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Author Topic: Pagan Godparents?  (Read 7843 times)

missgraceless

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Pagan Godparents?
« on: June 15, 2013, 07:54:48 pm »
The topic of godparents came up today among a few friends, one of whose girlfriend is pregnant. We were joking about the godfather-to-be and whether he'll actually show up at the christening, since he's a crotchety old drunk (at all of 23). My boyfriend and I do plan on getting married and having kids at some point, and it got me thinking, since Justin's (my boyfriend's) best friend demanded asked to be the godfather of at least one of our future kids; do Pagans have godparents? Is there an equivalent of a baptism/christening?
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yewberry

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Re: Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2013, 08:04:10 pm »
Quote from: missgraceless;112598
do Pagans have godparents? Is there an equivalent of a baptism/christening?


"Pagans" have few to no common practices, as paganism is an umbrella term for a number of disparate religions and belief systems.   I don't know of any pagan  religion that has an exactly equivalent ceremony or practice.

That said, there's no reason you couldn't create a ritual yourself that reflects your own beliefs.  Is the word "godparent" particularly important to your friend?  Or would he be happy given a similar place in your family?

Brina

missgraceless

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Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2013, 08:16:30 pm »
Quote from: yewberry;112599
"Pagans" have few to no common practices, as paganism is an umbrella term for a number of disparate religions and belief systems.
 I don't know of any pagan  religion that has an exactly equivalent ceremony or practice.

I know, I just wanted to include everyone on TC. I guess I'm looking for personal experiences as well as tradition.

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That said, there's no reason you couldn't create a ritual yourself that reflects your own beliefs.  Is the word "godparent" particularly important to your friend?  Or would he be happy given a similar place in your family?

Brina

That's actually a good idea. It won't be for a few years, so I can brainstorm and research until then. I'd have to talk to Mike, but I'm sure we can find a compromise by the time marriage and kids rolls around.
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ALiteraryLady

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Re: Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2013, 10:50:44 pm »
Quote from: missgraceless;112598
The topic of godparents came up today among a few friends, one of whose girlfriend is pregnant. We were joking about the godfather-to-be and whether he'll actually show up at the christening, since he's a crotchety old drunk (at all of 23). My boyfriend and I do plan on getting married and having kids at some point, and it got me thinking, since Justin's (my boyfriend's) best friend demanded asked to be the godfather of at least one of our future kids; do Pagans have godparents? Is there an equivalent of a baptism/christening?

 
When I hear Godparents all I can think of is the more Christian association with them ( I used to be Catholic, so they were kinda a big deal). I think that having a ritual that would place someone in charge of raising your kids in the event that you cannot is a solid idea, but maybe avoid using the word "Godparent" and have the focus be more about passing along any values or morals that you would want your child to have versus being raised within a specific religious system.

Also, I would take care of any legal loose ends that make the children the wards of your friends who would be watching over them if you died.

savveir

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Re: Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #4 on: June 15, 2013, 10:56:03 pm »
Quote from: missgraceless;112598
The topic of godparents came up today among a few friends, one of whose girlfriend is pregnant. We were joking about the godfather-to-be and whether he'll actually show up at the christening, since he's a crotchety old drunk (at all of 23). My boyfriend and I do plan on getting married and having kids at some point, and it got me thinking, since Justin's (my boyfriend's) best friend demanded asked to be the godfather of at least one of our future kids; do Pagans have godparents? Is there an equivalent of a baptism/christening?

My SIL & BIL, held a naming ceremony for their daughter. It was pretty much secular.
They still used the term godparent, but that's likely because it's an easily understood word.
My partner D and I are godparents for their daughter, I even got a certificate :P

Honestly though, go with what works for you.
« Last Edit: June 15, 2013, 10:56:34 pm by savvy »
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missgraceless

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Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2013, 11:31:23 pm »
Quote from: savvy;112611
My SIL & BIL, held a naming ceremony for their daughter. It was pretty much secular.
They still used the term godparent, but that's likely because it's an easily understood word.
My partner D and I are godparents for their daughter, I even got a certificate :P

Honestly though, go with what works for you.

