I'm sorry about the church thing, and the baptism, but thank you for accepting his choice. It takes someone secure with their own choices to not be offended by someone else's. You have my respect.

I proud to say I haven't set foot in a church for religious reasons in nearly 17 months. People are free to live there lives as they see fit. That's the way I see it.

Hugs! I’ve gone with my parents to church occasionally, and it doesn’t do anything positive for me

I think church membership is a social thing for a lot of people.

Sorry, but it is just one Sunday morning. You sound like you are a good sister.

Yup his choice at least not evangelical Bullshit

Nothing wrong with that. It's a choice. The last time I went to the church was in Poland for a wedding. I couldn't understand a thing of what the priest was saying, all was said in Polish . My friend that travelled with me is a Catholic and could go along with mass as it's always the same thing. The couple married there and the priest didn't give a damn about the baby they had before they got married. He must have made great jokes, many were laughing. So, sometimes, just jump in the bandwagon and enjoy whatever comes.

Good on you for supporting his decisions.

Well, church, more than religion per se, is about community, so there is that appeal. My sister in law played organ for a Lutheran church for many years, ...as a man. He and my sister were members of that church. Now that she has transitioned to female, they let her go. So accepting....only to a point. My sister and her wife now attend Episcopal services at an actual welcoming congregation.

I know a lot of baptized atheists !

Good for your brother. He is making social connections that sound good for him.

Sorry for you to lose a perfectly good Sunday morning. I slept in and still had time for steak and eggs instead.

Each sibling must find their own way. I have a sister who's a Jahova's witness, another who's a born again Christian and a third who's a devout catholic. Only my youngest sister are Agnostic.

I love them all but mostly confide in the youngest one.

What possessed him? (Smirk).

Truly I find that odd. Maybe it's a phase. Maybe he's looking for support from a community. IDK.

My late partner was a life-long atheist and did not bring up her kids with a sense of religion. Unfortunately, 2 of her kids became fanatical S. Baptists and she questioned where she went wrong. She was from a Molsm family but her mother encouraged her to question everything. The problem is not in how one is raised (out of 7 kids raised Catholic all but 1 is an atheist) but in how one is taught to view life. Planting seeds could be a good way to start a sense of critical thinking would be a good way to help your brother.

Wow, sort of an big age difference. I am the oldest and we were all surprised when my mother got pregnant again after so many years. There is a 21 year age difference between myself and my youngest sister.

It was about 12 years back when I last was in a church (a cathedral to be precise). My gf grandsons were being baptized (it was required so they could attend the only decent school around there) and as I was one of the only people amongst all us heathens that had had water splashed on them. I was co-opted to be their godfather. So I had to stand there and renounce the devil and all his works. After it was over a friend asked me if that included the devil's music. I replied that yes I will renounce it, just as soon as he claims the copywrite.

Though i've had a few bad ones, most of my experiences in churches over the years have been good. When they're empty or near so, they can be very serene environments, and the large spaces, beautiful natural reverb, and relative silence invite a certain ineffable reverence for humanity and the world we all share that I quite enjoy. When they're full of people who seem to genuinely care, I definitely feel the warm and fuzzy. Churches, at their best, make me feel more connected to my human companions, not any supernatural (and very likely imaginary) deity.

Regarding your brother and his religiosity, I look at it this way: Some of the most amazing, giving and caring people i've met and worked with in my life believe in things that I simply cannot, but it makes them no less amazing, and I still highly value my time with them.

I hope the people within the church accept him.

Hindus dip in the waters of the Holy Ganges in India to wash sins and cleanse their souls. You can see on YouTube what happens even today in this day and age. It has been proven that the filthy water of the Ganges is filled with germs, bacteria, feces, urine, cow dung and other animal waste and often floating dead bodies much of what you can see with open eyes. In the old days, it was believed that if you went to Varanasi, the holiest (and the filthiest) place of Hinduism and died there, you would go to heaven. Therefore, the sick and old would head out there from near and far hoping to take their last breath there. That is how the last rites, priest and cremation industry in Varanasi prospered for centuries.

Why am I telling you this? It is because, brain washing is a powerful thing. It beats all logic and reason and we continue to do things that are not good for us. Voluntary bad things continue because there is a sucker born every minute.

I see nothing good here.... no matter how nicely you tell the story or make it sound nice. I don't like to mince words.

Yes, Lutherans are good people. They are tolerant and accepting to all. No HATE! There are some Lutheran Churches; though, who have chosen not to have their pastors conduct gay marriages in their respective churches. They can however; chose to conduct the service off their own church's property. Not all Lutheran churches have voted to do this, as it was a matter of an individual church's choice that came for a vote from the Synod.

Did anyone happen to ask him the reason why he made that choice?

I got bapticed wetherI wanted ,or not,i was just a baby,religion was forced on that baby,is that right?

I would support the decision, but not go. Anyone is free to waste their time with whatever crazy nonsensical beliefs they want, just don't waste mine.

Although I never had kids of my own, I have seen many go 180 of their parents. My 2 nephews, (2 different sisters), kids of people who I went to high school with and people I know socially. All of their kids are so NOT their parents; sober or not, sexual or not, thumper or not. Kids will almost always defy their parents.

Sounds reasonable. He'll probably go back to maybe agnosticism, at the very least, which would be preferable in some people's eyes. Maybe he wants peer interaction?
Nothing to be done anyway. Might as well go with it, eh?

I don’t mind going to church as long as there’s breakfast afterwards.
There’s some good history in there. Usually I spend my time looking up locations they are talking about.
Trying to figure out what wars were being caught at the time etc