New parents becoming devout Catholics so that their kids can get into Catholic schools!

This is happening all over the place apparently!

It was relayed to me this evening by my brother, that my other brother is having our nephew christened in a Catholic church, just so that he and his wife can get him into a decent school in the area when he gets older!

Whist we were all christened Catholic, none of them have ever set foot in a Catholic church since then. I was confirmed, more's the pity.

They are now regular church goers (even though my brother and his wife are atheist)

They have roped my other brother into attending on a regular basis, as he is going to be godfather.....They have said that he might have to go to confession

He doesn't know the Hail Mary prayer and has asked me to coach him, and he says that he would have to be in the confessional for a number of days to confess all of his sins since he was christened!

One of the god fathers needs to be a practicing Catholic, i really don't know how they will pull this one off!

Not as surpirsing when you consider there are prisoners converting to Islam because Islam's traditions make prison life more convenient for them.

Queen of Hearts wrote:Not as surpirsing when you consider there are prisoners converting to Islam because Islam's traditions make prison life more convenient for them.

It's a bit different, but i take your point!

My brother and his wife could afford to send him private though! But they are well tight!

My other brother and i find the whole thing hilarious!

no different that non religious 'chrstians' forcing their kids to go to church etc, so that they can attend a C of E school...and then potting the church immediately after getting a place!

Nothing new in this. Its because Cathoic schools have always been better than non-Catholic ones. I remember talking to our local priest about it - he said it was amazing the lenghts parents would go to - there were Asian parents even pretending to be Catholic! He had to quiz them about basic Catholic knowledge and they hadn't got a clue.

Tess wrote:Nothing new in this. Its because Cathoic schools have always been better than non-Catholic ones. I remember talking to our local priest about it - he said it was amazing the lenghts parents would go to - there were Asian parents even pretending to be Catholic! He had to quiz them about basic Catholic knowledge and they hadn't got a clue.

tess..I've got a lot of time for you and many of your views...but....

The only thing that a catholic school offers over a mainstream comp' is that the comp doesn't offer a GCSE in guilt.

I didn't attend either an Islamist/C of E/Cathlolic Secondary school.... so i cannot say which is better than a typical comp'...only the league tables can give an inkling.

Hugh Jardon wrote:

tess..I've got a lot of time for you and many of your views...but....

The only thing that a catholic school offers over a mainstream comp' is that the comp doesn't offer a GCSE in guilt.

I didn't attend either an Islamist/C of E/Cathlolic Secondary school.... so i cannot say which is better than a typical comp'...only the league tables can give an inkling.

And the league tables prove my point! I went to a convent school - we weren't indoctrinated; there were a couple of half hour religious education lessons a week, and once a week we went to church, (even then some of us bunked off and went to the cafe, then joined the bunch again when they went back into school). I can honestly say religion was no more than another subject - the school had an emphasis on science subjects (and still does), in which it excelled.

Philagain wrote:

It's a bit different, but i take your point!

My brother and his wife could afford to send him private though! But they are well tight!

My other brother and i find the whole thing hilarious!

if they can afford to send him elsewhere then perhaps they may have actually found faith

sounds like a lot of work for an elaborate joke

Tess wrote:Nothing new in this. Its because Cathoic schools have always been better than non-Catholic ones. I remember talking to our local priest about it - he said it was amazing the lenghts parents would go to - there were Asian parents even pretending to be Catholic! He had to quiz them about basic Catholic knowledge and they hadn't got a clue.

So if one of the god fathers has to be a practising Catholic, do you think that the supposed practising Catholic will be questioned over this prior to the christening?

Smelly_bandit wrote:

if they can afford to send him elsewhere then perhaps they may have actually found faith

sounds like a lot of work for an elaborate joke

No they haven't found faith.

Philagain wrote:

This is happening all over the place apparently!

It was relayed to me this evening by my brother, that my other brother is having our nephew christened in a Catholic church, just so that he and his wife can get him into a decent school in the area when he gets older!

Whist we were all christened Catholic, none of them have ever set foot in a Catholic church since then. I was confirmed, more's the pity.

