I am a Muslim, married to a Christian (he is baptized). We want to baptize our child. I do not want to accept the Christian faith, I am tolerant of all religions, but let everything remain as it is. The main thing is that I believe in God. Can I, as a member of another religion, baptize my child? Am I not obliged to accept the Christian faith and undergo the Sacrament of Baptism before baptizing my son? Does a godmother have to be baptized? And if the godmother metiska (ukr-tat)?

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Dear Regina, of course, your child can be baptized, and for this you do not have to be baptized yourself. However, it will be good if you, as a mother intending to raise a child in the Orthodox faith, also (but only consciously and voluntarily!) accept Baptism. It should be understood that an indispensable condition for Baptism is faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in His Resurrection, in God, glorified in the Trinity. If you do not find such faith in yourself, but do not object to a believing father raising a child in Orthodoxy, then there are no obstacles to the Baptism of a child. But the recipients must be baptized, while nationality does not matter. Godparents are obliged to help in educating their godson in the ORTHODOX faith. But how can they do this if they, not being Christians, do not know the foundations of this faith, do not understand the sacraments of the Church, and do not participate in the life of the Church? During the performance of the Sacrament over the baby, the godfather (of the same gender as the child) will hold him in his arms, pronounce on his behalf the Creed and vows of renunciation of Satan and union with Christ. Learn more about the procedure for performing Baptism.

An exceptional situation - if there are no close people close to Orthodoxy, and you are sure of the good morals of a non-Orthodox Christian - then the practice of our Church allows one of the godparents to be a representative of another Christian confession: Catholic or Protestant.

Of course, non-Christians - atheists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and so on, cannot be godparents, no matter how close friends of the child's parents and no matter how pleasant people they are in communication.

In extreme circumstances, if it is absolutely impossible to find recipients for the sacrament of Baptism, it can be performed without them.

Hello Dima, first you need to know what baptism is.

Who established Water Baptism

• Matt. 28:19, Mk. 16:16 - Christ commanded Baptism.
• Acts. 2:38, 10:48 - Peter fulfills Christ's command to be baptized.

Thus, Water baptism is what our Lord commanded us to do. This commandment was fulfilled by the disciples of Christ, and we are fulfilling this commandment. Therefore, our attitude to baptism is not as a custom or ritual, but as a commandment given to us by Jesus Christ, whom we desire to obey.

Who can receive water baptism? Who is it for?

• Mk. 16:16 - those who believe .
• Acts. 8:12, Acts. 2:38 - the condition of baptism is faith from the heart and repentance .

These are the conditions necessary to accept water baptism. By the way, to do so means to fulfill the words of Christ, who said: "Teach and Baptize" (Matt. 28:19-20).

Nowhere in the New Testament do we see the practice of child baptism.

What is baptism

water baptism- is visible sign that we chose to belong and wholly devote your life to Jesus Christ. The rite of baptism itself does not provide salvation.

Example: I have a fiancee, we love each other, we decided to combine our lives into one, nevertheless, until we signed, our relationship is not complete. Painting is an official decision to connect your life with another person, this action elevates our relationship an order of magnitude higher. Similarly, baptism is the outward expression of our commitment to Christ. Baptism introduces a relationship with God an order of magnitude higher.

The very meaning of the Greek word Baptism implies full dive into water (absorption, wet to the skin). Therefore, watering or sprinkling is not a Biblical way of baptism. Bible texts that speak of total immersion: John. 3:23, Col. 2:12, Matt. 3:16, Acts. 8:39.

What spiritual processes begin to occur after baptism

1. Compound with Christ in His death and burial. Rome. 6:3-4. Union with Christ in His Resurrection. Rome. 6:4, Col. 2:11. When we are immersed in water, this is symbolizes our death with Christ to sin, to the world, to ourselves. When the waters close over our heads, this symbolizes our burial. When we are lifted out of the water, this is a symbol of our resurrection with Christ to a new life. The symbol of Baptism - to be dead to sin and alive to God - is the task of our whole life, in Baptism this task is put into our spirit, and after baptism we will feel the whole reality of the task given to us from God.

2. We take responsibility member Body of Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 12:13. Before we received water baptism, we were already in the Body of the Church. But after receiving water baptism, we are given responsibility for this body. And it is expressed in our service to this Body.

This responsibility will be expressed in our deeds.

• We need to stick high moral standards, try to live honestly and righteously. (Tit 2:12)
• Sacrifice money, give donations. 2 Cor. 9:7, Gal. 6:6.
• Daily feed your spirit with the Word of God and fellowship with God - prayer. Matt. 6:6.
• Regularly visit Church and testify. Heb. 10:25, Eph. 6:15.
• See your life as a path to follow Christ . 1 Cor. 9:24 Mk. 8:34 Phil. 2:12.

3 . God, for his part, guarantees:

• Save us for eternal life. Jude. 24:2 Tim. 4:18, 1:12.
• Make us able live according to our decision. Phil. 2:12-13, 2 Pet. 1:3, 1 Thess. 5:23-24.