I'm gonna do some research and stuff over the next week or so, or until I get bored and move onto the next thing. :p
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Aster Breo

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Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #6 on: June 16, 2013, 12:54:00 am »
Quote from: missgraceless;112598
do Pagans have godparents? Is there an equivalent of a baptism/christening?

Well, some do.  ;)

My husband and I are godparents to 2 lovely young ladies, now both adults.  One is the older daughter of his best friend, the other is the older daughter of one of my best friends.  In both cases, there were Christian ceremonies, in which we participated.

Our 2 daughters each have a set of godparents, but we did not have christenings.  We simply did a little public "appointment" at a party when each child was a couple weeks old or so.  The godparents of one daughter are a married couple (who are the parents of our younger goddaughter).  The godparents of the other daughter are 2 separate friends.  One is one of my best friends (I'm blessed with 3, plus my husband), who has since gotten married, so her husband is an honorary godfather.  The other was the partner of my other best friend, so his partner (my BF) was also an honorary godfather.  That means Daughter2 ended up with 1 godmother and 3 godfathers.  ;)  Unfortunately, her "real" godfather died several years ago, so I guess it's good that she has "spares".

All of these people, as well as the other adults and the sisters and brothers have been a huge family for a long time now.  Any of us would do anything for any of the kids, regardless of who is who's "official" godparent.  And the kids all refer to each other as godbrothers and godsisters.

That said, we were careful to do a will that designated one coupe as guardians for our girls should anything have happened to us.  But that was because we did not want them to end up with my brother and sister-in-law, who would have looked like the perfect choice "on paper".  And we made sure all of our friends knew our intentions and knew that we expected them ALL to go to court to protest custody going to my brother.  Our girls are adults now, so I guess we can breathe a sigh of relief on that count.

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Re: Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2013, 08:14:30 am »
Quote from: missgraceless;112598
do Pagans have godparents?

There's no reason they can't. However, "Pagans" is far to broad a group to say anything about generally.

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Is there an equivalent of a baptism/christening?

Again, this depends on the particular Pagan religion. Some have a naming ceremony of some type.
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chworkman

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Re: Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #8 on: June 24, 2013, 11:47:46 am »
Quote from: missgraceless;112598
The topic of godparents came up today among a few friends, one of whose girlfriend is pregnant. We were joking about the godfather-to-be and whether he'll actually show up at the christening, since he's a crotchety old drunk (at all of 23). My boyfriend and I do plan on getting married and having kids at some point, and it got me thinking, since Justin's (my boyfriend's) best friend demanded asked to be the godfather of at least one of our future kids; do Pagans have godparents? Is there an equivalent of a baptism/christening?

 
That's a really good question!  Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you but actually I am along with you on this one!  My husband and I are actually waiting for the ok from my dr to have another and well, what about godparents???  

Though, something I did read just yesterday, I do believe is an equivalent to a baptism/christening, called 'Wiccaning'  where there are 'Goddess and God Parents' sometimes called  'Fairy Godmother and Fairy Godfather'.  I read this in my book, 'Grimoire For The Green Witch A Complete Book Of Shadows' By, Ann Moura.  

Hope this helps!  Maybe I just answered my own question as well as yours, :p but either way Good Luck and Blessed Be!

Carla

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Re: Pagan Godparents?
« Reply #9 on: October 03, 2013, 12:22:05 pm »
Quote from: missgraceless;112598
The topic of godparents came up today among a few friends, one of whose girlfriend is pregnant. We were joking about the godfather-to-be and whether he'll actually show up at the christening, since he's a crotchety old drunk (at all of 23). My boyfriend and I do plan on getting married and having kids at some point, and it got me thinking, since Justin's (my boyfriend's) best friend demanded asked to be the godfather of at least one of our future kids; do Pagans have godparents? Is there an equivalent of a baptism/christening?

I was always under the impression that a godparent is the person who would take care of the kid should something happen to the parent. During the process of choosing godparents for my daughter, my mother-in-law told me the godparent is the person who helps with the spiritual upbringing of the kid and doesn't necessarily have to be a "back-up parent." I thought this was an interesting way to look at the godparents' role and made the decision easier for me.
I think if you want to raise your future children as pagans it would be especially helpful to have someone else the kids know they can go to for spiritual guidance since (at least in my area) pagans don't exactly abound.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2013, 12:24:45 pm by Carla »

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