Baptism Without Belief

First of all, calling someone's religious ceremony 'worthless' is despicable and as far as I know is a direct violation of forum rules.

...We will allow faith to be debated and discussed by a member only when there is no hostile, rude, or insulting opinion of another's faith.

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As for Justyce - have you asked him what he thinks of it? At 8 years old, it seems he is actually old enough to understand what the purpose of it is and what it means to be baptized. After having someone who is knowledgable about these things teach him about it and why it is important, is it possible to let him make the decision for himself?

If it was me, I would say "No, end of discussion, next topic."
You can give in to your families demands, or you can stand strong. IMHO, standing strong would show stronger character, and set a better example.

Circle_One said:

If I do get him baptised, will that, in fact, mean that it would be like me choosing his path for him, rather than allowing him to choose his own?

Should I just go ahead and do it to just calm everyone down and make them happy? Or should I stick to my guns, and my beliefs, and cause a big rift in the family?

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By the way, I like the name for your son..
To answer your questions, I would not let him be baptised until he decides to when he is older. It would be choosing a path for him that may not be his own.

Never comprimise beliefs if you can help it just to satisfy others. If they respect you, then they should respect your decision. It is your child, not theirs. I have a 4 year old son myself, no one would ever tell me what to do with him spiritually. My basis for this was I was baptised myself before I really knew what it was all about. I regreted it for a while due to the fact that it was something I became so opposed to.

Hope all goes well...

I think in Christian churches that baptize young children (and 8 is definitely young-- still highly influenced by his parents) and infants, the baptism has more to do with the family than the child. In the ceremonies I have seen, parents agree to dedicate themselves to the child and to his/her development in Christ. The church agrees to support the family, etc.
I think developmentally 8 is still too young for Justyce to have any real idea what he would do or not. (Not that he wouldn't say something.) Think of the dilemna you are having, why inflict that on him?

If you can't agree with the above then I don't think you should do it. Also I don't think it makes any sense outside the church community since they are involved in a baptism. That argument actually might be a good one for your family. (Unless it is a Catholic church, where I think they think the child goes to hell or at least limbo without it.) In the ceremonies that I have seen the community was quite central, but then the churches I have gone to are liberal ones.

--des