Since it is our responsibility, as parents, to raise our children in the Faith...is it mandatory to baptize the children as infants? Or can we raise them in the Faith, and allow them to eventually make the choice themselves?

Since it is our responsibility, as parents, to raise our children in the Faith...is it mandatory to baptize the children as infants? Or can we raise them in the Faith, and allow them to eventually make the choice themselves?

Yes, before God it is the parent's duty to have their children baptized as infants as soon after the child's birth as they can reasonably do so. If there is any danger of death, one of the parents should baptize the child.

Allowing the child to make the choice when he is old enough is not only a terrible injustice done to the child at the hand of his parents, it is also an offense against God who expects parents to fulfill their Catholic parental duty for the child.

Even if God makes some provision for the salvation of unbaptized infants, it is foolish beyond words to delay baptism for them.  

One of the bedrock principles of being married in the Catholic
Church is that you understand that all your children will be raised
Catholic.  This has always applied to both spouses, even in the
exceptional case when one of them is not Catholic, for, traditionally,
when a Catholic wants to marry a non-Catholic the Church requires
they both promise to raise their children as Catholics, otherwise the
mixed marriage would not be allowed.  

Furthermore, the parents are both obliged to not delay
(unnecessarily) the baptism of their children.  But what could
constitute a valid reason to delay it?  Certainly being able to have a
nice Baptism Party is not a valid reason.  Nor is it a valid reason to
wait until his uncle Fred is able to make the trip from overseas, like
next year.  Things like that.  

The obligation to baptize your new baby is a serious obligation and
deliberately not doing it qualifies as a mortal sin, of course, one
needs to know that it is a mortal sin and do it anyway, but how do
you get to be married in the Church without knowing it?  Well, this is
going on these days.  Some so-called Catholic priests tell the faithful
very strange and ambiguous things, that they often misunderstand
and do not come away from that knowing what the Church teaches,
and in that case the priest is responsible for the errors that result.  

The errors can be by omission, in this case, not knowing this
teaching is a lack of knowledge.  Now, if you do not "know it"
because you have CHOSEN to not believe it, then your choice to
disbelieve what the Church teaches is a serious sin that affects a lot
of other sins.  It is really a serious sin all on its own, that must be
confessed!!

Quote from: InfiniteFaith

... Or can we raise them in the Faith, and allow them to eventually make the choice themselves?

1. How on earth could parents who do not even know the necessity of baptism "raise them in the Faith"?

2. How could a child be raised in the Faith, if he is not baptised and therefore is not "in the Faith"?

I am flabbergasted at the question.

I was thinking about the case where a Catholic would marry a Protestant. I'm not sure what the SSPX teaches about this but the Novus Ordo allows mixed marriages. Only the children would have to be raised Catholic. I was simply wondering if the parents (in this case) could allow the children to make the decision to be baptized in order to ease tension between the Catholic and the Protestant parent. This issue could cause conflict since Protestants are against infant baptism.

Ultimately though, I realize that it is imperative for the child to be Baptized as an infant.

The Church has always allowed mixed marriages, but never encouraged them and always warned against the dangers. In the conciliar entity these dangers are ignored or denied.

Take as an example the fact that the new canon law no longer requests in a Protestant Catholic mixed marriage to commit in writing to the Catholic baptism of the children, this a serious violation of the faith, a serious violation of the faith.”

(COSPEC 100A, May 20th, 1983)

History does not show that the church "always" allowed mixed marriages.

There is mention of mixed marriage in 1 Corinthians 7:

[13] And if any woman hath a husband that believeth not, and he consent to dwell with her, let her not put away her husband. [14] For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the believing wife; and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the believing husband:

It would seem then that the Church has always allowed mixed marriage. That is not to say that She has encouraged it or not warned against the dangers. The conversion of the unbeliever is to be hoped and prayed for.

One of the main dangers is that the offspring may learn unbelief from the unbeliever.

It makes baptism ASAP even more urgent so that the child has the grace which comes through the sacrament. Never should a child be denied baptism to keep a false peace between the spouses.