Fogbow

'Sadness' as church rejects baptism changes

A Church of Ireland parishioner has said she is saddened that her attempt to stop ministers refusing to baptise children of single or unmarried parents has failed.

Patricia Barker submitted the motion to the church's Synod, which makes church laws.

Currently it is up to individual clergy to decide whether or not to baptise children of single or unmarried parents.

The motion was passed by the lay members of the Synod but was rejected by the clergy by 72 votes to 69, meaning it failed.
Getty A 6 month old baby boy is baptizedGetty

'Appalled'

Ms Barker told BBC News NI she brought the motion because she was "appalled" that some parishes were not baptising children if their mothers were not married.

"In Ireland we’ve come through a terrible period of victimising women using terms like ‘fallen woman’ in relation to unmarried mothers and I genuinely thought we’d moved on," she said.

"I felt saddened and let down when the motion was rejected. I feel the result really doesn’t represent the church I belong to which is one of inclusion over exclusion."

She said she hoped it would shine a light on what she described as a "bad practice".
'
Impaired engagement'

One of the clergy who voted against the motion was Archdeacon of Derry the Venerable Robert Miller.

He said in 30 years as a Church of Ireland minister he had never denied baptism but instead took it as an opportunity to "welcome, engage and disciple".

Archdeacon Miller said he opposed the motion as he did not believe a minister should be told they "must" baptise.

This, he said, would have "impaired this engagement between minister and parishioner – an engagement built on trust".

"The shared commitment to love, to pray, to teach and to be an example – made in the baptismal liturgy – is made within the fellowship of the church," he said.

"I still believe the motion was unnecessary since the Church of Ireland’s generous orthodoxy around the sacrament of baptism is already enshrined in the canons.”

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Suranis wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 10:43 pm https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx77ve1djjlo

Archdeacon Miller said he opposed the motion as he did not believe a minister should be told they "must" baptise.

This, he said, would have "impaired this engagement between minister and parishioner – an engagement built on trust".

qbawl wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2024 12:34 pm When I was an altar boy (yes, an atheist too) 4 - 8th grade. I seem to recall that anyone could baptize and the RC church considered it valid. I don't recall the cat my buddy Jerry baptized ever attending mass though.

Foggy wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2024 5:17 pm I heard the dude who baptized Jesus didn't have a license.

Oh Hai, I'm just waiting for the verdict.

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Wed May 29, 2024 5:13 pm You could baptize if someone was dying and you knew they were not baptized a Roman Catholic.

Suranis wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 10:43 pm
*cough* The Roman Catholic Church has no problem baptising Children of single parents.*Cough*

keith wrote: ↑Mon Jul 08, 2024 1:19 am

Suranis wrote: ↑Tue May 28, 2024 10:43 pm
*cough* The Roman Catholic Church has no problem baptising Children of single parents.*Cough*

Neither does the Church of Ireland.

The Church of Ireland is not Roman Catholic and no mention of the RC church was made or implied in any way. Nor was it suggested it was Church policy to deny Baptism, but it was up to the involved clergy to decide who they would or would not baptise.

poplove wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2024 6:09 pmIMG_1866.jpeg

Christian Hate Preachers Were Denied Service at Milwaukee Subway During RNC

Queer News Tonight
23 Jul 2024

At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, a group of Christian hate preachers faced an unexpected snub at a local Subway restaurant. The four white men, donning t-shirts emblazoned with inflammatory messages such as “Abortion is murder” and “Homo sex is sin (Romans I),” were denied service by a Subway employee. In a video shared on Facebook, the group is seen confronting the staff member, with one of the preachers saying, “She’s refusing to serve us.” The employee confirms this, saying the decision is based on the messages written on preachers' shirts. The incident has sparked outrage from far-right commentators, with The Daily Mail accusing Subway of religious discrimination. The tabloid’s report implied that the men had the right to display their contentious views without facing backlash, though it notably blurred out the offensive anti-LGBTQ message on one of the shirts. The group is led by notorious street preacher David Grisham, who has previously caused controversies with his disruptive stunts. Despite the controversy, many locals were in support of the employee's decision and showed disdain for the provocative display. One local resident remarked that he would rather have some radical love exhibited in Christ’s name around here than have a traveling road show on their shirts.

AndyinPA wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 10:21 pm Doesn't a business have a right to turn away customers? No shoes, no shirt, no service.