(This one's for you Yaksman)
Came across this article today about 100 000 people who have downloaded a certificate of de-baptism to signify that they are no longer in agreement with the decision made by their parents to ritually include them in the church. I've gotta say that I kinda like the idea.
While I have been baptised both as an unaware infant and later out of my own conviction as a teen, I do feel badly for those who feel tied to a faith they don't, can't, or won't adhere to. If this de-baptism is a sincere act of integrity to reconcile personal conviction with religious ritual I'm all for it. If it is being done just for laughs and mild rebellion, that's okay with me too.
The best thing about this is that people are considering whether they agree with the implications of baptism on their current life and beliefs. Nothing is much more Christian than regularly reconsidering the compatibility of our character and our stated convictions. If we genuinely don't desire to live in responsive obedience to the revelation of God we have received or what we believe isn't matching up to the spiritual community we are part of it is better that we face that directly and deal with it.
I would love to see a church offer a de-baptism day where they could provide the certificates and meet individually with people who wanted to be officially relieved of any expectations of identification or involvement with the church...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
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