hortonthrockmorton wrote:

I'm not a big internet advice giver, but just a thought:  Instead of getting caught up in familial roles and whatnot, why not just start attending Mass more regularly now and ask him to support you in more regular attendance as a family when he returns, and then just seeing how things progress?

makes sense.... just requires discipline on my part.... ugh.

[QUOTE=IHOP;289515]I thought I'd throw this out there....

I think I've decided I'd like my husband to be the spiritual leader of our family.  (right now it's moot, since he's deployed, but when he comes back we can work on this)

BUT... he's baptist and I'm catholic, and I can't just leave the catholic church.

He's agreed to raise the kids catholic, and he even goes to mass with us when we go, but we aren't regulars.

So I was thinking about why I'm not a regular attendee... and I think I want my husband to be the leader.  He's more comfortable with (and better at) praying anyhow. 

BUT... if we start attending his baptist church, then our kids will get confused when they attended catholic CCD, and recieve first communion and reconsiliation, and then go to church at a baptist church. 

I really don't know how we'll do this.... any thoughts?[/QUOTE]
Just ask yourself: What is your focus? Do you want your children to be religious or spiritual? Normally it is seen that people learn about rituals through a religion. While being spiritual they learn values of life. So when they are learning about human values and learn to live their success in life along with peace and happiness then any church or any temple will not make any difference. So discuss with your husband about spiritual values and let him take the lead.

Horton I disagree, there is a difference between being religion and spirituality. Following a religion is often shown by taking part in rituals and ceremonies (such as weekly church services) you find yourself worshipping one God, one usually dictated by your faith. Often with religions there are written words that members are asked to live by.
Us 'lazy' beings who you refere to not wanting to explore our spirituality are often more in touch with reality than so many who follow those rituals...how many people go to church yet COMPLAIN that they are doing it, How many make their spouses go, or how many only go at certain times of the year. I take my spirituality very serious, I do not follow words in one book, I do not attend the rituals, but I do believe in human kind, that we are all equal, that no religion should be the reason people kill each other, that if we all loved ourselves and each other the world would be a better place. I do have a God, but he does not preach, he awakens us to all mankind and the living of loving others.  I will take my laziness over being told in a ritual what I should believe.