The Sad Act of De-Baptism
- 08.19.10
- Church, Culture
- 14 Comments
I became a member of my home church when I was 12 years old. I went through a type of confirmation class where I (and other member candidates) met in the pastor’s office with the pastor once a week for several weeks. I remember it being a big deal, and as much as I could as a twelve year old, I took it very seriously.
The concept of baptism was presented to me then, but I knew that I didn’t fully understand the significance of the act, so I decided to wait until I was a little older to be baptized. During my senior year of high school, I had made a real (and what would become lasting) commitment to follow Christ with my whole life. It was at this point that I decided to get baptized, and so on a Sunday morning in front of 700 people, I was baptized. Before I was placed under the water, I decided to give testimony that day in front of all of those people of my faith in Christ. That day was (and still is) a very meaningful day in my life. It was my official “coming out” – a coming out to all of my family and friends that I had chosen to fully follow Christ from that day forward.
So, when I ran across this article in a recent edition of the USA Today, I was saddened. Not necessarily shocked, but saddened for sure.
Atheists choose ‘de-baptism’ to renounce childhood faith
In a type of mock ceremony that’s now been performed in at least four states, a robed “priest” uses a hairdryer marked “reason” in an apparent bid to blow away the waters of baptism once and for all. Several dozen participants then feed on a “de-sacrament” (crackers with peanut butter) and received certificates assuring they had “freely renounced a previous mistake, and accepted Reason over Superstition.”
Within the past year, “de-baptism” ceremonies have attracted as many as 250 participants at atheist conventions in Ohio, Texas, Florida and Georgia. More have taken place on college campuses in recent years, according to the Secular Student Alliance, a group that promotes atheism among high school and college students.
“If we’re having a winter solstice or summer solstice get-together or some other event, we might say: ‘Who wants to get de-baptized?’ ” said Greg McDowell, the Florida state director for American Atheists, an advocacy and networking group. “It’s a bit of satire. People will play the fool by waving their arms in the air and saying, ‘I got de-baptized!’ But the paperwork is still legit.”
Some of the so-called “de-baptized” have used their certificates to petition churches to remove their names from baptismal rolls. One argument: they were baptized without their consent as children and should now be declared de-baptized.
The foolish declaring themselves to be wise and using themselves as the measure of wisdom. How unreasonable they will find God to be one day.
Hm…yes, sad that they are so lost and want such a clear separation from their “childhood faith” that they are willing to participate in this ceremony with Gandalf and a hair dryer. The diffuser is a nice touch, though. Don’t want frizzies afterward.
Ironic, since Gandalf would whack them with his staff for being so foolish.
This could be the saddest thing I ever saw. It brings this image to my mind: an ungrateful child tearing up a precious, hand made gift that has been passed down for generations.
Very whiny and attention getting.
Information is power. Pray about it and pray for those who have suffered what amounts to religious abuse in the church and outside of it. Ask God for wisdom and grace to overcome the hurt and the lies behind what is obvious. If Jesus had compassion on the Gadarene, surely we must act on the compassion we feel. Pray with all your power.
Steven Prothero’s book on the 8 most important world religions included a ninth chapter on ‘religious atheists’, that is, those who treat their atheism as a religion and attempt to convert believers into unbelief. he likened them to fundamentalists of whatever faith tradition, who take a ‘hard line’ against differing beliefs. It was a fascinating revelation.
Keep in mind that to most atheists, Christian baptism is just a ceremony committing oneself to being part of the world’s largest scam. Someone who feels they had been forced into such a thing by their parents might have very solid reasons for wanting to repent of it. The way Christians behave, I sometimes feel I should apologize for being one. If I should loose my faith, while maintaining some kind of moral integrity, I probably would want to confess my mistake of being a christian and renouncing it.
Something to think about:
http://www.cracked.com/article_15759_10-things-christians-atheists-can-and-must-agree-on.html
Do they not realize that those who have walked away from God are already”de-baptised”… There is no truth in the phrase ‘Once saved always saved’. Praying for an awakening in this world but until Christ’s return it will only get worse I believe. So scared for our children, and their children if the Lord shall tarry.
