But I'm not religious

It was my daughter's christening today and I am thrilled that so many of my family and friends were able to travel down and celebrate the occasion with us.

But, I am not a particularly religious person. So why did I insist on having her, and previously my son, christened?

It's a bit complicated and probably somewhat contradictory but hey, I'm just a little human being trying to do the right thing.

I do have faith. Faith in what exactly I find it hard to quantify. Let's call it a higher power. The world and all its inhabitants are too wondrous to be just the result of a happy primordial stew accident. 

I do believe in an afterlife. Exactly what it entails I have no idea. But I take comfort in the fact that my loved ones who have past are not ended. Some aspect of them continues to exist and when it is my time, I will join them. But it does give me the heebie-jeebies to even think of what that might be like.

I don't feel the need to attend church every Sunday in order to keep my faith. When times are hard, sometimes I pray for help or guidance. Sometimes I take solace in being with nature. Sometimes I just get mad and scream and shout and cry until it gets worked out in some way.

I like singing carols at Christmas. I like the harvest festival. I like bringing family and friends together for births, weddings and funerals (well not so much the last one but you know what I mean.) I appreciate that the church offers hope to many people and gives them the strength to carry on. 

But I'm also covering all my bases. And I'll freely admit this. If I'm wrong and God does exist in all his fire and brimstone glory depicted by the Church, then I want my children to be protected spiritually if anything should ever happen to them. I can't stand the thought of them being alone in the empty. 

I also appreciate the concept of Godparents. People of similar belief to me or maybe a deeper, religious connection, that make a promise to help raise my child to be a good person. This is important, "it takes a village" and all that. Something the reverend said today that I thought was particularly lovely was that everyone had gathered in church today not only to welcome my daughter into the Christian family but also to let her know that we love her. A simple thing that means so very much. 

So thanks again to everyone who expressed their love for our little girl, it really does mean the world.