100,000 Atheist Britons Seek 'De-Baptism' from Christianity

[FlaGator]

This seems to be a waste of time and effort, but it it makes the feel better about a random and meaningless existence then who am I to deny them that opportunity


More than 100,000 Britons have downloaded “certificates of de-baptism” on the Internet to cut ties with the Christian faith.

Some of these atheists argue that they were baptized when they were too young to make the decision, and now that they’re able to make a choice, they want to renounce their Christian baptism.

“We now produce a certificate on parchment and we have sold 1,500 units at three pounds ($4.35) a pop,” said National Secular Society (NSS) president Terry Sanderson to Agence France-Presse.

NSS’ de-baptism initiative follows closely behind the British Humanist Association’s “There’s probably no God,” bus ads. Dozens of buses across England carried the atheist ad that encouraged people to stop worrying and enjoy their life since there is probably no God.



At $4.35 for each certificate, not only is their life random and meaningless, it's a little poorer as well. I wish I would have thought this up. I know some Christian Charities that coud use the money ;)

Read it all here (http://www.christianpost.com/Intl/Overseas/2009/03/100-000-atheist-britons-seek-de-baptism-from-christianity-31/index.html)

[lacarnut]

There is a sucker born every minute.

[wilbur]

I would like to be able to get my name removed from the ledgers just so I wouldnt be counted in the membership statistics... but don't care enough about it to do anything...

ordering a certificate from a non-church entity seems useless.

[Gingersnap]

I would like to be able to get my name removed from the ledgers just so I wouldnt be counted in the membership statistics... but don't care enough about it to do anything...

ordering a certificate from a non-church entity seems useless.

You are not "counted" by anyone. Infant baptism is a religious ceremony, not an application for church membership. Even if you were baptized as a child and went to church every week of your life, you would not be a church member. You would simply be a guest or visitor.

[wilbur]

You are not "counted" by anyone. Infant baptism is a religious ceremony, not an application for church membership. Even if you were baptized as a child and went to church every week of your life, you would not be a church member. You would simply be a guest or visitor.

I have heard that often the statistics regarding the Catholic population is sometimes reported by baptism records.... inflating the numbers.

[FlaGator]

I have heard that often the statistics regarding the Catholic population is sometimes reported by baptism records.... inflating the numbers.

The Protestant side is bad about cleaning old members off their records and claiming high membership. Fortunately most sources use the ASA (Average Sunday Attendance) when figuring out how many people really go to a church.

[noonwitch]

You are not "counted" by anyone. Infant baptism is a religious ceremony, not an application for church membership. Even if you were baptized as a child and went to church every week of your life, you would not be a church member. You would simply be a guest or visitor.

Unless he was confirmed as a teen-then, they count you as a member sometimes until you either officially quit, join another church in the same denomination, or some will stop counting you if you don't give any money for two years and don't make contact with the church in that same time frame (my current church's policy). Even then, my church will try to call and write someone before taking their names off the rolls.

[Gingersnap]

I have heard that often the statistics regarding the Catholic population is sometimes reported by baptism records.... inflating the numbers.

They can be "reported" as anything but Roman Catholics need to go through Reconciliation and First Communion as well as a later Rite of Confirmation. Most liturgical churches have similar requirements. Protestant churches usually have some kind of adult creedal affirmation or statement of faith.

Since the people who would be interested in this exercise already avoid showing up in churches on Sunday, don't tithe or contribute financially to churches, don't volunteer for church-based charities, and don't participate in sacramental activities, I'd say it's a good bet that they aren't being included in attendance records anyway.