Yes there are huge problems here on many fronts. Get Religion has Baptism by football. Also see how the local paper is covering it at Mother mad coach took players to church; School district says trip was voluntary.
There is of course the legal issue at play. But the real story to me is the abuse of authority issue by the Coach. If was a Catholic parent I would be infuriated. Also what about the Protestant parents that believe infant Baptism is valid and one should not be re baptizing people. So there is an interesting ecumenical controversy that sort of goes under the radar. That is why are Christian communities baptizing kids without consulting the parents first.
The pastor said:
The church’s pastor, the Rev. Ron Davis, said that he requires minors to obtain their parents’ consent to be baptized, but he added: “Sometimes 16 year olds look like 18 years. We did the best we could.”
What? Is anyone buying that. How about asking!!! I am sure the Coach full well knew how old his players were.
Crunchy Con sort of touched on this issue earlier this year at Evangelical bodybuilders strongarm Catholic kid
I heard about that story and just flipped!
ReplyDeleteI had a neighbor who was Baptist who, upon hearing of the plans for my son's baptism, said that it didn't really matter because he was Catholic and going to hell anyway...because he wasn't "saved". She informed me. very calmly, that Catholics can't go to heaven and that was just a fact of life. This was coming from a woman who was on her third marriage.
Some of the Baptists could be real pushy, and that's putting it mildly.
Yeah it is amazing. I mean Catholic schools in the Protestant South have been educating Baptists and Protestants for a long long time. We would never "baptized: and confirm a kid of theirs with out their parents consent!!
ReplyDeleteThat is why we are so trusted with their children