I have just been pointed towards the latest statement by the National Secular Society about what they call ‘de-baptism’. Oh dear. You would think that they would pay just a smidgeon more attention to accuracy on the grounds that it is always wise to (a) know your subject and (b) get your facts right. Otherwise you risk looking a bit stupid. It begins as follows:
‘Despite a letter from Lambeth Palace telling the NSS that it would not sanction any form of official ‘debaptism’, one diocese is bucking the trend. The Diocese of Croydon…’ It later goes on to state: ‘So now John Hunt is the first person in Britain to be officially debaptised by the Church of England. But the “in this particular case” rider in the Church message seems to suggest that he might also be the last.’
Firstly, there is no Diocese of Croydon. Croydon is an Episcopal Area in the Diocese of Southwark.
Secondly, John Hunt cannot be the last to be ‘officially’ debaptised because he isn’t the first either. ‘Debaptism’ is not possible. From the point of view of Christians, baptism is something that happened and there is no way of ‘un-doing’ it. From the point of view of atheists, nothing happened at baptism anyway and therefore there is nothing to ‘de-do’. Sticking John Hunt’s note in the register is not ‘de-anything’; it is simply a note in a register that has no effect whatsoever other than to make him feel better that he has been heard.
Is this really so hard to understand? We truly need to put the reason back into rationalism.
Nick Baines's Blog 
April 6, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Aaargh!
This might be repreating someone else’s comment but here goes…
Some evangelical Christians think so little of infant baptism that they have to have it done again as an adult – could they have a word with the atheists who think it is so important that they have to start a campaign to get it undone?
April 6, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Well said Nick. There is indeed a lack of reason going on at the temple of rationalism.
April 6, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Nick
The NSS reckon they’ve sold 100,000 ‘debaptism certificates’ at £3 a go. Sure the church would be willing to add a note in the baptism register for, say £5 a time. You could also issue a certification for another £5, so that would have added a cool £million to the organ fund this year.
Mouse
April 6, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Can’t help but thinking that they actually understand your point very well, but the statement is a good ploy to get you to respond to keep the whole “debate” alive.
April 7, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I think about that each time I write…
April 7, 2009 at 4:22 pm
This story always makes me smile to myself – do these people really not see the irony of an atheist being “de-baptised”?! LOL
Still, nice money spinner for the NSS…
April 8, 2009 at 11:54 am
Heard this morning that the National Secular Society want the NHS to stop spending money on hospital chaplains.
Hospital Adminstrator: So, Mrs Jones, you’re worried about your impending death and want to see a hospital chaplain?
Mrs Jones: If I could please.
Member of National Secular Society: Oh for God’s sake Mrs Jones grow up will you. You’re going to die; just get a grip!
April 8, 2009 at 3:42 pm
The question is, what happens if they change their mind and find Christian faith and want to be rebaptised??!!!!
April 8, 2009 at 10:59 pm
There may of course be people who do believe in a God of one kind or another and who no longer wish to be part of the Christian family that they were welcomed into at baptism. Surely they have a right to have a contract that they were entered into without their consent/understanding annulled.
We (as Anglicans) recognise divorce don’t we?
Another point, there is baptism with water and baptism by the holy spirit, both of which are righteous in God’s eyes. One comes from men (the water) and one from God (the spirit). Does it really matter if people want themselves ‘debaptised’ when that baptism has come from men?
Peace,
Gareth. (an infant baptised, teenage confirmed and continually born-again member of Jesus Christ’s church)
April 26, 2009 at 5:39 pm
My proposal on this one is to establish a database of people who want to record that they dissociate themselves from their infant-baptism, let them be recorded on it, and charge a fee of say £100 for the privilege.
Updating baptismal registers is ludicrous since they are documents only of record, but a database could be created with an online searchable “de-register”. It should be easy to check.
It can have no legal force since it is completely irrelevant, but if it’s a good placebo for unreasoning rationalists then why not?
They could even be given a “we thank-you for your £100 donation to the Church of England” gift certificate.
November 30, 2014 at 11:51 pm
[…] na pierwszym planie. Nie oznacza to nic poza tym, że ktoś został wysłuchany i uszanowany, na co paradoksalnie zwrócił uwagę anglikański biskup Nicholas Baines. W szczególności nie terroryzuje nikogo „faktem”, których ustalania przez […]