Quote:
Originally posted by swissmiss04
I was raised in the Presbyterian church, which is known for being fairly tolerant and open. (In some people's opinion's, too much so.) I was confirmed in 4th grade, which I admit was a bit young, but my minister knew I was mentally and spiritually old enough to go through with it.
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Exactly the same for me. I felt no pressure to be confirmed, nor have I ever felt that there was no room for asking questions. I'm still a very active Presbyterian, however, despite ocassional disagreements with every jot and title of what that entails.
Confirmation age differs among Presbyterian congregations -- anywhere from fifth grade or so to high school. In ours, confirmation is typically at Pentecost of one's seventh or eigth grade year, after two years (yes,
two years) of weekly (during the school year) confirmation classes, as well as individual study with an elder matched to the confirmand. I know it sounds like a
long process, but part of the reasoning is that confirmation is a serious commitment, and the confirmands are taken very deep into every aspect of faith and active congregational life so that they know what they are getting into and can make an informed decision. At the end of the process, each confirmand must write his or her own faith statement -- the things he or she believes. I am constantly amazed at the depth of understanding apparant in some of these.
FWIW.