Conclusion

1. Be sure to receive water baptism.
2. Start living the life of a baptized person now.
3. Be prepared for spiritual attacks.
4. Don't take baptism as the final achievement in the Christian life.

Now directly the answer to your question. A Muslim cannot be a godfather. he lives by the Koran, and Christians live by the bible. God is one, yes, but the way Muslims and Christians present Him is different, which means that their views are different.

The godfather, or godfather, must be an Orthodox Christian. A godfather cannot be a Catholic, a Muslim, or a very good atheist, because the main duty of a godfather is to help the child grow up in the Orthodox faith.
The godfather must be a church person, ready to regularly take the godson to the temple and monitor his Christian upbringing.
After baptism is performed, the godfather cannot be changed, but if the godfather has changed a lot for the worse, the godson and his family should pray for him.
Pregnant and unmarried women CAN be godparents to both boys and girls - do not listen to superstitious fears!
The father and mother of the child cannot be godparents, and the husband and wife cannot be godparents for the same child. other relatives - grandmothers, aunts and even older brothers and sisters can be godparents.

Bless you.

Good afternoon. I was interested in your answer "Hello Dima, first you need to know what baptism is. Who established Water BaptismMt...." to the question http://www.. Can I discuss this answer with you?

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Good afternoon, I am a Muslim, but the Christian faith is also close to me, my husband is a Catholic, my close friend gave birth and decided that I should be a godmother, please tell me, isn’t our Almighty one? Moreover, given your answer to Alsou, I have no right! and to change religion is an even greater sin, as far as I know. The child's mother will take care of the child's upbringing. Why complicate life and develop inter-religious problems between faiths? Thanks waiting for an answer. Asel.

Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:

Hello Assel!

It is good that the Christian faith is close to you, and that you want to become a godmother and the child of your close friend, but I must tell you that you cannot become a godmother not only according to the rules of the Orthodox Church, but also according to the norms of Islam. After all, the godparents at the Sacrament of Baptism must read the “Symbol of Faith”, in which they confess their faith not only in the One God, but also “In the One Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, Who was born from the Father before all ages ... and “in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets,” and also “into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.” Agree that by professing the Orthodox faith in the church in this way, you will deviate from the Muslim faith, in which Christ is considered only a prophet, but not the Son of God, consubstantial with the Father. And in the future, you will not be able to teach Orthodoxy to your godson - after all, you do not share the Orthodox dogma. So the rule that only an Orthodox can be a godfather does not complicate, but makes life easier for you and your girlfriend's child in the future.

Sincerely, Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko.

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Date: 03.12.2014 14:47:34

Dmitry, Moscow

Can a Muslim woman be the godmother of a child?

Protodeacon Dmitry Polovnikov answers

My daughter was born. Is it possible for a Muslim woman to be the godmother of a child, and will this not be a violation of her faith, as well as a violation of the canons of Orthodoxy? Thank you.

Dear Dmitry, of course, a Christian can have different friends, including those who are different from him in faith. We must treat everyone with merciful, sacrificial love. But to consider that a Muslim can be a recipient from the font, that is, that a Muslim will help you raise a child in faith, piety, purity, strengthen yourself in the truths of the Orthodox faith, is at least paradoxical. Only an Orthodox Christian can be a godmother, especially if she is a truly believing person who can teach a child faith. In your case, you need to look for another godmother.

Question:

Hello, I married a Muslim and at one time gave my word that the children would be Muslims, but don’t touch me. Then I was an ordinary laywoman, but a year and a half ago God’s grace descended on me and everything changed, but I can’t change the mistake, I suffer terribly. My husband is not a role model. Tell me, is it possible to baptize children with his knowledge but without his consent, or just pray, this is my punishment, I pray that the Lord will forgive me and help me resolve the issue, the main thing is to know what to do, what should I do? I won't be able to watch how over time he starts taking him to the mosque and so on. Who knows, you need to endure until the Lord himself makes a decision, because He sees my repentance, or should she baptize without his permission? At the same time, they will live in a Muslim country, they will mix everything up, because Islam is taught here at school. Even, not to mention the endlessly praying relatives. Or get divorced? Help, I'm in a lot of pain. Thank you.

Answers the question: Archpriest Dimitri Shushpanov

Priest's response:

Baptism, the holy Fathers understand, is the seed of eternal life sown in the human heart. It will not grow if you put it in a cellar, and even close it tightly with a lid so that no one knows. Therefore, baptizing children without the consent of the husband is a hopeless business. Better educate them so that they know the Lord Jesus Christ and become His sincere followers. This saving faith will be the best inoculation for them against external, unfavorable conditions for the Christian life. And let me receive Baptism myself when they reach adulthood. Experience shows that secret Baptism, without teaching and Christian upbringing, does not bring positive results: a person quickly forgets about it, converts to another faith, or becomes an unbeliever. Therefore, by personal example and word, try to bring up love for Christ in children. The rest will have to be left to the will of God and their own will.

As for divorce from a husband who is a non-Christian, the apostle Paul instructs on this matter: “If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she agrees to live with him, then he should not leave her; and a wife who has an unbelieving husband, and he agrees to live with her, must not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband” (1 Cor. 7; 12-14).