InfoAnda - 100,000 secular Britons seek 'de-baptism'

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Md. police: Man nicknamed 'Hitler' beat black man | 20 August 2009
Five men arrested in London during pope visit | | 17 September 2010
Silicon Image announces at CES it aims to connect home media | 9 January 2009

China syphilis infections up 30% each year: report | 12 June 2010

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : 100,000 secular Britons seek 'de-baptism'

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Search Search: 100,000 secular Britons seek 'de-baptism' AFP - Tuesday, March 31 LONDON (AFP) - - More than 100,000 Britons have recently downloaded "certificates of de-baptism" from the Internet to renounce their Christian faith. ADVERTISEMENT The initiative launched by a group called the National Secular Society (NSS) follows atheist campaigns here and elsewhere, including a London bus poster which triggered protests by proclaiming "There's probably no God." "We now produce a certificate on parchment and we have sold 1,500 units at three pounds (4.35 dollars, 3.20 euros) a pop," said NSS president Terry Sanderson, 58. 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. The male nurse said he approached the Church of England to ask it to remove his name. "They said they had sought legal advice and that I should place an announcement in the London Gazette," said Hunt, referring to one of the official journals of record of the British government. So that's what he did -- his notice of renouncement was published in the Gazette in May 2008 and other Britons have followed suit. Michael Evans, 66, branded baptising children as "a form of child abuse" -- and said that when he complained to the church where he was christened he was told to contact the European Court of Human Rights. The Church of England said its official position was not to amend its records. "Renouncing baptism is a matter between the individual and God," a Church spokesman told AFP. "We are not a 'membership' church, and do not keep a running total of the number of baptised people in the Church of England, and such totals do not feature in the statistics that we regularly publish," he added. De-baptism organisers say the initiative is a response to what they see as increasing stridency from churches -- the latest last week when Pope Benedict XVI stirred global controversy on a trip to AIDS-ravaged Africa by saying condom use could further spread of the disease. "The Catholic Church is so politically active at the moment that I think that is where the hostility is coming from," said Sanderson. "In Catholic countries there is a very strong feeling of wanting to punish the church by leaving it." In Britain, where government figures say nearly 72 percent of the population list themselves as Christian, Sanderson feels this "hostility" is fuelling the de-baptism movement. Theologian Paul Murray at Durham University disagrees. "That is not my experience," he said, but concedes that change is in the air. "We are in an interesting climate where Catholicism and other belief systems have moved into the public, pluralist arena, alongside secularists," he said. De-baptism movements have already sprung up in other countries. In Spain, the high court ruled in favour of a man from Valencia, Manuel Blat, saying that under data protection laws he could have the record of his baptism erased, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune. Similarly, the Italian Union of Rationalists and Agnostics (UAAR) won a legal battle over the right to file for de-baptism in 2002, according to media reports. The group's website carries a "de-baptism" form to facilitate matters. According to UAAR secretary Raffaele Carcano, more than 60,000 of these forms have been downloaded in the past four years and continue to be downloaded at a rate of about 2,000 per month. Another 1,000 were downloaded in one day when the group held its first national de-baptism day last October 25. Elsewhere, an Argentinian secularist movement is running a "Collective Apostasy" campaign, using the slogan "Not in my name" (No en mi nombre). Sanderson hopes rulings in other European countries will pave the way for legal action in Britain, since European Union directives require a level of parity among member states' legislation. "That would be a good precedent for us to say to the British Information Commissioner: Come on, what's your excuse?" said Sanderson. The bus-side posters that hit London in January sported the message: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." The scheme was in response to pro-Christian adverts on buses directing passers-by to a website warning those who did not accept Jesus would suffer for eternity in hell. Comedy writer Ariane Sherine, mastermind of the British bus campaign that saw a copycat version in Barcelona and other cities, said she backs the "de-baptism" movement but insisted the two initiatives were separate. Sanderson meanwhile remains resolute. "The fact that people are willing to pay for the parchments shows how seriously they are taking them," he said. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article Average (7 votes) Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories »

