religion.

I often hear the refrain that religion has sparked wars and exploitation. The same could be said for politics, but politics cannot be eliminated from society; we can only try to find the right political formula. Neither can we eliminate our religious need; we can only find the right religion. A good start would be to find one committed to a leader who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers ... love your enemies ... bless those who curse you ... turn the other cheek ..."

If you assume that killing and exploitation are wrong, you have unconsciously appropriated Christian values. If, as atheistic evolutionists teach, advancement comes through the survival of the fittest, why not let war take its natural course? Dig into many non-Christian religions and you will discover the teaching that all things are one - including good and evil. Why work for justice if nothing - exploitation included - is evil? It is Christianity that provides the rational basis for pursuing justice and peace. It makes so much sense that non-Christians often end up sidestepping the logical implications of their own beliefs.

Now wait, I know what you may be thinking: What about the Spanish Inquisition? What about the crusades and other "holy wars" that were fought in the name of Jesus? Show me in the Bible where Jesus or His apostles taught that He wants people to fight for Him with earthly weapons. Be careful not to judge the Bible by the way people abuse it. Just because someone says they're a Christian does not mean they are one! You never judge a philosophy by its abuse.

Atheists have killed a lot more in history than religious people have. Stalin decided to give up his faith in God, and was responsible for between 40 million and 100 million human beings being slaughtered in the Soviet Union. Adolph Hitler killed 20 million people for their racial identity or personal beliefs. This is in addition to the 50 million who perished as a direct result of military operations in the European war. China's Mao Tse-Tung murdered between 40 million and 80 million. Vietnam's Pol Pot slaughtered over 2 million people in just 3 years. These were all atheists in the 20th century alone.

Atheism logically can lend itself to aggression and destruction. Christianity would be illogical compared to what Christ has said and taught. There are many morally minded good people who are atheists, or belong to other religions, but it is vitally important that Christianity not be judged on the bases of its abuse of its principle teachings. It would hardly be endorsed by Jesus, to take a sword to someone's neck and say, "believe or else"!

Our desperate need is not for clever arguments but for a powerful encounter with the living God (1 Corinthians 4:20 KJV). And we need not more dramatic signs from heaven, but to act on what we already know. The door to spiritual understanding is not human explanation, but supernatural revelation. It swings not on mind games but on a willingness to surrender our stubborn will to One who knows better than us (John 7:17; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16; 4:3-4; 1 Corinthians 2:4-16; Luke 10:21 KJV).

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you, promises the Bible (James 4:8 KJV). Until we respond to the light we already have, God is unlikely to squander further enlightenment upon us. With insincere excuses we might even fool ourselves, but not the One who knows everything. We don't decide how much evidence we need: God does. Neither do we have the final say as to when God will lose patience with us.

Your reasons for not becoming a Christian may be more flimsy that you realize. Years ago, psychologists carefully explained to smokers the danger of smoking. They discovered that those who continued to smoke reported enjoying smoking more than before. Apparently, the discrepancy between their behavior and what they knew they should do, forced their minds to exaggerate the pleasures of smoking. Likewise, a reluctance to become a Christian could subject people to psychological pressures that distort their perception of the benefits or logic of remaining spiritually divorced from Jesus.

To see the logic of leaving God out of the equation, consider this:

Frog + Princess's kiss = Handsome prince (fairy tale).
Frog + Millions of years = Handsome prince (theory of evolution).

By definition, no one knows what lies outside their tiny circle of knowledge. Don't be like a blind person trying to convince himself that because he has never seen, everyone else claiming to see must be mistaken. Try saying this:

"Dear Father, I would like you to show me if you exist. If you are God, you are so superior to me that I cannot put demands on you. Anything you choose to show me must be on your terms - your time and your method. I can understand you not showing yourself to people who have little desire to know you. I will demonstrate my genuineness by at least reading the material presented here, looking for clues that might help open me to your revelation. And why should you bother revealing yourself to someone who would continue to ignore you anyway? If you show me there is a powerful, caring God who made me and wants the best for me, I will give you your rightful place as God of my life by obeying and trusting your love and wisdom."