Do you have to present your child[ren] to the Lord?

Where in the bible does it say that you have to go to the alter of a church and present your child?

As a parent, if you do not do this are you damned to hell?





A Christian friend keeps insisting I do this, and I disagree completely.

I'm curious to know your opinions or if you have done it yourself or as I have chosen not to do it.

Thanks.

Sarah

DrJ

So really this is a way for the parents to use their child to "come in good graces with God" themselves and has absolutely nothing to do with the child?

N0help4u

My grandbaby pushed the enter button on my comment to homesells reply.

**Exactly anything done for God should be a desire from the heart anything short of that is vain, for show and people pleasing.

classyT

The Church that I was attending when my children were babies didn't do baby dedication. I simply dedicated my children to the Lord in prayer. I don't think it is wrong to dedicate a child to the Lord. It only means you want your child to walk with the Lord Jesus and follow Christianity. I do NOT believe one MUST do it. It is a person choice. I have not found anything in the NT where the apostle Paul says we MUST do it or we shouldn't do it. It is NICE to do....that is all.

(note) I'm talking about a dedication to the Lord Jesus not baptism.

jenniepepsi

i believe you can dedicate your child yourself...but its not required...basically all you are doing is saying 'i will raise my child in the name of the lord and raise her to know, obey, and believe in our savior'

this can be done privately, or at a church, or not at all.

Tj3

Agreed.

In addition, in many churches they also emphasize three things:

- Acknowledgment that the child belongs to the lord and that ultimately the child is His.
- That the parents commit themselves to raise the child in the knowledge of and the ways of God.
- That the community within the church commit themselves to support the family in their Christian walk and to support them in their efforts to raise the child into a man or woman of God.

DrJ

So again, this still seems like a practice that solely benefits the parents and not the child.

I mean, if it is written that the parents do not choose the faith of the child, then this dedication has no emphasis on what the child will choose to believe.

It is just the parent saying to the pastor and to the community that they are a good Christian and they will try to teach their child to be the same.

N0help4u

It benefits the child if the parents DO follow through in teaching their kids.
Sort of like if a parent says I promise I will always make sure my kid makes it to their karate class either they follow through and get their kid there every class or they miss the mark on their promise.

DrJ

It only benefits the child if the child grows up to share the same beliefs as the parents.

With the OP, we have someone who is not a Christian and is being pressured by a Christian friend to dedicate her child to a Christian Church.. or, in my personal opinion, even worse.. a Pentecostal Church.

Either way, the parents will raise the child the same whether they get up in front of their congregation and make this claim or not.

It's unfortunate to see people do such acts with pride... feeling the need to go before others and say "look at me... Im a good Christian because..."

There was once a pastor at the Christian Church that I was raised in since birth that was starting the offering to raise a certain amount of money needed for a missionary project.

During his prayer asking God to lay upon the hearts of the congregation as He saw fit, he raised his hand and said aloud in all his pride and vanity, "And I will start it off with my own donation of $10,000".

Very sad.

N0help4u

EXACTLY. They mean well but they are so far off point to think that it would benefit the child. Dedication is for parents who understand, believe and desire it.

450donn

And I could say the same thing about YOUR church! That has to be one of the rudest comments that I have read on this "Christian" forum in a long time!