Do You Reject Him?

Yesterday afternoon, I went to a baptism. My friend's twins were about to put on the cloak of Jesus, and I had to be there for the momentous occasion. Despite very little sleep and my usual dour disposition, I ironed some pants, loaded "Wife" and "Daughter" in the car and headed for church.

When "Daughter" was baptized, or even when I was, for that matter, the baptism was a private affair. I guess the Church is going for the Sam's Club discount method now days. There were four families, all ready to cleanse their infants of the nasty film that is original sin. Each family had a special area of church that had been roped off just for them. It was like a religious holding pen, meant to keep the different groups from mingling. The deacon who performed the ceremony (yeah, we didn't get a full priest. I guess baptisms don't pay as much as weddings or funerals) gave a brief introduction and said a few prayers and then it was time for the dunkin'.

I know that in some religions, people are completely submerged during baptism. The Catholic Church had always opted to just hold the baby over a Baptismal font and trickle a little water over their forehead. In an effort to get back to ancient roots, or maybe just to justify installing sweet water falls in church, now the babies get dipped in the water like a small cone at Dairy Queen. When "Daughter" got baptized, she wore the same Baptismal gown that I and all my brothers had worn. That's not really an issue in the "new" Church. My friend's children were dunked while completely naked. This was a choice, I found out later. You could have had your kid in some type of gown or ""onezie"". I don't know why they were naked, but I found it funny. I was hoping that it didn't mean the babies had an extra layer of sin that needed to be washed away. I held them both and they didn't seem sinful at all. I'm sure the vomit was a result of gas.

During the ceremony the adults are asked to renew their Baptismal rights. During this, you swear to reject Satan, all his works and deeds and the glamour of sin. Everyone said they did reject all of it, but looking into the eyes of some of the folks I knew they were thinking of stuff they had done on Saturday night and hoping for a "do-over". I know I'm odd, but all I could think of while this was happening was the great scene from "The Godfather". You remember the scene. Michael Corleone is standing up as Godfather to his sister's baby. As Michael answers each Baptismal vow rejecting evil, another scene of a murder that he ordered is shown being carried out. Why I focused on this during a beautiful religious ceremony, I can't tell you. All I know is that somewhere, while my friend's children were having their sins washed away, Moe Greene was getting a bullet in the eye.

Everything went as planned, and the babies are all in God's good graces. I hope some of it rubbed off on me. I can use all the help I can get. Later...Brian