Interesting thread.
I baptized my 8-year old son two months ago. I would characterize my son as more immature than average for an 8-year old and he sure doesn't seem to have much inherent interest in religion. He's pretty cynical, like his Dad. (He figured out Santa Claus was fake when he was four.) He definitely wanted to get baptized but it feels disingenuous to say he made an "informed decision" about baptism.
I will say three things regarding baptism at age eight (versus as a teenager), though:
1. My son really liked getting baptized. I'm not sure he would have genuinely enjoyed the experience as much as a teenager. Just my opinion.
2. He has seemed to be significantly better behaved since his baptism. I would have been too cynical as a teenager to really believe I was now clean from all my sins and needed to try hard to stay that way.
3. The baptismal experience was a pretty awesome bonding moment between my son and me. I'm not sure this aspect would really be the same for a son baptized as a teenager, either.
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