I have to agree with no one of consequence. Although the Bible speaks of “faith of a child,” it’s true that being a “born again Christian” sucks. I’ve apologized on more than one occasion for my “brothers” and “sisters” and how they treat “unbelievers.” Recently, I was told of an elderly woman who almost ceased communication with her daughter and her grandchildren because her son in law had told his 2-yr-old son that “Gramma was going to hell” because she wasn’t a “Christian.” It’s true – she’s never been baptized, but she fully understands that the ONLY way to heaven is to accept what Christ did for her. And she’s done that.
Point is: baptism is JUST an act. It’s one I’ve taken. It was a public demonstration of MY FAITH. That is all. To be a Christian, all you have to do is accept God’s gift. It’s asinine to baptize a child who has no concept of that and then accuse/ridicule them when they ARE old enough to know if they believe – and decide they don’t.
Why don’t we ridicule people who were baptized at 2 years old and decide THEY want to make that decision when they’re 30? That’s the same thing. They’re scoffing their first baptism – saying it didn’t count and MAKING THEIR OWN MIND.
That said, give people props for actually standing up for what they believe and not going about life as someone who accepts what was crammed down their throats as children. If they get the feeling that people (like you, Mike) will accept them regardless of what they believe or don’t believe and aren’t accused of being “whiny,” maybe they’ll one day be able to accept the gift of God and be ok with being a “Christian.”
Let me put it to you straight, Mike. How can you hope to be a “light” in a dark place by selling your current building and moving to the “rough” part of Albuquerque if you are unwilling to tolerate beliefs of others? If you can only slam them for standing up for their beliefs?
Even if you say to their faces that you “love” them, if there is an underlying snideness that completely discredits them and makes realize that you are judging them, they aren’t going to listen to you. If Jesus blogged, this would be written completely differently. Your views on this should be different and you should accept them, befriend them, and not have a following of people ready to see how “unreasonable” God will be one day. Go find a hooker, bring her to church and REALLY love on her – especially when she says she hates God because she was raped by her dad when she was 12. Stop condemning people for their believes and truly attempt to be like Christ.
Then and only then will you TRULY be a Christian who should be followed by so many people.
Dear Someone: It’s obvious that you are an unhappy person with an ax to grind. You hide behind an alias and lob grenades at me. That is cowardly. Come out from behind your facade and let’s talk. It’s obvious that you are local, so call me, email me, visit me. Let’s talk about why you are against me like you are. The ONLY thing I said in this post is that this makes me sad. You hide behind your alias and accuse me of condemning these people, not tolerating their beliefs, slamming them, judging these people, and being snide. You say if Jesus had blogged, he would have done it differently. How so? I said that this makes me sad, and then simply restated the article I read. You obviously have problems with me – so much so that you misread my posts and accuse me of all sorts of false things. Come out from behind your alias and let’s talk.
To quote Mike: “So, when I ran across this article in a recent edition of the USA Today, I was saddened. Not necessarily shocked, but saddened for sure.”
Where do you get that he is slamming others’ beliefs or judging them? I think it’s sad, too. I don’t believe in Scientology, Buddism or even Catholicism for that matter….but I don’t choose to publicly mock their beliefs like this organization is doing to Christianity.
I do not believe Mike was putting anyone on blast…after all, this is HIS blog and he can post what he chooses. And what he chose to do was simply share an article that he ran across without having any harsh words to say about them. Next time, try reading a little more closely.
I think Someone was also referring to people’s comments before their’s. I also think Someone must be hurting. I don’t think this is about being cowardly etc… But I think maybe this person is another victim of church gone wrong… Just my opinion but I am praying for you Mike and for these atheists, and for Someone. I hope churches in America can get their act together. People have been deeply hurt, decieved, or judged without mercy at church and Someone, as well as the people in this article, are examples of that. Just some thoughts…