Baptism is Transformational

[Givemeareason]

"There he goes again!"  Well it was transformational for me.  Baptism was probably the deciding event that transformed me into an atheist.  I had a period during my teenage years in which I really tried to be religious.  So I finally decided to be baptized and I went in expecting some transformational experience and nothing happened.   So I was told that I must not have had the right state of mind or some nonsense like that.  So in my disappointment it was downhill from there and have now been atheist for fifty years.  But atheism for me was a starting point and not something I was content with.  It was my traditional and innate free thinking that prevented me from becoming religious.  But I am also sort of free thinking within myself also in the manner that I don't hold many beliefs.  I operate more within a system of assumptions and viewpoints.  Can anyone here relate to that or what is that called?  No insults please.

[aitm]

I don't remember being baptized, but my mother tells me I was. As far as I can tell it produced a full head of hair that has no intent of receding….SUCK IT BITCHES!!! HAHAHAHAHHA……er………….moving along.

[Aletheia]

Most people operate with a system of assumptions and viewpoints. Those who strive to be rational try to verify if their assumptions are in line with reality. Should they come up short, then it is time to replace these assumptions with those that have more supporting evidence.

I've never been religious. I did go to church infrequently, but it always felt like I was visiting - never something that I considered a part of my own belief structure. My parents were not religious, but did teach us to be open-minded. I was able to see religion from a more detached view and quickly realized that the feeling of friendship occurred even if I didn't sense this God they were always talking about. This led to the conclusion that many things were possible without a God, and therefore using Occam's Razor, God was removed as the superfluous concept it was.

[trdsf]

Since I was raised Roman Catholic, baptism wasn't anything I remember since I was an infant.  I have been told by my parents that I was nearly stillborn and received last rites upon being born -- I prefer to think that I burned a regeneration and that I'm actually a Time Lord.  :D

I did go through confirmation, and ... no, it wasn't transformational either.

[Mr.Obvious]

I was baptized as a baby (Roman Catholic). So I can't say it was transformational for me. I was unaware.

Nowadays I'm torn between getting myself 'debaptized' or not. Because on the one hand, to the RCC, I still get counted as one of their sheep. On the other hand, it would kind of feel like giving credit that that magical ritual actually does something and has meaning. And it doesn't do squat, nor has meaning to me.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I was transformed from a dry kid to a wet kid..  I'm pretty sure that was the extent of my transformation..

[doorknob]

I was baptized alright. Also catholic.

Well since I was a baby at the time I"d say I wouldn't have any idea if I transformed but confirmation definitely wasn't a transformation. I thought about not confirming my religion even back then, but I got threatened by my mom that if I didn't I wouldn't get any Christmas presents. Is it bad that I confirmed just for that? Ha ha.

Well any way it didn't work I'm now a happy atheist.

[Munch]

Theres an advantage to being a baptized atheist, being that you can piss on the cross or up a church wall, and if you get caught you can say "ah its alright, I was baptized here, jesus will forgive me" before pissing on the bishops shoes too.

[SGOS]

I was eleven when I was baptized because I could not be confirmed by the Lutheran Church without it.  There were 3 or 4 in my confirmation class that  had a special "older kids" baptism ceremony.  A number of people in the congregation showed up for the event.  I never did understand what baptism was for.  I'm sure I asked my parents, and I'm sure they told me something, but it makes no sense at all.  Think about it:  They pour water on your head.  La Dee Fuckin' Dah.  I felt nothing from he experience, saw no angels, and hear no voice from the sky.

[Mike Cl]

I was eleven when I was baptized because I could not be confirmed by the Lutheran Church without it.  There were 3 or 4 in my confirmation class that  had a special "older kids" baptism ceremony.  A number of people in the congregation showed up for the event.  I never did understand what baptism was for.  I'm sure I asked my parents, and I'm sure they told me something, but it makes no sense at all.  Think about it:  They pour water on your head.  La Dee Fuckin' Dah.  I felt nothing from he experience, saw no angels, and hear no voice from the sky.

That's because the devil blocked it.  You simply need to pray harder!

[Feral Atheist]

If there was anything into sprinkling a little "magic" water and it saving your soul, then blowing your nose with toilet paper would make your nose an anus.

[the_antithesis]

My dad read Late Great Planet Earth back in the 70's and it scared the shit out of him and then he went cuckoo for jesus, leading to the break up of his marriage and our family. That was transformational. It made into the bitter asshole I am today.

So don't be stupid. Every event in your life is transformational. You are not the same person you were when you started reading this. Life is change. Dead things remain the same yesterday and todayâ€"and forever. Events of apparent insignificance can be extremely significant to you.

So don't put any stock in silly primitive rituals.

[SGOS]

My dad read Late Great Planet Earth back in the 70's and it scared the shit out of him and then he went cuckoo for jesus, leading to the break up of his marriage and our family.

At first I laughed at this.  I guess it was just the wording.  But this is not a funny thing.  It's very sad.  My dad was always predisposed to fundamentalism, although I guess my mom but her foot down and said, she could accept being Lutheran.  When my mom died in her 50's, my dad went cuckoo, started talking in tongues, and hanging out with weird people.  But Mom was dead, my sister was grown up and on her own, and I never had a good relationship with my father to begin with, so it had little effect on the family.

[DeathandGrim]

During my baptism because I'm literally I was one of the most dumb kids around I only felt like I just got submerged under water. But I call myself dumb because I thought something was supposed to happen, I didn't know at the time that the trick to Baptism is completely tricking yourself into believing in magic sky fairies are real. I just expected something in the real world to actually happen.

Lol silly me.

[Munch]

I was baptised once.

It involved me laying down on the floor, and 20 guys standing over me..









































...And my fan fiction will continue another day