jillio

Atheists bond during 'de-baptism'
Nonbelievers say they need to show their numbers
Sunday, August 3, 2008 6:10 AM
By Sarah Pulliam

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NEAL C. LAURONDISPATCH
Allison Page, 9, goes under the ceremonial hair dryer watched by her mother, Amy Page. Performing the ritual is Edward Kagin, national legal director for American Atheists.
Belief in God symbolically evaporated when more than a hundred atheists were "de-baptized" with a blow dryer yesterday.

Organizers of the event in Westerville, described as a "coming out party" for atheists, agnostics and humanists, served root beer and crackers with peanut butter and honey to top off the late afternoon ceremony.

"Do you agree that the magical potency of today's ceremony is exactly equal to the magical efficacy of ceremonial baptism with dihydrogen oxide, and do you agree that the power of all magical ceremonies is nonexistent?" Frank Zindler, president of American Atheists, said to launch the de-baptism.

After a resounding "amen" from the audience, the first person in line yelled, "Dry me brother! I'm free!" The crowd laughed as each person squeezed his or her eyes shut and walked underneath the blow dryer.

"It sounds perhaps frivolous, but it's a very serious thing," Zindler said before the ceremony. "The event is more of an invitation to a revolution more than a party in a sense. Until we come out of the closet and let people know our numbers, politicians think they can ignore us."

Gillian Peiffer, 25, became more vocal about being an atheist after she said she was fired in the fall from a Columbus truck dealership because of her atheism.

"It's the last form of discrimination that's still acceptable," Peiffer said.

"This is showing those who aren't religious that there are (other) social groups. I'm not going to pretend I'm religious so I can be part of a group," she said before giving water bottles to four protesters.

The protesters, from Worthington Christian Church, stood outside with signs that read "God loves you" and "You matter to God."

"They're making a decision that there's life without God, and we're concerned about it," protester Matt Lieser said.

Don Sutterfield, 28, said he was studying to become an apologist for Christianity before he decided that Christianity wasn't rational. Although he doesn't hide his beliefs, he usually avoids the term atheist when he meets people.

"It invites people to have overly simple stereotypes," he said. "They believe we're moral relativists who don't believe in truth."

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's most recent survey found that 1.6 percent of Americans describe themselves as atheist, 2.4 percent call themselves agnostic and 12 percent said they are "nothing in particular."

"The de-baptism doesn't have any magical or supernatural aspect," event organizer Ashley Paramore said. "It's just symbolic and a way to out themselves."

spulliam@dispatch.com


The Columbus Dispatch : Atheists bond during 'de-baptism'

Deafness

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Bottesini

But they still are seeking a common belief and bonding experience, which is the same as religion.

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jillio

Common belief and boding experience is innate in man's needs. Religion is much more.

Hwy99

Interesting.. If I were really a Atheist and was baptized in my past, I would just say that I only get wet, nothing more than that.

Wokamuka

I can hear that fire and brimstone preacher man shouting, "Hair dryers is the tool of the devil!"

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jillio

pek1

And they shouted "amen?" You have got to be kidding.

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Pete

shel90

Interesting...

I have never been a practicing Catholic but was baptized so do I need to go thru this ritual to de-baptism myself?

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"Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it."

--- Anonymous

Wokamuka

It sounded more like "Ahhhh . . . men" to me, if you ask me.

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shel90

Good one!!!

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"Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it."

--- Anonymous

Wokamuka

Why de-baptise yourself? Cover all bases . . . don't go to hell; you're too nice.

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Dixie

I think all bond through stupid 'rituals'.

There's nothing holy about the water I was baptized in, it's just a coming out that I am now a Christian.

These Athiests have a hard time thinking up 'original ideas'.

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Oh, you will. It is all a dream and since matter cannot be created nor destroyed, the dreams must be real in all their myriad forms. -Beowulf
This Delicate Thing God Has Made
The world is measured in peasants; smaller than a unicorn but, bigger than a tidbit!

Wokamuka

Athesists don't appreciate the color of life. That's just my opinion.

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shel90

Aww thanks!

I am just being silly..I dont need to go thru crazy rituals to find my identity. I am happy with who I am and what I believe in.

