Last year one of my closest girlfriends had a baby. I was excited and honoured when she asked if I would be its godmother. But still, I declined.

You see, to formally accept my role, I would have had to stand up in a Catholic church and declare I would continue with the baby's religious education.

I had several problems with this: 1. I am an atheist. 2. If I was Christian, I would most definitely not be Catholic. 3. I sincerely oppose the indoctrination of children into any religious institution against their free will, especially one preaching hell and damnation. And 4. I am proudly not a hypocrite.

So, when my girlfriend suggested I just ignore what was being said at the baptism ceremony and stand up at the altar with the baby like some sort of prop, I could not comply. I made a vow: I would love and protect her child for life, but I would not or could not make that vow according to the Catholic church's principles or within its confines.

While my friend took the rejection as well as she could, I do understand her frustration that I couldn't just shut my mouth for an hour and cop it. She is far from devout, just happy to go along with family tradition, seeing all the pomp as nostalgic, a bit of ceremony signifying little.