Confirmation?

Why do we waste time on such futile topics. It seems to me religion has caused so much strife in the world.
I have been both christened and confirmed. I have faith but no longer go to church. I found cliques when I did go and exclusion.

The Catholic Church confirms in about year 10+(ie 15 yo.) First Communion at age 7. Confirmation not necessary for Communion, spent many years as Chaplain at Hospital, was not asking people who were dying for a certificate before Communion. Enough that they had come to me. Many C of E churches have now adopted Communion before Confirmation, from about 7 years. Who are we to question anyone.

37GrannyGravy13
If Jesus was still around he certainly wouldn’t ask for a certificate but He did ask that people would follow Him. And He does love us. All of us....."For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish but have everlasing life." John 3 verse 16. What an amazing promise! Jesus definitely accepts all who come to Him, but although He accepts the worse of us, does He really accept us unconditionally? When the woman caught in adultery came to Him, He said to her "Neither do I condemn you: go, and sin no more."
Jesus loves us so much, He accepts us when we come to Him in repentance and faith but true repentance means that we turn from our sin and try to live our lives in a way which pleases Him.

Baggs

My dad once told me, aged sixteen, that going to mass wearing a gipsy blouse I'd made was not proper. By modern standards, it was very modest as to coverage.

I replied that if God could see the state of my soul then He wouldn't care what I was wearing because it was irrelevant and that, therefore, my dad's concern was about what other people would think rather than any offence to God.

Dad said no more on the subject and, looking around, it was obvious other people came to church in what they judged to be their best clothes.

My dad told me when I was 14 that I couldn’t go to church “like that”. “Like that” was because I wasn’t wearing tights on a hot and sunny August morning. I said that god probably didn’t care whether I was wearing tights or not and I started to question why my mother dragged us to communion every Sunday whilst my dad only ever did hatches, matches and dispatches and spent most Sunday mornings sailing on the river.
I don’t remember going back. But yes, I was eventually married and my children were christened in church but I have no faith. I just went along for the sake of tradition.

crazyH

Although a confirmed Catholic, I do not go to Confession, although I do receive communion. I have convinced myself, that I can ask God directly, to forgive my indiscretions. Yes, it’s quite humbling to ‘confess’ to another human being, but my sins are between God and me…

Glad to hear someone else thinks the same as I do.

When my aunt C of E came to my RC church when visiting my family the priest, who came off the altar to give communion to my Nana who was very frail, always gave it to my aunt as well even though she had told him she wasn’t a Catholic. He said that if she didn’t mind having communion in his church he was happy to give her the host.
Things have moved on over the years. I feel that the Lord would be happy for anyone who wants to partake of communion to do so regardless of their confirmation status.

The Danish Lutheran church still runs confirmation classes and youngsters are confirmed. It is a great day, more in a secular sense than the religious one, as it marks a progression out of childhood into young adulthood. Nonsensical these days, as 14-15 year olds still have many years schooling and dependence on their parents ahead of them.

There is no tradition any longer for confirmation as a prerequisite for receiving communion, or getting married, as there formerly was. As long as a child is old enough to understand the meaning of communion they may receive it.

The Catholic church still holds confirmation seeing it as marking a teenager's 16th year, at which time he or she is deemed capable of assuming responsibility for fulfilling their religious obligations - prior to this age, the responsiblity rested with their parents.

As far back as the late 19th century 1st communion became a completely separate ceremony, usually held for 7 year olds, who have attended preparation classes and made their first confession,

I think most churches have moved away from requiring confirmation before receiving communion, on the grounds that we have no evidence in the New Testament for Christ or his disciples using either a 1st communion or a confirmation ceremony.

The Orthodox churches give communion to all baptised Christians, crumbling the bread in the wine and giving it on a teaspoon to babies until they are old enough to chew the bread.

I understood that by being confirmed you were confirming, that you were undertaking the vows, made by your godparents on your behalf, at your baptism.
It wasn't a passport to communion.

In the Catholic Church, by the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptised are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ.

In my experience as a Catholic teacher, the order was Baptism, First Eucharist and finally Confirmation.

Lapsed Catholic here.

I feel that if Jesus came back to earth the first thing He would do it get on a plane to Italy and throw the whole lot of the vatican inhabitants into the street

I can see it now. Security checks in the aisle. "Your confirmation papers please. You don't have them? Don't you know that communion is strictly for members only? Put this brightly-coloured hat on so the celebrant (and everybody else) knows you're not one of us and don't get one of those curiously unappealing biscuits and a sip of cheap fortified wine".

