Can a child be baptized without godparents?

Often people say that having a baby is a gift from God. For this reason, one of the first steps in the first year of a baby's life is his baptism. Believers believe that the rite of baptism gives the child the protection of God. The godparents play a special role in this procedure. They represent the baby and, on his behalf, tell God about the baby’s faith. It is the godparents who must tell the child about Christianity and teach him everything that a believer needs to know. A common question that parents have before the baptismal procedure is whether it is possible to baptize a child without godparents.

What do young parents generally need to know about godparents?

Of course, the tradition of baptizing children is a very ancient rite, however, despite this, young parents have a huge number of questions regarding baptism. One of the main issues is the choice of godparents. Recently, in most families, godparents are close friends of the child’s parents, who are happy to take part of the cost of baptizing the baby. In addition, for many it has become a good tradition to visit their godchildren on holidays and give them gifts.

If we consider the role of godparents from the perspective of the church, it should be noted that the Christian world sees their functions in a slightly different way. It’s not just that the godparents are also called recipients, because they take the baptized Christian into his arms when he is taken out of the font. In the Christian world, the godfather at the time of baptism receives a lifelong spiritual connection and becomes his mentor, with which he takes on certain obligations.

It is worth noting that the functions of the godparents do not disappear after baptism. Kum is a rather spiritual role. The main concern for the godfather is introducing the child to the Christian world, helping to shape his spiritual worldview. It is for this reason that a person who belongs to another faith cannot be godparent. And the rite itself contains in itself, in addition to three times the renunciation of Satan, the declaration of his commitment to the Orthodox faith.

Who should not be godmother?

The following cannot be accepted by an Orthodox child:

1. People who do not belong to any faith or people of a different faith are not Orthodoxy.
2. People who do not believe in the existence of God, that is, atheists.
3. People who belong to other branches of Christianity, for example, Catholicism, Protestantism, etc.
4. Luli who were excommunicated.
5. People who have been convicted of serious crimes against morality, for example, rape or pedophilia.
6. A husband and wife cannot be godparents of one child.
7. Parents of a child cannot become his godparents.
8. Children who have not yet reached the age of 14 years.
9. People who are not able to control their actions and actions, for example, mentally unhealthy people.
10. People leading an immoral lifestyle, for example, pimps, people who trade people, sell drugs, etc.
11. Representatives of the clergy, for example, monks and nuns, but it is worth noting that the priest can baptize his own child.
12. People who do not know anything about the Orthodox faith.

What if there are no godfathers?

In order to conduct the rite of baptism of the baby, godparents are needed. In general, according to the rules of the Christian church, a child needs a godfather, however, Russian traditions suggest the presence of two godparents. At the same time, both father and mother must be baptized and believe in God.

If it is not possible to find two godparents for a child, you can choose one. A relative of the baby, for example, uncle, aunt, grandfather, etc. However, it is worth noting that in extreme cases, when the parents of the child can not find people who approached the role of perceivers, the church allows the baby to be baptized without godparents. However, in this case, the parents of the baby take full responsibility for the spiritual education of the child.

It is worth noting that the clergy today note that such situations are quite common in our time. Despite the fact that many people demonstrate their commitment to faith, it is very, very difficult to find truly worthy people today.

There are some recommendations on how to choose your godfather:

1. The future godfather should be well acquainted with the family of the godson, it is better that he has a spiritual connection with the relatives of the baby.
2. The godparents should be near the child in order to maintain contact with him and be able to communicate with him, educate him and monitor his spiritual development.
3. Carers should understand that expensive gifts will bring up a materialistic attitude to the world in the child, while godparents should mainly take care of the spiritual education of the baby.

The receiver should be a real support for the child, because the sacrament of baptism establishes a spiritual connection between him and the godson.

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