In Briton, Spain and Argentina, thousands are renouncing their baptisms, going as far as to download or purchase "certificates of de-baptism".

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."

The vast majority of those seeking de-baptism were baptized as infants. They not only resent the act being forced upon them, but want to make their own choice about faith.

At the same time, there appears to be a powerful backlash against arrogant, angry, anti-intellectual and strident religious expressions. In fact, the article points to a Christian group's bus ads as the impetus for the beginning of the atheist bus campaign.

The bus-side posters that hit London in January sported the message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." The scheme was in response to pro-Christian adverts on buses directing passers-by to a website warning those who did not accept Jesus would suffer for eternity in hell.

While we continue to be concerned about the stereotyping of all Christian groups as fundamentalist, we applaud persons making intentional choices about their faith... that's how it should be (and a reason we are advocates for "believer's baptism" rather than infant baptism).

And we fear the backlash against the overly politicized, arrogant and judgmental forms of Christianity will only increase. Our hope is that, in the reaction to fundamentalism and Calvanism, the baby isn't tossed out with the bath water.

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Yes, we do feel that way.
written by Bullwinkle Q. Pettigrew, March 31, 2009

This brings up one of my biggest issues with the religious reich. They are so into power-tripping that they've forgotten that the rest of the world is watching them and judging all Christians based on their actions. Not that this is fair, but it's a reality, and all people of faith suffer as a consequence.

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