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Original poster

Atheists call for 'debaptism' - should be 'An Atheist'

87 replies

beanieb · 17/03/2009 23:13

story

I suppose I am an Atheist, though I am not sure. I was raised without religion, was never Christened, don't think I was taught not to believe but rather that I was not exposed to any kind of religion at home.

So I call myself and Atheist, but I am not calling for 'debaptism' - Personally I don't need to be debaptised.

Anyone else here feel that strongly about their Atheism that they would get debaptised?

OP posts:
OldLadyKnowsNothing · 17/03/2009 23:56

I was christened as an infant and actually joined the CoS at 16, no longer believe, but don't feel the need for an unbaptism. It's an entertaining notion, though.

solidgoldbrass · 18/03/2009 00:02

BeanieB: well of course you don't need to be debaptized if you weren't baptized in the first place.
I went through a spell of quite fancying getting a certificate of excommunication, having been confirmed at the age of 10 when I really didn't give a toss about it but didn't really bother.
I think the 'debaptism' movement is more a matter of spreading awareness that it's not really that ethical or Ok to pledge children into superstitions before they are old enough to choose for themselves. After all, some superstitious pledgings do have uncomfortable consequences for the child, such as genital mutilation without their consent or understanding.

SalBySea · 18/03/2009 00:23

I dont get it, if you no longer believe in the religion then the sacraments would surely loose all meaning to you

having a de-baptism would imply that you still believe that the baptism means something which would imply that you still have some faith?

mrsblanc · 18/03/2009 00:33

I'm going to have to have some sort of desantaclausing ceremony.
Much of my childhood was based around something I now know, sadly, does not exist.

Tortington · 18/03/2009 00:40

smacks of "i was fucked up by religion as a child" to me

GodzillasBumcheek · 18/03/2009 22:19

If you are an Aetheist, and therefore believe in no higher being etc, then what exactly would you be being 'debaptised' from?

UnquietDad · 18/03/2009 22:38

I was never baptised (although I did go to church regularly). But if I had been I don't think I'd need to have, or call for, some kind of debaptising ceremony. It seems unnecessary, much as it seems unnecessary to have a ceremony to mark the fact that you no longer believe in fairies.

bradsmissus · 18/03/2009 22:53

I am an atheist. I was baptised as a tiny baby but my family were not especially religious.

I agree that the idea of debaptism seems odd. Being baptised as a baby means I recall nothing of it, took no voluntary part in it and made no committment to religion. Therefore, I feel absolutely no need to undo it. What about all the adult atheists who went to church as children (I did with Brownies, at Christmas etc) - you can't undo all that. It is all part of the reason why you have chosen to be an atheist.

SalBySea · 19/03/2009 17:59

"If you are an Aetheist, and therefore believe in no higher being etc, then what exactly would you be being 'debaptised' from?"

that's exactly what I was trying (unsuccessfully I think) to say!
Believing in debaptism means that you believe in baptism so is a kinda contradiction in terms IYKWIM

GodzillasBumcheek · 19/03/2009 21:35

Sorry Sal...i appear to have skimmed the thread so quickly last night that i didn't take in what you said

ravenAK · 19/03/2009 21:44

I am secretly now wishing I had been baptised so that I could download that rather cool certificate of de-baptism...

Although I quite see the CofE can't take you off the list. it'd be like being un-circumcised - arguably desirable, but ultimately impractical.

As for the not needing a certificate to confirm that you no longer believe in fairies argument, yup, I get that.

But in an argument for a secular society, 60,000 people (possibly) saying 'Actually, we are NOT endorsing the assumption that Xtianity is the default option' is quite powerful.

SalBySea · 20/03/2009 18:20

godzillasbumcheek - I was just pleased that someone had expressed it properly cause dont think I did

Pruners · 20/03/2009 18:38

Message withdrawn

Reallytired · 20/03/2009 19:10

I think its just a bunch of athesists who want their 15 minutes of fame. They must feel very insecure and have very little in their lives to worry about.

The baptism record is a historical record, its not the electoral role (register of active C of E members). It lists the people who were baptised on a particular day in history. Infant baptism is only a commitment for the parents, the child is committed to nothing as babies cannot make promises.

The church is not going to change the baptism record because you cannot change the past. The church in question offered to put a note in the register to say that the person is a non believer, but not to cross out the fact that the gentleman was baptised as a baby.

I think some people don't realise how lucky they are to live in the UK. In many islamic countries people who renounce their faith are killed.

Pruners · 20/03/2009 19:50

Message withdrawn

SalBySea · 20/03/2009 19:56

but a baptism is the parents and god-parents making a pledge! no-one involved thinks the baby itself is making any sort of commitment or promise cause they're not if you think about the actual words of the ceremony

Pruners · 20/03/2009 20:01

Message withdrawn

Reallytired · 20/03/2009 20:02

If someone is emotionally hurt by their religious upbringing then they should sue their parents.

If someone does not believe in god then why should they worry about the fact that they were sprinkled with water at six months old. It makes me think that they must have quite a strong belief in God to want to be debaptised.

LynetteScavo · 20/03/2009 20:03

I'm very much with SalbySea on this.

Pruners · 20/03/2009 20:06

Message withdrawn

AMumInScotland · 20/03/2009 20:07

I think it's good that people should have a way of stating that they don't believe, though as others have said the baptism itself isn't a committment for the child to believe, only that the parents plan to bring them up to understand about Christianity. I would hope that parents do that in a way which respects the child's right to disagree, but I guess not all parents do that (on religion or any other topic).

Pruners · 20/03/2009 20:10

Message withdrawn

TheFallenMadonna · 20/03/2009 20:19

Why not? In the Roman Catholic church there is certainly more to baptism than parents and godparents making promises on your behalf, in the eyes of a believer anyway. And it is more than an entry on a baptismal register, although I notice that the RC church is happy to add an amendment to that. I can see that people might want to make a statement to 'officially' renounce their church membership and all that goes with it.

AMumInScotland · 20/03/2009 20:19

DS was baptised as a baby, and we've brought him up knowing about Christianity and going to church. But he's 15 now and does not want to get confirmed, I don't know if that's something he'll decide he wants to do later in life (I was in my 20s, DH 30s) or not. I'm happy with the fact that he knows enough to make his own decision, and it won't make any difference to us whether he ever does or not.

But personally, I'd feel that, if he felt a need to renounce his baptism, it would be a sign that we'd failed him very badly - not in the baptism itself, but in how he felt about Christianity after we'd brought him up in it. Not wanting to be an active part of it himself is fine, feeling a need to state publicly that he wishes he'd never been baptised seems a far more stringly negative view.

Reallytired · 20/03/2009 20:21

Why don't the secular society have a formal ceramony for someone to declare their Athetist beliefs. Its far more positive than trying to change the past.