Up until last summer, Jennifer Gray of Columbus, Ohio, considered herself “a weak Christian” whose baptism at age 11 in a Kentucky church came to mean less and less to her as she gradually lost faith in God.
Then the 32-year-old medical transcriptionist took a decisive step, one that previously hadn’t been available. She got “de-baptized.”
In a type of mock ceremony that’s now been performed in at least four states, a robed “priest” used a hairdryer marked “reason” in an apparent bid to blow away the waters of baptism once and for all. Several dozen participants then fed 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 Hemant Mehta, chair of the board of directors for the Secular Student Alliance, a group that promotes atheism among high school and college students….
In Christian theology, baptism can’t be undone. If a Southern Baptist renounces his or her baptism, then that person is usually presumed to have never received an authentic baptism in the first place, according to Nathan Finn, assistant professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Personally I like the Southern Baptist aesopian copout response best: Your first baptism was sour anyway. Har!
Thanks, K B
The type of atheist that sponsors this type of nonsense are religious freaks themselves. Their religion is that there ‘there is no god’. They try to make sure you know about it and want you to think that way too; just like all other zealots are wont to do about their particular religion, be it R or D.
My flavor of atheism is that the word “God” has no meaning since there are no physical characteristics to an omnipotent, invisible, omnipresent, friend ‘in the sky’.
This story, and this post, are just stupid.
You’re right #1. Many are on a crusade to wipe superstition, ignorance, and faith off the Earth, replacing it with logical scientific reasoning. That is the most doomed effort in the history of humanity. If the USSR and China couldn’t do it under penalty of death, passing around a book by Dickie Dawson isn’t.
Read some books by Dr. Joseph Campbell. There’s a vacuum in the human brain that sucks in myth.
#3: Your reference is spot on. Dr Campbell described how similar myths are found all over the world. The plot of the Star Wars movies was based on Campbell’s book.
The book describes a story archetype echoed all over the world, which he called the monomyth.
“Personally I like the Southern Baptist aesopian copout response best: Your first baptism was sour anyway. Har!”
Yes, but then that would call into question the validity of everyone else that had been Baptized at the same church. It would be like the running of the bulls/fools, but with crazy people… on fire.
Atheist are a funny group. You gotta admit that it’s odd for someone who doesn’t believe in God to worry so much about God.
If you don’t believe something exists, then why go to so much trouble to get rid of it? I guess it’s an emotional response that springs from the possibility of being wrong.
Baptism doesnt make you a christian… just as working for PC magazine make you intelligent..
This pales in comparison to the many that have embraced reason and Christ. More of them are getting baptized all the time… having reasoned themselves into faith.
That cerimony is dangerous. Peanut butter contains salmonella. I learned that on Dvorak Uncensored.
coby said “Atheist are a funny group. You gotta admit that it’s odd for someone who doesn’t believe in God to worry so much about God.”
I think some of it is happening from having it jammed in your face all the time – especially in the US where it is such a big part of things like politics and public schools.
One of the great thing about being an atheist is that you’re not doing meaningless rituals in order to live life. I’m sure they did this for the fun of it, but now, the religious zealots – such as Alfredone (haven’t seen him for a while… has he died in a church shooting or masturbated himself to death while watching Sarah Palin photos?) – will claim that atheist are indeed religious.
#10 – predictably -is spot on. Xhristians hate to admit to themselves much less anyone else that they are being laughed at, laughed about, laughable.
I think the crackers and peanut butter are a delightful alternative to both matzoh and catholic holy wafers.
#9
You make a good point. I guess it’s like having Obama jammed in your face every minute of every day. I kind of feel the hate myself.
#12 coby
Left, right, it’s all the same to me. As a skeptic I view them both the same way.
What I really appreciate is when someone brings a good game. I was raised to revere both Buckley and Chomsky as titans – I see little of that from either side these days.
#9, I am curious where you are having it “jammed in your face everyday”. I have bounced all around the country the last week for work. About the closest I came to having Christianity “jammed in my face” was when I went to a meeting at a catholic hospital, and to he honest, other than being called Saint Joseph, it really seemed like every other hospital I have ever been too.
