Is it possible to baptize a child without godparents?

Often people say that having a baby is a gift from God. It is for this reason that 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. God parents in this procedure have a special role. They represent the baby and on his behalf speak to God about the presence of faith in the baby. It is the godparents who should tell the child about Christianity and teach him everything that a believer needs to know. A common question that arises from parents before the baptism procedure is - is it possible to baptize a child without godparents?

What do young parents need to know about godparents?

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

If we consider the role of godparents from the position of the church, then it should be noted that the Christian world sees their functions in a slightly different way. It is not just that the godparents are also called receivers, since they take on a baptized Christian when they take him 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 assumes certain obligations.

It is worth noting that the functions of the godparents do not disappear after baptism. Kum is a role rather spiritual. The main concern for the godfather is to introduce the child to the Christian world, to help in the formation of his spiritual outlook. It is for this reason that the godparents cannot be a person who belongs to another faith. And the rite itself contains in addition to the threefold renunciation of Satan's proclamationtheir commitment to the Orthodox faith.

Who can not be a godfather?

The perceiver of an Orthodox child cannot be:

1. People who do not belong to any faith or people of another faith are not Orthodox.
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. Liuli 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 the 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 ill people.
10. People leading a wicked lifestyle, for example, pimps, people who sell 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 godparents?

In order to conduct the rite of baptism of the baby, the godparents are necessary. In general, according to the rules of the Christian church, a child needs a godfather, but Russian traditions assume the presence of two godparents. In this case, both father and mother must be baptized and believers in God.

If it is not possible to find a child of two godparents, you can choose one. In the role of the receiver can be 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 cannot find people who have approached the role of recipients, the church allows for the baptism of the baby without godparents. However, in this case, the parents of the baby take all the responsibility for the spiritual education of the child.

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

There are some recommendations on how to choose the baby godparents:

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 stay close to the child in order to maintain contact with him and be able to communicate with him, train him and monitor his spiritual development.
3. Receivers must understand that costly gifts will bring up a materialistic attitude to the world in a child, while godparents should mainly take care of the spiritual education of a child.

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

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