I can also imagine what Jesus would say if that happened.

I know that at St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow (the Episcopalian one, the "English Kirk") invites everyone to join in communion, come what may, no questions asked. At the big medieval church at the top of the High Street commonly called "the cathedral" although it isn't one, there are communion services but I'm not sure what the rules are: having being confirmed by a bishop can't be one of them because, as Flanders and Swann once pointed out, we don't have bishops to show us the way. Not in our established church anyway.

But in any case it should be between you and God whether you are qualified to commune with Her, not a matter of having a piece of paper. If somebody is not enough of a believer to want to attend the service and partake of the eucharist then why would they? It's hardly sticking it to The Man.

We had Confirmations last night at Sheffield Cathedral, so yes they do still happen. Previously at my church (Anglican) the vicar would say that anyone who received communion in their own church was welcome to receive communion at our open altar. More recently the Diocese said that anyone who had been baptised was welcome to receive. This of course means that a lot of children are eligible. However they don’t receive the wine only the bread. Everyone is invited to receive a blessing even if they don’t want to receive communion. In the Anglican Church people used to make their first communion after confirmation. It’s different in the Roman Catholic Church however.

GrannyGravy13

I was told by a reverend that they were sure if Jesus was still around he wouldn’t ask for a certificate, he would bless and accept you unconditionally.

Yes indeed. Christ requires no certification.

At age 14 my grandmother kept pushing for me to be confirmed, I did attend Sunday school. Her main point was your cousin has been confirmed so should you! My reply was I couldn’t be a hypocrite as although I attended church I didn’t believe enough to be confirmed.

GrannyGravy13

I was told by a reverend that they were sure if Jesus was still around he wouldn’t ask for a certificate, he would bless and accept you unconditionally.

Yes, GG, I was told that too. I have never been confirmed and occasionally take Communion.

I was Christened and confirmed in the CofE. It meant a lot to my parents who had quiet gentle faith. I gave faith, occasionally go to my local Church.
I believe faith is a matter between the faith holder and her God. I find the frequent sniping at people of faith as not somehow being devout enough, rather tedious. It almost always comes from individuals who proudly announce they have no faith yet live blameless lives, going on to suggest many Church goers are hypocrites. I’m sure some are, they’re representative of society

Iam64 your post reminded me of something I heard a long time ago. A non believer said to the parish priest ‘the church is full of hypocrites ‘to which the reply was ‘ no we have room for one more’.

I remember my confirmation classes and ceremony, I was 13.
Before confirmation, us kids would be given bread and a blessing at communion, but after confirmation we were allowed a sip of the wine. It was disgusting stuff and I argued that there really was no point in us having had to go through all those pointless lessons to 'just' get a sip of vinegar.
As I've said in other threads, soon after this, we learnt about Darwin at school and my logical brain could see evidence in Evolution, where there is none in a bible, so I completely ditched the church and have never set foot in one since, nor will I ever again.

I think you show your ignorance of how and when the scriptures were written DeeJaysMum. I’m surprised you were a connoisseur of fine wines at 13, and that you were confirmed just to try the Communion wine.

My DG was just confirmed in to the Catholic Church. Times change for sure… none of the girls wore white dresses, and my DG wore what looked like a prom dress, very much off the shoulder! She is 14. I know many people who take Communion, even though they are not confirmed in the Catholic Church. I am not one of them.

I’m with you crazyH - when I think back to being a young girl confessing my sins and doing my penance so I could have holy communion! Never used my confirmation name either!

When I married in 1962 we had to go to chats with the vicar first and had to be confirmed if we wanted a church wedding.
New mothers were expected to attend church before going out into the world after giving birth.
All seems really old fashioned now.

Well yes, and yet. Do you think those who want to be married in Church, or have their children Christened, or have funeral ceremony- at least show some indication of Faith?

It’s up to them, Fleurpepper. Between them, their god, conscience and humanity. It’s on the list of things I don’t have to take responsibility for, or feel superior and judgemental about.

I can assure you that the people who are regulars at Church and with true faith- and the poor Vicars and Priests who have to participate in the blatant lies and hypocrisy, are very aware of it. And nothing to do with feeling superior or 'judgemental' per se- but very upset their Faith, Church, readings, prayers and sacrament, are made a mockery off.

'Up to them' is for things which do not involve asking others with deep and true beliefs, to take part and support their dishonesty. Like aiding and abetting.

As an agnostic, I respect their Faith, and would not misuse their services.