Were you baptised?

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VermilionUK
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Were you baptised?

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Post by VermilionUK »

Having been raised as a Christian, I have been baptised. Since rejecting my faith around 5 years ago I've often felt somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of being baptised - in the kind of "So, why did you decide that I was christian all of a sudden" sort of way.

It's not so much the fact that it was "holy" or anything like that - but more of the violation of my humanity, that I was inducted into Christianity without consent (being an infant, its hard to "consent", but you get my point). Baptism in itself is meaningless, but the fact that someone (your parents/carers) is choosing a life path for you by having you baptised is something I'm not happy with.

I know you can't really be "un-baptised" but, being an Atheist, I think people should be allowed to choose for themselves whether or not to be baptised - perhaps at an older age - rather than having baptism as a standard for infants to go through.

Just wondering if anyone else shared similar views, or maybe you're also uncomfortable with being baptised?

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Re: Were you baptised?

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Post by Goat »

VermilionUK wrote:Having been raised as a Christian, I have been baptised. Since rejecting my faith around 5 years ago I've often felt somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of being baptised - in the kind of "So, why did you decide that I was christian all of a sudden" sort of way.

It's not so much the fact that it was "holy" or anything like that - but more of the violation of my humanity, that I was inducted into Christianity without consent (being an infant, its hard to "consent", but you get my point). Baptism in itself is meaningless, but the fact that someone (your parents/carers) is choosing a life path for you by having you baptised is something I'm not happy with.

I know you can't really be "un-baptised" but, being an Atheist, I think people should be allowed to choose for themselves whether or not to be baptised - perhaps at an older age - rather than having baptism as a standard for infants to go through.

Just wondering if anyone else shared similar views, or maybe you're also uncomfortable with being baptised?
Being Jewish, I never was baptized. However, IMO, it wasn't for your sake, but your parents that you were. Yes, you were inducted 'against your will', but then again, there are more things that are children are indoctrinated for when they grow up. You didn't choose to learn to read and write. You didn't choose to go to school.
You got exposed to your parents tastes in food, politics, music, etc etc etc. That is just one piece of getting taught about the society in which you live.

Now that you are grown, you don't have to worry about religion, or eating the broccoli or spinach your mother put on your plate.
“What do you think science is? There is nothing magical about science. It is simply a systematic way for carefully and thoroughly observing nature and using consistent logic to evaluate results. So which part of that exactly do you disagree with? Do you disagree with being thorough? Using careful observation? Being systematic? Or using consistent logic?�

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Post #3

Post by McCulloch »

My parents had me baptized when an infant, but I subsequently regarded that as nothing. Later in life, I encountered Christians who took what is written in the Bible quite seriously. It was pointed out to me that the practice of baptizing infants is nowhere taught in the Bible. So I only have myself to blame for my subsequent believer's baptism.
VermilionUK wrote:I think people should be allowed to choose for themselves whether or not to be baptised - perhaps at an older age - rather than having baptism as a standard for infants to go through.
Odd that it may seem to you, a number of Christian denominations agree with you, Baptists, Christadelphians, Disciples of Christ, Churches of Christ, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, various Pentecostal groups, Seventh-day Adventists, Anabaptist (Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites) and others.
Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
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Re: Were you baptised?

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Post by VermilionUK »

goat wrote:Yes, you were inducted 'against your will', but then again, there are more things that are children are indoctrinated for when they grow up. You didn't choose to learn to read and write. You didn't choose to go to school.
You got exposed to your parents tastes in food, politics, music, etc etc etc. That is just one piece of getting taught about the society in which you live
But reading an writing are essential (or, very important) for me to communicate with others. Religion is not - and I don't really see where you link the two together.
I can live life without religion, but without education I would not be able to read, speak, discuss with others etc.

Surely baptism isn't a "learning phase", its not education is it? It's surely indoctrination? It's the phase before being "educated" about something of which you need blind faith to believe in.
Religion is entirely optional - the success of your life does not depend on your religion (unless you choose to be a Catholic Priest, or something similar), but your education is so much more important for your success.

If you are baptised - you are being drawn into religion, and it can be hard to escape from if your peers/relatives are "hard" christians. However, your taste in food/music that you gain from your parents is entirely different, its all about choice. My parents introduced me into pop/light rock music, but I'm a fan of Heavy Metal.

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Post #5

Post by Cephus »

I was baptized, but couldn't care less about it. There were lots of things that were done to me as a child that I had no control over nor consented to, that's just life. To be bothered by it gives it far more weight than it's worth.
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Post #6

Post by VermilionUK »

Cephus wrote:I was baptized, but couldn't care less about it. There were lots of things that were done to me as a child that I had no control over nor consented to, that's just life. To be bothered by it gives it far more weight than it's worth.
I see your point. On its own, baptism doesn't mean much - but its the fact that people were choosing a life path for me/us to follow without my/our consent that I don't like.

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Post #7

Post by Cephus »

VermilionUK wrote:
Cephus wrote:I was baptized, but couldn't care less about it. There were lots of things that were done to me as a child that I had no control over nor consented to, that's just life. To be bothered by it gives it far more weight than it's worth.
I see your point. On its own, baptism doesn't mean much - but its the fact that people were choosing a life path for me/us to follow without my/our consent that I don't like.
People make choices for you every day of your life, that's how it goes. Politicians make decisions that directly impact your life, you have little say in it. Society shapes how you think and how you interact with others. People in your life affect how you behave. No man is an island, stop pretending you ought to be and just get on with life. It's easier that way.
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Post #8

Post by McCulloch »

VermilionUK wrote:its the fact that people were choosing a life path for me/us to follow without my/our consent that I don't like.
Your parents chose to teach you a particular language, culture and ethics. They did not ask you permission; you were pretty young when they started. They did what the understood to be the right thing. You are now getting to the stage where you can start taking ownership of who you are. I'm sure that you will do a better job than your parents did when the time comes for you to raise kids. I'm also sure that they felt that they were doing a better job than their parents. And on it goes.
Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
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Post #9

Post by Vladd44 »

I was raised in a denomination that considered infant baptism a sin.

So I only have myself to blame for my answer of yes. #-o #-o #-o

One more annoyance, along with the awareness that there are people who go to church every week, and it likely would not be happening if it wasn't for me and my big mouth.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.[GOD] ‑ 1 Cor 13:11
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Post #10

Post by elle »

VermilionUK wrote:Just wondering if anyone else shared similar views, or maybe you're also uncomfortable with being baptised?
The religious group I was raised in didn't do infant "baptism" per se. They did have a ceremony for infants and their parents and I'm not sure if water was used. They called it a dedication instead of a baptism and basically it was a commitment that the parents made to raise the child to worship god and be a Christian in that sect. Since it was more of a ceremony of meaning for my parents and less of a commitment that I was supposed to make to anything, it does not make me uncomfortable today. My parents kept their commitment and Christianity didn't stick with me which hurts them a great deal, but I'm doing what's right for me so I have no uncomfortable feelings about what happened when I was too young to remember.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.--Carl Sagan

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