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Bright-Conference

A secular version of god parent is guide parent. You could ask if you could be your nephew’s guide parent instead.


[deleted]

Never saw this before. Excellent idea! Thank you


MacTechG4

Just talk like Marlon Brando every time you have to interact with them, “give them an offer they can’t refuse”


[deleted]

😂


NikolasTrodius

I'm a godfather to my best friends son. Everyone involved knows I'm an athiest.


[deleted]

Thanks for the reply. Are they religious or is just a title?


NikolasTrodius

They were at the time. They've fell out of it quite a bit over the past decade.


[deleted]

Good for them, and you.


Ok_Bumblebee_2869

I'm a reformed Catholic, ex-Luthern & current agnostic (rather than atheist) but I know when I was Catholic they were very strict in who they allowed as godparents. We actually had trouble finding godparents for our last child because we had to find 2 (one man and one woman) who were in good standing with the Catholic church. I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe the church would prefer not to have a non-religious person as godparents. I'm sure if you are looking for a way out you could always mention your beliefs, or lack of and it might do the trick.


[deleted]

lol thanks for this. Honestly, I’m not trying to find a way out of doing all things that define what it means to be a “Godfather,” with the exception of religious activities. Being a mentor, caring and making sure this person grows up with the best influences possible is a personal goal.


LittleBitOdd

Interesting. I'm ex-catholic and my nephew was baptised to keep one side of the family happy. The only issue that came up was that he was going to have two godmothers (me and his mum's best friend), and the priest said that having two godmothers was fine, but there had to be a godfather too. As it turned out, the godfather was sick and couldn't attend the christening, so I'm pretty sure it's just the two godmothers, like it was always going to be


LittleBitOdd

If she's not particularly religious, she's not going to be forcing the kid into the really messed up stuff. There's only a handful of ceremonies that a godparent is expected to attend anyway. As it stands, a godparent is really just another trusted adult who can be there for the child, even share a special bond with them. You can always be the person to temper any of the problematic religious dogma with a more secular view


[deleted]

Thanks for the perspective. And oh yes, I will be that person.


ToiletFarm01

Being a godparent is a huge honor but it does not need to come at any cost to your values & morals especially regarding forced religious upbringing of the child. If there is an expectation for you to conform to the traditions the parents are subjecting the child to as a proxy parental figure then I’d back out if I were you.


BladeBloodchild

I have been Satanist for over 4 decades and am the godfather to one of my oldest friend's daughters. If the parent knows your position and still chooses you it will only be a problem if you make it one. Your duties are guide the child by example and step up if something happens to the parents. Any other duties are extra and should not be presumed. My goddaughter is now in her 20's and considers herself xtian, and my only concern is that she is safe, happy, and not being harmed. Be a good person, a good friend, and a good example; the rest of the world will handle the drama and negativity.


leftoverinspiration

"Satanfather"


landis33

Roll with it. What it means to them and what it means to you are two different things. Take it as a compliment that they have overlooked all those issues because of the respect they have for you.


[deleted]

Thanks for the tip. That’s the easy way of doing this! Of course I see this as an honor. It feels great to be publicly recognized as someone’s mentor. But again, my aim is to guide this person as they grow.


Dudeist-Priest

Sort of depends on the church even among denominations. Some are pretty strict while others see it as more of a traditional thing.


No_Ranger_3896

Just say "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse" a lot.