I have mixed emotions about these things. The most powerful emotion for me is sadness and pity. I believe there is a God and I know this God to be Grace and Love, but also a God of Holiness, Truth and Justice. We are responsible for the choices we make in life and even a God whose very nature is defined as perfect Love will not drag a person kicking and screaming into heaven. You could say he answers our prayer. If we reject Him in this life, He'll honor our desire to have Him out of it forever and will reject us in eternity.
One good point of understanding that I read in the article was found in this quote:
John Hunt, a 58-year-old from London and one of the first to try to be "de-baptised," held that he was too young to make any decision when he was christened at five months old.
That is something that I hold to be True and is one of the main reasons I do not ascribe to infant baptism; let me explain. I am not in favor of any baptism that is conducted as a "scheduled" tradition. I was baptised as an infant in the catholic church and I know others who were baptised at a very young age, say 5, 8 or even 12 years old. God wants us to make our own personal decision to follow Him. That decision is based on our understanding of how our sin has violated His perfect law and, as God clearly tells us, the punishment of sin is death. BUT!! The good news is that God has paid the penalty for us, He himself in the flesh died on the cross for our sins and paid the penalty for us, all we need do is accept it and our acceptance is marked in a covenant ceremony called baptism. That decision can only be made by a person of mature mind at a time that is known as the age of understanding. What age does that occur? It's different for everyone, but I know for sure no infant is able to make that decision on their own. Typically the age of understanding occurs around 12 or 13 years old, but I've seen some people younger than that be able to show a clear understanding and make a decision. I didn't come to fully understand this until I was 39 years old and when I did, I chose to be baptized into Christ at that time even though I was baptized when I was an infant.
The people in this article understand this and are making a decision opposite of mine. They are choosing to reject God and the forgiveness He offers us through Christ, where I and others like me choose to accept it and be baptized. Asking to be de-baptized shows their ignorance of the Truth. Not that I suppose to know the mind of God, but I am certain God does not accept "forced" salvation.
Two last thoughts:
- It may not be clear to us when a person reaches the age of understanding, but God knows when it is. If a child dies and was not old enough to understand what sin is and how it violates God's law, that child is considered innocent in God's eyes and therefore is covered by God's grace. Notice this has nothing to do with whether the person has ever "heard" the gospel or not, it's totally dependent on whether you are mature enough to understand it IF YOU HAD heard it.
- If you are reading this and believe you are beyond that age of understanding, and have not made a personal decision whether you believe or not and whether to be baptised, then you have a decision to make. Honestly, I hope this weighs heavy on your mind. Listen, the gospel is a very easy concept, so easily understood that even a 12 year old can understand it and choose whether to believe or not. Yes, there are a lot of questions and learning and understanding that still needs to come. But once you see how it is possible that there is a God and His plan of salvation through Christ could be true, act on it and be baptised. If you die and you have not taken this step, it's too late.
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