They are now regular church goers (even though my brother and his wife are atheist)

They have roped my other brother into attending on a regular basis, as he is going to be godfather.....They have said that he might have to go to confession

He doesn't know the Hail Mary prayer and has asked me to coach him, and he says that he would have to be in the confessional for a number of days to confess all of his sins since he was christened!

One of the god fathers needs to be a practicing Catholic, i really don't know how they will pull this one off!

it wont be the first time that people have used that trick to get kids into faith schools. Many of them do seem to have very good results.

Flap Meister wrote:

it wont be the first time that people have used that trick to get kids into faith schools. Many of them do seem to have very good results.

I don't blame them really! It's all just a little bit false though IMO.

Good on my other brother for playing along with it! I wouldn't do it though!

I must advise my brother not to sit at the front of the church during Xmas midnight mass though, that incense will choke him to death

Tess wrote:Nothing new in this. Its because Cathoic schools have always been better than non-Catholic ones. I remember talking to our local priest about it - he said it was amazing the lenghts parents would go to - there were Asian parents even pretending to be Catholic! He had to quiz them about basic Catholic knowledge and they hadn't got a clue.

Don't go up and take the sacrament! You aren't allowed to do that until you have done your holy communion.....Be honest and say that you haven't done holy communion!

Make sure that you go and light a candle at the foot of the virgin Mary statue at the end of the service.

Take rosary beads....That goes down well!

Don't go to the confessional, unless you know the 'our father' prayer 'Hail Mary'....'The rosary'.....I don't know the rosary, as i was never required to recite that one....You can't go to confession, unless you know those, as you would need to recite them over and over as a form of penance.

When you get confirmed you are allowed to pick a new middle name.

I'm doing my best to coach them!

If you go to midnight mass, don't sit at the front of the church....Otherwise you might choke from the inscense.

I have given them the name of the priest, that was at the church that we were christened at, he was there up until the 90's as far as i'm aware, where i was confirmed.

I hope that it works out for them!

Philagain wrote:

No they haven't found faith.

Because the alternative is far more likely - spend ages learning about a religion you have interest in or plans to convert to, rope other people into it as well, give up loads of your free time going to church when you would no doubt rather be laying in, all in the hoped of sending your child to a religious school run by Catholics who they have no interest in

And all that on top of the fact that it would be easier to send their kid to a private school of equal quality

Because that's what every sane person does

No phil they are probably terrified at what you will do to them should you find out they have found faith

Philagain wrote:

Don't go up and take the sacrament! You aren't allowed to do that until you have done your holy communion.....Be honest and say that you haven't done holy communion!

Make sure that you go and light a candle at the foot of the virgin Mary statue at the end of the service.

Take rosary beads....That goes down well!

Don't go to the confessional, unless you know the 'our father' prayer 'Hail Mary'....'The rosary'.....I don't know the rosary, as i was never required to recite that one....You can't go to confession, unless you know those, as you would need to recite them over and over as a form of penance.

When you get confirmed you are allowed to pick a new middle name.

I'm doing my best to coach them!

If you go to midnight mass, don't sit at the front of the church....Otherwise you might choke from the inscense.

I have given them the name of the priest, that was at the church that we were christened at, he was there up until the 90's as far as i'm aware, where i was confirmed.

I hope that it works out for them!

Phil I'm not a practising Catholic, but I was brought up as one and went to a convent. If you need any tips let me know!

Most parents would do what ever it takes to give their children a better chance of a successful life, to some this means moving to a better catchment area to others ensuring they do their homework but i doubt many would change their beliefs as that is a far to prescious gift to be lost to next generation.

boomboomafridi wrote:Most parents would do what ever it takes to give their children a better chance of a successful life, to some this means moving to a better catchment area to others ensuring they do their homework but i doubt many would change their beliefs as that is a far to prescious gift to be lost to next generation.

do you love the baby jesus (ahh) too?