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"Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it."

--- Anonymous

Wokamuka

That much comes through. I appreciate you for it.

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Miss-Delectable

Wokamuka, you have interesting twist to words.

Matilda

... Gee, you're on fire, Woka!

Wokamuka

Why be boring? Matilda, don't you know I'm a flamin' queen! The fire department's been by so many times . . . I'm tired of puttin' out.

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Matilda

^^ ...

RedFox

You can find a Certificate of De-baptism online if you want to de-baptize yourself. Or just make one with a design you like.

Wokamuka

Does the human spirit not evolve? Why take the time to participate in further rituals to prove what you already feel? For me, it's not pratical. Symbolism is for those who are not inspired or do not feel.

To me, the civil act of de-baptism can only intend to ruffle feathers. That's the greater offense. Is your life's focus so small as to focus on something petty? Live and let live. Your actions are the example. To belittle your life's purpose by intentionally offending others is to belittle yourself.

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jillio

While I do tend to agree with your basic sentiments, would you also say that holds true from one end of the continuum to the other?

Wokamuka

I do. While I may, sometimes, take fun out of offending others, I am well aware of lowered perception toward me. If I actually cared, I might worry. Never would I offend anyone representing an entire group.

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jillio

I thought so. Just wanted to give you the opportunity to make that clear.

scottw

Me too! I agree with that.

Athiests is false De-Baptized.

pek1

I agree, Dixie. Yeah, they even have their own holiday, so they shouldn't feel too terribly left out, although it does fall on April 1st, "All Fool's Day."

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Pete

KarissaMann05

I found it quite interesting

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etalton

OK..does anyone else see something funny in using "Amen"? You are renouncing your baptism, but praising God for it at the same time? A wee bit silly, if you ask me. But..whaterver trips their trigger....

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Bebonang

You know that it is very terrifying when Jewish people only want to believe in God, not Jesus even though he was a Jewish himself, too. There has been a lot of discrimination against Jewish people and other people who have different religion cultures. I thought that everyone of us are different in our belief and creed no matter what we think. What I hate the most is there had/has always been holy wars fighting against people who have different points of religion. Look at Ireland years ago fighting each other because of their different belief in God and Jesus or are they still at it against between Catholic and Protestant? Arabs and other Asians fight with each other for their different belief, too. Everyone of us are different what we want to believe in. No wonder we tend to be suspicious that there will never be peace on Earth and we became an atheists because we stop believing in God that it is suppose to be loving, sharing, happiness, learn to get along with people without wars and show respect each other no matter how different we are. It seems like every human beings want us to be like them and try to change our religion and customs to their satisfaction. This is what happen to us natives when the white people came over from Europe to settle down in the New World and discover that there are many native people all over the North America and South America. They want to destroy our native customs, our native languages, and our native religions. Our native people have different customs, speak different languages and almost close to the same kind of religions but in a different way. We had been at war with the whites for our right to be on Earth and to live on our lands. They are killing us for being sooooo selfish (oh, I want this land and I am going to take the land away from the tribe) and want to grab lands for themselves without asking us and we want them to be able to live among with us like neighbors. The reporters or someone who want to make a story about us with lies put all the lies about us in the newspapers and to the presidents. We were not that bad like that. We were call savages, but we were not like that at all except to fight back when they are fighting us to death without weapons or with weapons. This is why we are in tears for trying to make the whites understand our ways. All over the world it is like that too when there is greedy and selfish on their part to get what they want from them. **sigh** So reading the Bible or any other holy books is not helping us learn how to be kind and respect all kinds of people that live here on Earth or are we from another planets like Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn have probably gone through lots of wars, eh? Are we that bad that we can not make a good life on Earth????

Wokamuka

So many references cited that is misguided, at most, by Bebonang's post that I'm speechless.

Ireland - you do not explain the whole picture and, obviously, pick and choose certain examples to support.

Asia and Christiantity - that's a whole 'nother issue.

Africa and "Arabic" issues - another ballgame and, totally, not related to your point.

Your simplicity within the realm of weaponry is clear . . . and not encompassing the nomenclature.

You're covering too many without, to me, much understanding.

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