Other News on Monday, 30 March 2009
U.S. seeks support on Afghan plans at Hague forum | International |
Karzai to stay Afghan president till August polls | International |
Indian Ocean island votes to become fully French | International |
Action video games sharpen eyesight: U.S. study | Technology |
New technologies coming to Web start-ups' rescue | Technology |
'Monsters vs. Aliens' fuels booming box office | Entertainment |
Palestinian orchestra shut over Holocaust concert | Entertainment |
U.S. deploys anti-missile ships before North Korea launch | International |
Israel's Netanyahu to present govt Tuesday: Likud
Thirty years on, Khmer Rouge torturer in dock | International |
US-backed Iraqi troops quell Baghdad uprising
Militants storm Pakistani police center | International |
Obama vows no hot US troop pursuit into Pakistan
U.S. seeks support on Afghan plans at Hague forum | International |
GM chief to quit under Obama auto plan
Kenyan police abuse Somali refugees: rights group | International |
US envoy: Don't expect warmer relations with Iran
Prince William up for Afghanistan fight: report
Foe of pro-Moscow Chechnya leader shot in Dubai: reports | International |
Israel: Militants smuggled tons of weapons to Gaza
Madonna in Malawi for second adoption
Hamas leader gives unity talks a strong chance | International |
Peugeot board sacks boss Streiff
Fidel Castro criticizes Biden for embargo support | International |
Obama plans to stick to Iraq withdrawal timetable
$135 bln remains from bank bailout fund: Geithner
Pentagon chief favors sanctions to press Iran | International |
Obama rules out US troops in Pakistan
Sudan's Beshir travels to Doha, defying warrant
Germany's Hypo Real Estate will survive: CEO
Obama envoy: China too must fight global warming
Skype announces service for iPhone, BlackBerry | Technology |
Eight killed in attack on US nursing home
Britain to start Iraq pullout on Tuesday
NDakota fights levee erosion amid record floods
Action video games sharpen eyesight: U.S. study
Obama rules out US troop raids into Pakistan
Gates says US can do nothing about NKorean missile
Central America to US: Slow deportations
Indian Ocean former colony votes to become French
Thousands march in Spain against abortion reforms
Madonna appears in Malawi court in adoption bid | Entertainment |
Fox News' Bill O'Reilly boycotting Sean Penn films | Entertainment |
ABC, Survivor producer launch bailout program | Entertainment |
Prince battles sound problems on one-night tour | Entertainment |
Kathy Bates on Blind Side team | Entertainment |
Fox eyes dating show for average-looking people | Entertainment |
Wrestling star Cena is dead weight in 12 Rounds | Entertainment |
Thai PM avoids office on 5th day of protests
Eric Bana loves his car, moviegoers won't | Entertainment |
Hong Kong columnist attacked for 'racist' article
Office gearing up for fall syndication launch | Entertainment |
U.S. deploys anti-missile ships
Thai police warn protesters on 5th day of blockade
Monsters vs. Aliens fuels booming box office | Entertainment |
Malaysia police seize opposition election DVDs
Gunmen storm Pakistan police academy
S.Korea c/a surplus 11-yr high as exports rise
Sri Lanka says 39 rebels killed in fighting
S.Korean won tumbles as stocks fall across region
Soldier stabbed outside army barracks in SW China
Taiwan dollar down sharply after stocks extend losses
Sri Lanka military says 39 rebels killed battles
Seoul shares fall 3.2 pct hit by banks, auto woes
Indonesia steps up search for dam burst survivors
China energy arm plans to up nuclear capacity
Fox eyes dating show for "average-looking" people
China's Chalco says loss expected in Q1
ABC, "Survivor" producer launch bailout program
"Office" gearing up for fall syndication launch
Seoul shares fall 3 pct as banks, carmakers drop
Prince battles sound problems on one-night tour
Korea Hot Stocks
Eric Bana loves his car, moviegoers won't
AU, Chi Mei seek tie-ups with Chinese firms -paper
Wrestling star Cena is dead weight in "12 Rounds"
S.Korea sees $3.5 bln property-linked problem loans
Actor Tim Allen greets his 2nd child, Elizabeth
Kathy Bates on "Blind Side" team
Ukraine cafe glorifies anti-Soviet fighters
Following atheist trend, Britons seek 'de-baptism'
Turkish government poll setback weakens markets
No early exit from Afghanistan: NATO chief | International |
Afghan suicide blast kills nine: government
Israel's Netanyahu pledges to seek Middle East peace | International |
Bicycle bomb kills 3 in north Iraq's Baquba
Kurd voters stress on identity frustrates Turkish PM | International |
Israel's Netanyahu readies to present cabinet
World stocks plummet as auto sector reels
Sudan's Bashir urges Arab support against warrant | International |
Afghan suicide blast kills eight: police
100,000 secular Britons seek 'de-baptism'
Southern Africa summit seen suspending Madagascar | International |
Israeli Railways fires Arabs workers
India appoints lawyer for accused Mumbai attacker | International |
Suicide bomber kills three Pakistan soldiers
Five Britons arrested ahead of G20 London protests | International |
Medvedev hopeful ahead of meeting with Obama
Google launches free, legal music downloads in China | Technology |
US sergeant convicted of executing Iraqi prisoners
Skype to launch service for iPhone, BlackBerry
Fujitsu commits to servers despite potential Sun deal | Technology |
Google launches free, legal music downloads in China
Fujitsu aims to double PC server sales in 2 yrs
US sergeant convicted of executing Iraqi prisoner
Fujitsu aims to double PC server sales in 2 yrs | Technology |
US won't hunt militants over Pakistan border: Obama
Hong Kong defers on Mugabe immunity in attack
Malawi court to rule on Madonna adoption bid Friday | Entertainment |
19 die in bloody siege at Pakistan police academy
Filipino militants set time for hostage beheading
Hollywood's top music composer Maurice Jarre dies
China cracks down in Muslim west
Four 'terrorists' killed at Pakistan police academy
Ex-rebel leader attacked ahead of Aceh elections
NKorea holding SKorean worker at joint factory
Japan's industrial production falls 9.4 percent
Credit crunch impairs theaters' digital vision | Entertainment |
Pakistani commandos end siege
Japanese automakers worry about GM, Chrysler
Fox News' Bill O'Reilly boycotting Sean Penn films
Long-delayed Khmer Rouge genocide trial opens
DEALTALK-Western stakes in S.Korea banks eyed amid sell-downs
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Hit writer Bob Gaudio honored at Nashville show
Taiwan defends trade pact with China
T.S. Eliot nixed Orwell's 'Trotskyite' Animal Farm
Seoul shares drop 3 pct amid auto woes, won weighs
Hollywood's top music composer Maurice Jarre dies
Elbit Systems wins Korea Aerospace contract
Maurice Jarre, composer of "Zhivago" score, dies
China Minmetals still discussing Oz Minerals deal
Madonna's adoption ruling delayed until Friday
Maurice Jarre, composer of Zhivago score, dies | Entertainment |
Credit crunch impairs theaters' digital vision
Islamic party holds huge election rally in Jakarta
Grenade damages home of Indonesian party leader
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01