Where should I start reading about the CofE's rationale for requiring 'two godparents of the same sex and one of the opposite sex'? Because it's suddenly struck me how odd that is... ⚓
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As someone with that pattern of godparents it seems perfectly normal! That said it is not often observed in practice these days and I suspect many people don't know about it. I like that it's not all the same gender
Oh, absolutely like that it's not all the same - but the 'two to one' rule seems odd. I think the RCs say 'at least one, who can be of either gender, but if there are two there must be one of each'
It's one of a number of weird small ways in which RC canon on baptism is looser than the CofE's - one of my RC godmothers was absent and did it by proxy, which I don't think we're allowed...
Yes: "And note, that there shall be for every male child to be baptized two Godfathers and one Godmother; and for every female, one Godfather and two Godmothers." (p. 263)
Doesn't say why it should be thus, mind, just that it is thus.
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The book detailing the text of each version of the BCP from 1549 to 1662 is at home, and I'm in the office, but if I remember I might check this evening to see whether this instruction was from the beginning (as it were).
(Why yes, I can be a nerd at times, why do you ask ... ?!)
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It is odd and, IMHO, can be taken with a pinch of salt. If you're gonna have sponsors, what matters is having faithful Christian 'sponsors' be they male, female, transgender, non-binary gender, bigender, or any of any gender.
When I was baptised in the 1960s the RC custom was only to have 1 godmother at least in the west of Scotland. Later I adopted my godmother’s husband as godfather because he sort of assumed he was and it seemed right. I guess customs change
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Doesn't say why it should be thus, mind, just that it is thus.
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(Why yes, I can be a nerd at times, why do you ask ... ?!)
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