2) De-Baptism Certificates Available

A synopsis of an AFP article, “Rise of atheism: 100,000 Brits seek ‘debaptism’”

March 30, 2009

LONDON – A British online site hosted by the National Secular Society (NSS) has provided “certificates of de-baptism” to thousands seeking a form renouncement of their Christian faith.

Citing that he was too young to make a decision for or against membership in the Church of England as an infant, one certificate holder sought legal advice on how to have his name removed from the Church’s roster. He was told to publish an announcement in the London Gazette. Many others have followed suit.

The UK is one of the only remaining European countries where an official State Church exists. The Church of England has said that its official position is not to amend its baptismal records.

In Spain, it has been ruled that a man could have the record of his baptism in the Catholic Church erased, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune. In Italy as early as 2002, the Italian Union of Rationalists and Agnostics gained the right for persons to file for de-baptism. The group’s first national de-baptism day was held last October 25th. Their secretary says more than 60,000 forms for de-baptism have been downloaded in the past four years.

Since EU directives require a “level of parity” among member states’ legislation, activists hope official legal action will be available in Britain for those who wish to distance themselves from the Church.

In a related campaign, large bus posters hit London in January with the message: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The organizers say “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.”

Areas in which Catholic and Protestant churches are “politically active” could also be a source of “hostility”, says NSS president Terry Sanderson, citing the Pope’s Spring visit to Africa when he said condom use could further the spread of AIDS.

Theologian Paul Murray of Durham University says a societal change in this direction could be coming. “We are in an interesting climate,” says Murray, “where Catholicism and other belief systems have moved into the public, pluralist arena, alongside secularists.”