100,000 People Have Renounced Their Christian Faith Through De-Baptism
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Tue, April 14, 2009
- Viewed 216
- (11) comments so far
More from the article here:
De-baptism organisers say the initiative is a response to what they see as increasing stridency from churches—the latest last week when Pope Benedict XVI stirred global controversy on a trip to AIDS-ravaged Africa by saying condom use could further the spread of the disease.
“The Catholic Church is so politically active at the moment that I think that is where the hostility is coming from,” said Sanderson. “In Catholic countries there is a very strong feeling of wanting to punish the church by leaving it.”
In the country, where government figures say nearly 72 percent of the population list themselves as Christian, Sanderson feels this “hostility” is fuelling the de-baptism movement.
Theologian Paul Murray at Durham University disagrees. “That is not my experience,” he said, but concedes that change is in the air.
“We are in an interesting climate where Catholicism and other belief systems have moved into the public, pluralist arena, alongside secularists,” he said.
De-baptism movements have already sprung up in other countries.
In Spain, the high court ruled in favour of a man from Valencia, Manuel Blat, saying that under data protection laws he could have the record of his baptism erased, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune.
These are interesting times. This story out of London says that over 100,000 people have officially renounced their Christian faith through downloading their 'official' de-baptism certificates from the internet. According to a Google News report: "The initiative launched by a group called the National Secular Society (NSS) follows atheist campaigns here and elsewhere, including a controversial advert displayed on London buses which declared: "There's probably no God."
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Bobby Chandler on Tue, April 14, 2009
I wonder if these de-baptised people would call themselves de-vangelists. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/grin.gif
Mark on Tue, April 14, 2009
They are not leaving because of Christ.
They are leaving because they recognize that the beast has taken over the Christian church and thus the church no longer has much to do with the real living Christ.
Think about this hard, you professional pastors, as you take money from the collection plate and put it in your pocket.
You are part of the beast.
Chris Meirose on Tue, April 14, 2009
The idea that “de”-baptizing could renounce faith is silly. Just as baptism confirming faith is. If you think by swearing off your baptism you are free, you were never in the faith to begin with and you are just doing it for show. Narcissism.
Peter Hamm on Tue, April 14, 2009
Mark’s back…
but anyway…
It’s disturbing that so many might renounce their faith based on what arguably might be bad witness to Christianity, and not necessarily because they think that they were wrong to trust Jesus…
Oftimes we make decisions for bad reasons, but to decide not to believe in Jesus because others who do have done some bad things is not a great or rational life-choice (and no, being a professional pastor is not necessarily one of those bad things… Paul vigorously defends the practice to the Corinthians, even though he himself is not a professional minister… a very significant thing… I am decidedly not a part of any “beast”).
I wonder how many of these 100,000 were really ever believers in the first place. And that, my friends, might be even sadder.
Mark on Tue, April 14, 2009
Peter Hamm wrote:
“Mark’s back…”
Never left.
I know how you enjoy and respect my point of view.
LOL!
Brian L. on Wed, April 15, 2009
Peter,
I agree 100%.
Too often people reject Christ because of what they see in other people rather than on the evidence of Christ Himself.
Another reminder that we need to reflect Christ and live for Him, dying to ourselves and our selfishness, which so often get in the way of others finding Christ for themselves.
mark on Fri, April 17, 2009
Brian L. wrote:
>“Too often people reject Christ because of
>what they see in other people rather than
>on the evidence of Christ Himself. “
Its not what they see in just anyone. Its what they see in people who call themselves Christians.
Hopefully you have read your Bible and thus know who is going to be held responsible for these crimes. Hint: its not the people who de-baptized themselves. Its the vast majority of so-called Christians who are not obeying Christ and have turned the church into a vast revenue generating wasteland.
Check out Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42 if you need a little memory refresher.
Peter Hamm on Fri, April 17, 2009
Mark,
Know that not all of our churches are “a vast revenue generating wasteland.” Some are great places where people follow Jesus together and make a pretty big difference in the world around them.
CS on Fri, April 17, 2009
So if baptism is quick immersion in water, did these people have a quick immersion in fire? You would think that not so many people would want to sign up after that.
—
CS
mevric on Wed, August 05, 2009
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Smith on Wed, August 05, 2009
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