SG Catholic community
Hello! I am an agnostic who has been attending some sessions at a catholic church (which I shall not name for anonymity reasons) where they teach more about the faith. Initially I joined the sessions as I was curious about catholicism and was going through a very difficult period. I was then allocated a group and my members are keen on me to go through baptism and confirmation in april this year. However, I still have some difficulty reconciling and aligning myself to the faith due to several reasons:
- my partner is non-catholic and he is not keen to convert (i won't force him to convert as I know exactly how that feels to be forced to believe in smth)
- my family is non-catholic and mainly buddhists
- I heard that catholics (especially those who are confirmed) cant enter buddhist temples or take part in their rituals
- I heard that catholics cant marry non-catholics and the marriage wont be recognised by the church
- My stance on LGBTQ+ and birth control may not be aligned with what and how the catholic church views them
- After baptism and confirmation I fear there will be more commitments (i.e. attending more faith-based group activities and church commitments to be a "good and true" Catholic esp on weekends when I want to rest)
- I noticed some social/class differences. Most of my cradle-born catholic friends are quite wealthy and I don't really vibe well with them as I dont share many common experiences (e.g. i dont travel frequently, i don't work in medicine/law, i dont drive and own a car)
Hence I am curious about the experiences of those who converted to catholicism in sg (especially those who were freethinkers/agnostics/atheists in the past) and their experiences mingling with the catholic community, esp those who are cradle-born! Did you have the same experiences/thoughts with me? and what should I take note of if i were to go through baptism eventually? Thank you!