Tess wrote:

Phil I'm not a practising Catholic, but I was brought up as one and went to a convent. If you need any tips let me know!

ahhhh convent girls...takes me back to my youth... :evil:

My Nephew goes to a Catholic school even though he isn't a Catholic..........best schools in our area, well disciplined.......

Smelly_bandit wrote:

Because the alternative is far more likely - spend ages learning about a religion you have interest in or plans to convert to, rope other people into it as well, give up loads of your free time going to church when you would no doubt rather be laying in, all in the hoped of sending your child to a religious school run by Catholics who they have no interest in

And all that on top of the fact that it would be easier to send their kid to a private school of equal quality

Because that's what every sane person does

No phil they are probably terrified at what you will do to them should you find out they have found faith

You think that you know muslims better than muslims, gay people better than gay people and now you think that you know people family members better than other people. You are just full of shet.

If they had found faith they would have said that they had found faith, in fact they have said that Catholic schools provide a better education and that is the only reason that they are doing it.

Philagain wrote:

Tess wrote:Nothing new in this. Its because Cathoic schools have always been better than non-Catholic ones. I remember talking to our local priest about it - he said it was amazing the lenghts parents would go to - there were Asian parents even pretending to be Catholic! He had to quiz them about basic Catholic knowledge and they hadn't got a clue.

Don't go up and take the sacrament! You aren't allowed to do that until you have done your holy communion.....Be honest and say that you haven't done holy communion!

Make sure that you go and light a candle at the foot of the virgin Mary statue at the end of the service.

Take rosary beads....That goes down well!

Don't go to the confessional, unless you know the 'our father' prayer 'Hail Mary'....'The rosary'.....I don't know the rosary, as i was never required to recite that one....You can't go to confession, unless you know those, as you would need to recite them over and over as a form of penance.

When you get confirmed you are allowed to pick a new middle name.

I'm doing my best to coach them!

If you go to midnight mass, don't sit at the front of the church....Otherwise you might choke from the inscense.

I have given them the name of the priest, that was at the church that we were christened at, he was there up until the 90's as far as i'm aware, where i was confirmed.

I hope that it works out for them!

the only bit I know is spectacles, testicle, wallet and watch

Philagain wrote:

You think that you know muslims better than muslims, gay people better than gay people and now you think that you know people family members better than other people. You are just full of shet.

If they had found faith they would have said that they had found faith, in fact they have said that Catholic schools provide a better education and that is the only reason that they are doing it.

Catholic schools provide better education that private schools?

I find that hard to believe, at best they will Probably be on a par with each other

Whatever nutcase I really dont care

It just seem a very far fetched and convoluted way to get the kid a decent education especially when you claim they can afford private school fees

Smelly_bandit wrote:

Catholic schools provide better education that private schools?

I find that hard to believe, at best they will Probably be on a par with each other

Whatever nutcase I really dont care

It just seem a very far fetched and convoluted way to get the kid a decent education especially when you claim they can afford private school fees

Because....My mother was very rich, but she would always prefer to go to a local market to get her clothes, she would always do everything on the cheap, before she splashed any money around, and only when she had to!

That is where they are coming from! They are trying out the Catholic route of education first!...My brother is a tight wad as well!....I'll leave it at that!

Actually.....I'm now trying to get out of attending the Christening..My other brother is saying that he is going to drive his car down from the NE To pick us up!

There is absolutely NO WAY that i will EVER set foot into a Catholic church again. I left for a reason, and i will NEVER betray those original principles because i'm not a hypocritical person.

Philagain wrote:Actually.....I'm now trying to get out of attending the Christening..My other brother is saying that he is going to drive his car down from the NE To pick us up!

There is absolutely NO WAY that i will EVER set foot into a Catholic church again. I left for a reason, and i will NEVER betray those original principles because i'm not a hypocritical person.

Don't bite your nose of to spite your face Phil................ i hate religion and everything it stands for however i have been to religious ceremonies and have another one in April as Godfather to my neice............even though i hate religion i am doing it for my family as that is what is important...........go do what you have to do......you don't have to take part in prays and all that rubbish......but just being there is what counts for your family buddy.........being somewhere for your family isn't being a hypocrit.......