Rossa Gallagher ¦ Staff Writer
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that this probably isn’t the most dynamic hook of a sentence ever to grace a UT article, but the Sunday before last I attended my first christening. Stick with me. My cousin’s child was being baptised in Glasnevin at the wee age of nine months, which is actually pretty old for that kind of thing. Having been brought up Catholic myself, and having participated in the rituals (Baptism, Communion, Confirmation) generally as a matter of formality, I hadn’t given much thought to them. Communion was when we’d get dressed up all fancy, crowd into church, smile for the photos and be given stupid amounts of money for not really doing anything. Confirmation, likewise. I’m not trying to be cynical, but the spirituality and symbolism of the ceremonies was almost entirely lost on me; I was eight. So what about Baptism?
Is it alright to make such a decision for someone who is so entirely oblivious?
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The christening was a big affair. About eight kids were being baptised at the same time. Family and friends jammed into the pews and the priest remarked on the solemnity of the entire affair, explaining how (this stuck with me) the children were ‘symbolically dying in order to be reborn with Jesus Christ’. Being remoulded in Jesus’ image, Baptism is a ceremony in which people are ushered into a lifelong relationship with the Catholic Church. Try to explain that to a child, though, or better, an infant. At worst they’ll cry, dominated by earthly needs like food, sleep or a nappy change. At best (like my cousin’s baby, the cutest, tiniest, squishiest human being you’ll ever see) they’ll smile vacantly back at you. My cousin’s kid sat through the ceremony without crying once, delighted to be the centre of attention and the focus of so many cameras. But despite his smiles, he probably had about as much of an understanding of the situation as would a loaf of bread. This was all I could really think of during the ceremony and kept asking myself; is it alright to make such a decision for someone who is so entirely oblivious?
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge my parents or the parents of anyone who was baptised the decision to do so for their child. I’ve spent a large amount of time involved in the Church and it is absolutely not time I consider wasted. I’ve met some of the kindest people I think I ever will and at times really felt a sense of belonging to a community. But I think such belonging should be as a result of a choice, freely made. Being baptised means recognising the existence of God, Jesus Christ, the authority of the Church and promising to spend your life adhering to their rules. It’s like a contract. But a contract must always be read and understood by both parties before signing. A promise loses its legitimacy if it’s made without understanding its implications, in ignorance.
“Catholicism is the stickiest, most adhesive religion known to man.” – Dara O’Briain
The argument can be made that as soon as the child is fully aware of what he or she has been entered into, they are free to leave. No one is forcing them to be a practicing Christian. I know too many people that wish they had never had been given the brand of Catholic to agree with this though. As Dara O’Briain puts it, “Catholicism is the stickiest, most adhesive religion known to man.” Someone who has been baptised but does not consider themself to be a Catholic will often have found it difficult to explain how, in spite of their upbringing, they are either not Catholic or even religious at all. For example, breaches of Catholic behavioural rules, refusal to follow Catholic practices and a distinct lack of belief in Catholicism will not in fact remove you from the Church, but just earn you the name ‘lapsed Catholic’. It can make distancing yourself from religion really difficult.
So, maybe it’d be better to wait until a child is a little older and capable of considering the impact of such a decision before baptism is suggested. Follow the Amish example. Even that weird, technologically backward sect typically baptise between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five. That’s nearly two decades of time to consider whether or not you’re willing to commit to religion. If I was to consciously decide to join the Church at the age of say, eighteen, I’d feel like I was actually making a choice and that this is what I want to do. I can’t believe in something I don’t really understand, so why should a child?
