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does not God also say to honour your father and mother?
My own mom (of blessed memory) grew up during the Depression hearing the Prez on the radio, and as a small child wondered why Jesus - King of the World - did not speak on the radio. Her parents were anti-God and anti-church. At age 16 (circa 1949) she went to a local church, made a confession of faith and was baptized. She came home and told my grandparents she was now a Christian and got kicked out of the house. So she packed up a suitcase and started off down the street, with no idea where to go. An hour or 2 later my grandad took off to find her. He brought her back home but warned her not to talk to them about God or church or anything like that.Would it be morally ok though to bypass his non religious parents?
Yes, but obeying God comes first.
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26).
I see the best witness to his parents as being transparent to them
I am a big proponent of believer's baptism, because I see it not only as a declaration of faith, but also as the same symbol of commitment as the marriage ring during marriage. That is a highly personal decision.
However, is 15 old enough? Depends on the person. I know that in Germany, the age of consent for religion matter is 14. However, I only woke up to spiritual matters in my early 20, so how about that.
Then there is the question of how his parents are with regards to him. Will they be merely annoyed if he got baptised, or will they be furious/violent/absuing or anything of the sort.
To be fair, maybe patience is order. We are not to be a stumbling block for others and we ought to obey parents whenever possible without going against God's will. Baptism is great, but I believe that it is not essential. Faith saves, not baptism. Maybe he can wait until he moves out or at least turns 18? You see, I would be inclined to believe that this is a lesson of God. It will show Jake that sometimes, patience is required and that the well-being of others at one's own expense is pleasing to God. 'Now!' is a very common attitude for youngsters, after all. And who knows, maybe he matures and finds out more things about hmself and God and decides to join a church that fits him better.
why doesn't he just get baptized at a Catholic church?
We should honour and respect our parents but not at the expense of the gospel. if he was really mature and intentional he would sit his parents down and tell them how much Christ's means to him and that he wishes to get baptized and would love if they could support this decision but if they won't support this he will respect them and wait until he is an adult or is no longer a dependant. This will get their their attention and they will (probably) respect him in turn for this. It also put's the ball in their court and often that's all they want, once they have it they may give him the ok. The Catholic church however may have some other thoughts about this and he should consult the church he plans on following to see what their advice is, certainly hiding it is not the right answer.
Is this reaction just to baptism, or are his parents treating him this way generally?
The Catholic Church won't baptize him. It only baptizes without parental consent if the child is in imminent danger of dying.This already happen and he ends up getting yelled and cursed at. Then they don't even take him to church as a punishment.
I honestly believe the Catholic Church is going to change canon law over this.
Current canon law accept the baptism of a child without parental consent IF THE CHILD IS IN IMMINENT PERIL OF DYING. I don't think the Original Poster qualifies.
But a 15 year old is still under their parent's authority. I know that in OBOB teens have come in with this exact problem, and they have not been advised to pursue baptism against their parent's wishes.To the best of my knowledge, those rules apply to infants.
I don't think a 15-year old counts as an infant.
But a 15 year old is still under their parent's authority.
I know that in OBOB teens have come in with this exact problem, and they have not been advised to pursue baptism against their parent's wishes.
God has made his will known: Honor thy father and mother. Children obey your parents.
"If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Matthew 18:6
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26
God outranks parents.
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