From My Perspective - - -
The process of renouncement occurs when one decides to – “to give up or put aside voluntarily; to give up by formal declaration; to repudiate; disown…” In this regard, the following article was published by BREITBART.COM entitled: “FOLLOWING ATHEIST TREND, BRITONS SEEK 'DE-BAPTISM'…” The summary of this action is: “More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded ‘certificates of de-baptism’ from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith. The initiative launched by a group called the National Secular Society (NSS) follows atheist campaigns here and elsewhere, including a London bus poster which triggered protests by proclaiming – ‘There's probably no God.’ De-baptism organizers 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 (Roman) Catholic Church is so politically active at the moment that I think that is where the hostility is coming from…In Catholic countries there is a very strong feeling of wanting to punish the church by leaving it. In Britain, where government figures say nearly 72 percent of the population list themselves as Christian, it is believed this ‘hostility’ is fueling the de-baptism movement…”
This movement is gaining international traction and momentum. The report continues: “We are in an interesting climate where Catholicism and other belief systems have moved into the public, pluralist arena, alongside secularists,…De-baptism movements have already sprung up in other countries. In Spain, the high court ruled in favor of a man from Valencia…saying that under data protection laws he could have the record of his baptism erased, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune. Similarly, the Italian Union of Rationalists and Agnostics (UAAR) won a legal battle over the right to file for de-baptism in 2002, according to media reports. The group's website carries a ‘de-baptism’ form to facilitate matters. According to UAAR secretary…more than 60,000 of these forms have been downloaded in the past four years and continue to be downloaded at a rate of about 2,000 per month. Another 1,000 were downloaded in one day when the group held its first national de-baptism day last October 25 (2008)…”.
The issue should not be defined and/or construed as one focusing on Infant Baptism (or Christening in some Churches) versus Age of Accountability and/or Adult Baptism. The issue is the Renunciation of any Christian identity in any so-called Christian Church. When the identity is with the Humanist/Secularist/Atheistic cause and movement, the Renouncing or Rescinding of one’s Baptism is merely an expression or token action that is far more significant than how one was baptized. It is an attempted Repudiation of any (a) belief in the Eternal God, and (b) asserting there is no reality or relationship to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This is obvious from the reference to the bus poster in England: “There's probably no God.” This issue is present in our own nation as well, and has been for some time. The attack has been to remove “under God” from our Pledge of Allegiance, and “In God We Trust” from our currency. There has been some success on the part of this movement in terms of Nativity Scene Displays and the Singing of Christmas Carols.
Consider these things with me - - - Once Prayer, Bible Reading, Reference to God is removed from our society and culture, what will replace those meaningful realities? What will fill the void such action will cause in our society and culture? What about the soul/spirit of a person – what will replace God and Jesus Christ? Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 is a very meaningful passage. In verses 11 through 15 we read: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. HE HAS ALSO SET ETERNITY IN THE HEARTS OF MEN; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end…I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him…” The best a Secularist, or Humanist, or Atheist can do is to seek to eradicate God from Society and Culture. They can also personally deny Him. However – they cannot and will not destroy God. One day, they will have to bow down and acknowledge that Jesus Christ Is Lord to the Glory of God the Father – but – it will then be too late for them to repent, or to expunge their Renouncements or Repudiations.
The process of renouncement occurs when one decides to – “to give up or put aside voluntarily; to give up by formal declaration; to repudiate; disown…” In this regard, the following article was published by BREITBART.COM entitled: “FOLLOWING ATHEIST TREND, BRITONS SEEK 'DE-BAPTISM'…” The summary of this action is: “More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded ‘certificates of de-baptism’ from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith. The initiative launched by a group called the National Secular Society (NSS) follows atheist campaigns here and elsewhere, including a London bus poster which triggered protests by proclaiming – ‘There's probably no God.’ De-baptism organizers 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 (Roman) Catholic Church is so politically active at the moment that I think that is where the hostility is coming from…In Catholic countries there is a very strong feeling of wanting to punish the church by leaving it. In Britain, where government figures say nearly 72 percent of the population list themselves as Christian, it is believed this ‘hostility’ is fueling the de-baptism movement…”
This movement is gaining international traction and momentum. The report continues: “We are in an interesting climate where Catholicism and other belief systems have moved into the public, pluralist arena, alongside secularists,…De-baptism movements have already sprung up in other countries. In Spain, the high court ruled in favor of a man from Valencia…saying that under data protection laws he could have the record of his baptism erased, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune. Similarly, the Italian Union of Rationalists and Agnostics (UAAR) won a legal battle over the right to file for de-baptism in 2002, according to media reports. The group's website carries a ‘de-baptism’ form to facilitate matters. According to UAAR secretary…more than 60,000 of these forms have been downloaded in the past four years and continue to be downloaded at a rate of about 2,000 per month. Another 1,000 were downloaded in one day when the group held its first national de-baptism day last October 25 (2008)…”.
The issue should not be defined and/or construed as one focusing on Infant Baptism (or Christening in some Churches) versus Age of Accountability and/or Adult Baptism. The issue is the Renunciation of any Christian identity in any so-called Christian Church. When the identity is with the Humanist/Secularist/Atheistic cause and movement, the Renouncing or Rescinding of one’s Baptism is merely an expression or token action that is far more significant than how one was baptized. It is an attempted Repudiation of any (a) belief in the Eternal God, and (b) asserting there is no reality or relationship to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. This is obvious from the reference to the bus poster in England: “There's probably no God.” This issue is present in our own nation as well, and has been for some time. The attack has been to remove “under God” from our Pledge of Allegiance, and “In God We Trust” from our currency. There has been some success on the part of this movement in terms of Nativity Scene Displays and the Singing of Christmas Carols.
Consider these things with me - - - Once Prayer, Bible Reading, Reference to God is removed from our society and culture, what will replace those meaningful realities? What will fill the void such action will cause in our society and culture? What about the soul/spirit of a person – what will replace God and Jesus Christ? Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 is a very meaningful passage. In verses 11 through 15 we read: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. HE HAS ALSO SET ETERNITY IN THE HEARTS OF MEN; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end…I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him…” The best a Secularist, or Humanist, or Atheist can do is to seek to eradicate God from Society and Culture. They can also personally deny Him. However – they cannot and will not destroy God. One day, they will have to bow down and acknowledge that Jesus Christ Is Lord to the Glory of God the Father – but – it will then be too late for them to repent, or to expunge their Renouncements or Repudiations.
No comments:
Post a Comment