Perhaps you are just over sensitive.
#13 qb
Yes, somehow we have moved from a nation of thinkers and doers to complainers.
It must have been magic being around at the time when all things were possible in the US as compared to now when everything you do is criticized.
#14–bob==Its not the frequency of Religious Intrusion into one’s life==its the consequences.
Ever lived in a community where one of the first 3 questions you are asked on meeting someone is “What church do you go to?” No?
How about being at work and your boss encourages a moment of prayer so that a sick colleague can get back to work?
Then there is the reverse flip like this blog==having to read all the time what stupid sorts of things the religious are up to.
In our face all the time?==Perhaps not. Sensitive to the BS==certainly yes.
#14 – Bob – I am curious where you are having it “jammed in your face everyday”.
Have you used cash? Have you watched American news channels (especially Fox News)? Have you been to court? Have you sang/listened to the US national anthem? Have you done military service? Religious indoctrination occur on a regular basis in American schools (after all, they sing the national anthem on a regular basis and religious ignorance is embedded in the lyrics). It’s all there… but some are just too blind to see.
Oh, lighten up #1,2,6,12,15. They are just having a little bit of fun in rejoicing that they are atheists. Would you deny christians the same privilege of rejoicing in their faith?
#14 Bob
Look at your last election. Religion permeated that whole thing.
I’ll admit it differs where you travel in the US and honestly I really enjoy travelling in the US. But I’ve been told I’m going to burn in hell in at least 5 US states by various people. I once was told not to return to a hotel in SC since I politely declined the complimentary bible I was given at checkout. I was told at a diner in Texas that I would was making the other patrons uncomfortable since I didn’t pray before breakfast.
I have found it’s best just to along with it to make business travel more easy going. It’s part of paying attention to the local customs and superstitions that I’ve seen in other places like rural Ireland or parts of Israel I’ve been in. Personally I’m not overly offended, I just find it kind of quaint.
it doesn’t sound very reasonable to do those things. Sounds downright irrational.
Godless and Free.
#21 Jägermeister
Q: Why did the Rationalist cross the road?
A: So he could see both sides.
Here’s a couple of things for those who want to be profane:
Demonicsex (gay)
http://mediafire.com/?gcbmnbxzs0j
Ingnacio Noe’s Convent of hell (straight)
http://mediafire.com/?ebzfyihimkg
Be warned though, Both are definitively NSFW from page 1.
My wife frequently gets upset that I’m more of a secular humanist and can’t understand why I don’t believe in God.
I just happen to believe that God was created in Man’s image to explain all the things that man could not explain back in the old days.
#22 – qb
Good one. 🙂
The primary fun of holding a de-baptism would be in sending invitations to all of your Christian friends. A “Divorcing the Lord” theme might be appropriate, with a formal declaration of the end of all spousal support for a Lord who could never seem to earn his own keep.
RSVP: reception to follow, open bar.
Well, atheism IS a religion; it’s not an organized one. Yet.
As for meaningless ritual, uh, do you have parties, goto seminars and theme parks? Do you attend regular meetings? Do you have your hair styled or cut? We all perform rituals every day. But way too many people fail to feed their souls, and occasionally, ritual will do just that. So don’t knock ritual. We all need it.
BOBO 😎 I know where you live and work cause I work there to. The first question that I was asked when I moved to town was, where do you work. The second was, what church do you go to. My standard answer was not thiers. But i’ve found the best way to keep them away from your door is answer it naked holding a large firearm (not necessarily my penis) and a beer. Great way to start the day. Once word gets around they stop knocking.
I don’t know why she bothered. If she’d actually read the red letter parts of the New Testament which are supposed to be quotes from Jesus he makes it as clear as possible that the seed/faith does not always take.
In other words going to hell is everybody’s God give prerogative. Nobody goes to Heaven against their will.
Reference: Parable of the Seeds and the Sower. In this case he even broke the rules and explained the thing for the thick headed so it’s actually more of fable. The only way you can not understand what it says is if you are deliberately obtuse.