De-baptism Gaining ground in Britian

[Sis]

Apostolic Update:  News Updates For Apostolic Christians      ApostolicUpdate@gmail.com

Blog Archive   June (3)



De-Baptism Gains a Following in Britain    Monday, June 15, 2009


More than 100,000 former Christians have downloaded "certificates of de-baptism" in a bid to publicly renounce the faith, according to the London-based National Secular Society (NSS).

Terry Sanderson, the society's president, says the group started the online de-baptism initiative five years ago to mock the practice of baptizing infants too young to consent to religious rites. Their web site invites visitors to "Liberate yourself from the Original Mumbo-Jumbo that liberated you from the Original Sin you never had" and allows them to print out a paper certificate that uses quasi-formal language to "reject baptism's creeds and other such superstitions."

But in recent months, as tens of thousands began to download the certificate, organizers realized that they had struck a chord with atheists and once-devout church members who are leaving churches they see as increasingly out-of-tune with modern life. "Churches have become so reactionary, so politically active that people actually want to make a protest against them now," Sanderson says. "They're not just indifferent anymore. They're actively hostile."

The campaign has become so popular — with nearly 1,000 certificates downloaded each week — that the NSS has started taking orders for certificates printed on parchment, at $4.50 each; they've sold nearly 2,000 in just three weeks. "Every time the Pope says something outrageous we get another rush on the certificate," Sanderson says, noting that traffic to the site skyrocketed last month following Pope Benedict XVI's comment that condoms could worsen the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Public gaffes like that one may explain the anti-Catholic backlash driving similar movements elsewhere in the world. In October last year, Italy's Union of Rationalist Atheist and Agnostics sponsored the country's first-ever "De-baptism Day," when the no-longer faithful attended protests and passed out de-baptism forms to areligious people who didn't have internet connections to download them. More recently, on March 2, atheists and feminists in Argentina teamed up to launch the "Not in my Name" Internet campaign which encourages Roman Catholics to notify their local bishops of their desire to officially leave the church. So far more than 1,800 have joined their Facebook group or signed the petition on their website

http://apostolicupdate.blogspot.com/

[Gingerale]

That is ridiculous!

[Sis]

Sounds like the end of things as we know it, doesn't it?

[Nerd]

Good grief...

It's not enough to just not go to church anymore? That's a whole new level of sinny-sinny-sin. 

[Chérie]

I guess I'm a sinny sin sinner...

Just curious - More than likely these debaptisms taking place are probably by and large of former members of the Catholic and Anglican (Church of England) faith. Since they weren't baptized the proper way to begin with aren't they just going to go to hell anyway? Does it really matter if they "debaptize" themselves?

[Nerd]

I guess I'm a sinny sin sinner...

Everyone is. 

Are you saying you're certifiably de-baptized?

Since they weren't baptized the proper way to begin with aren't they just going to go to hell anyway?

Who do you think is gonna take that bait?

[MelodyB]

I wanted to say something about it, but I decided to watch instead. I like watching rather than participating in these type of discussions.

[Chérie]

Since they weren't baptized the proper way to begin with aren't they just going to go to hell anyway?

Who do you think is gonna take that bait?

That was a rhetorical question. We all know the answer to that.  :grin:

I'm just wondering why this is cause for concern among the Pentecostal ranks. I figured it would be exciting that people are rejecting a false doctrine and baptisms that were conducted without their consent.

[Sis]

*SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGHHHHHH*  Just because someone posts something they thought was weird or interesting doesn't mean that anyone is getting up in arms about it. Nor is it a cause for concern among Pentecostals. It's just a weird news article I ran across. Sheesh.

[Chérie]

Well forgive me for responding to your "interesting" article that you received from some Apostolic blog/news source. And I apologize if I read too much in your "its the end of things as we know it". I guess I mistook that for concern. Sarcasm is still a bit too hard to read on a forum, especially from posters who don't seem to enjoy that type of humour.

[myhaloisintheshop]

I kind of got the same idea as Dani...lol 

thank God they see that infant baptism isn't biblical!

[OGIA]

Since they weren't baptized the proper way to begin with aren't they just going to go to hell anyway?

Who do you think is gonna take that bait?

I will.   :grin:

If baptism were the ONLY thing that the word of God says is part of the new birth process (ie: being initially saved), then "yes" they would be going "to hell anyway".  However, scripture tells us that there is more to it than that, so I doubt that's the only thing the people in question have to be concerned about regarding their eternity.

Hope that helps.   

[World Traveler]

I heard a preacher somewhere once say that England now considers themselves a "Post-Christianity" society. (i.e. they have outgrown it and went on their way).

[Sis]

I heard a preacher somewhere once say that England now considers themselves a "Post-Christianity" society. (i.e. they have outgrown it and went on their way).

I heard that, too. A Missionary to England said it was almost impossible to find any Christian books there. They have to send to the USA for any Christian reading materials. They feel they've evolved and are now above religion.

[Chérie]

Perhaps all the other material was snapped up fast by Christians there, or maybe they aren't located near a Barnes and Noble. Or maybe America is abnormally fundamental and we assume that every other country is godless. Capitalism and Christianity go hand in hand right? And Christianity sells.

[BenJammin]

Hey, at least she's consistent in her cynicism...