Although I am a non-believer, I have never understood the fuss about this “labelling” thing.
There are so many cultural Jews, Muslims, Christians etc. out there who do not actually have a religious faith, but still honour their religious traditions for purely cultural reasons. From their perspective, it makes absolutely sense to “label” their children Jewish, Muslim, Christian etc. because they want them to learn about their religious history and consciously participate in religious festivities.
A “Catholic child” is not a five-year-old who reads papal encyclicas and believes firmly in Catholic doctrine, but a child who is being raised in a Catholic family. Pretending otherwise is nothing other than language abuse.
Although I am a non-believer, I have never understood the fuss about this “labelling” thing.
There are so many cultural Jews, Muslims, Christians etc. out there who do not actually have a religious faith, but still honour their religious traditions for purely cultural reasons. From their perspective, it makes absolutely sense to “label” their children Jewish, Muslim, Christian etc. because they want them to learn about their religious history and consciously participate in religious festivities.
A “Catholic child” is not a five-year-old who reads papal encyclicas and believes firmly in Catholic doctrine, but a child who is being raised in a Catholic family. Pretending otherwise is nothing other than language abuse.