Parents sue after their special needs son is 'forcibly' baptized against their wishes

[essentialsaltes]

"An eleven-year-old boy was baptized in Geauga County’s Morning Star Friends Church, and his parents want criminal charges to be filed against not only the church, but his mentor from the local Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter as well.

April Defibaugh says her son has “autistic tendencies” and doesn’t process things as quickly as other children his age, and this makes his baptism an assault that has given him recurring nightmares."

From the lawsuit: "despite explicit instructions from the DeFibaughs to refrain from religious activities with V, Guarnero would frequently discuss religion with V. On August 28, 2016, Guarnero took V to a picnic at his church, the Morning Star Friends Church in Chardon, and, along with the church pastor, Matthew Chesnes, forcibly baptized V, pushing him under water."

 

[durangodawood]

Well if its necessary for the salvation of ones immortal soul, I'd say mobs of Christians should go around making sure everyone is baptized.

 

[SnowyMacie]

If the person doesn't believe and has no interest in commit their life to Christ, they aren't being baptized, they're just being dunked into water.

 

[Far Side Of the Moon]

If the person doesn't believe and has no interest in commit their life to Christ, they aren't being baptized, they're just being dunked into water.

Totally agree.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Oh, well then it is OK to dunk autistic kids in water. Whodathunk.

 

[trunks2k]

There was a video of the event

 

[durangodawood]

If the person doesn't believe and has no interest in commit their life to Christ, they aren't being baptized, they're just being dunked into water.

Oh.

I thought it was normal practice to baptize children...?

 

[SnowyMacie]

Oh.

I thought it was normal practice to baptize children...?

It is still common practice in many churches to baptize infants, but it is not something I agree with even though I am in one of those churches. In all of those churches, there's also Confirmation, where the children make a cognitive, adult, and intentional affirmation and such of their faith. It's generally done in early adolescence.

 

[Arcangl86]

This case is even more complicated because one of the people involved was a guardian ad litem, which potentially brings in a constitutional issue.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

I always love when nonbelievers claim God is not real and its all fake and we are all unintelligent people for believing such nonsense. And yet their son gets baptized and they freak out. If Gods not real then why are you so mad over something that doesn't even matter and is fake? Granted they are saying he was forced and what not and I understand.

Still my point remains its funny how many get offended by God and spend their days hating God despite the fact they say Hes not real. They spend an awful lot of time hating someone who doesn't exist.

 

[durangodawood]

It is still common practice in many churches to baptize infants, but it is not something I agree with even though I am in one of those churches. In all of those churches, there's also Confirmation, where the children make a cognitive, adult, and intentional affirmation and such of their faith. It's generally done in early adolescence.

I see.

But there's an interesting contradiction in the part I highlighted.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

I always love when nonbelievers claim God is not real and its all fake and we are all unintelligent people for believing such nonsense. And yet their son gets baptized and they freak out. If Gods not real then why are you so mad over something that doesn't even matter and is fake? Granted they are saying he was forced and what not and I understand.

Would you like if I dunked your kid (special needs or not) underwater against his will, without him even knowing what's going on or why? I don't think I need to attach any magical reasons to it for you to see why that's wrong, do I?

Still my point remains its funny how many get offended by God and spend their days hating God despite the fact they say Hes not real. They spend an awful lot of time hating someone who doesn't exist.

I don't know if God exists or not but the people who believe in him do exist and the effects of their beliefs on society are very real and that's what some people resent.

 

[SnowyMacie]

I see.

But there's an interesting contradiction in the part I highlighted.

You don't think children around ages 12 or so are old enough to decide? It's not always that young, when I was received, there was a senior in high school being confirmed that had grown up in the church.

 

[MyOwnSockPuppet]

I always love when nonbelievers claim God is not real and its all fake and we are all unintelligent people for believing such nonsense. And yet their son gets baptized and they freak out. If Gods not real then why are you so mad over something that doesn't even matter and is fake? Granted they are saying he was forced and what not and I understand.

Still my point remains its funny how many get offended by God and spend their days hating God despite the fact they say Hes not real. They spend an awful lot of time hating someone who doesn't exist.

I can't help but wonder whether your reaction would be the same if it wasn't a baptism but an aqiqah ceremony.

Generally speaking it's considered rude to inflict initiation ceremonies of your religion, regardless of what it is, to other people's children.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't hate someone who doesn't exist, I hate some of the idiocy at best or downright evil at worst of people based on what they think their god wants.

 

[Ironhold]

Official policy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that the local authorities must have the permission of at least one biological parent before a minor can be baptized. If the biological parents cannot be contacted or the biological parents both refuse, then baptism cannot officially be performed until such time as the person is a legal adult (aged 18+).

This seems like such a sufficiently common-sense approach that one wonders why other religious groups don't have it as a standard.

 

[Nithavela]

It is still common practice in many churches to baptize infants, but it is not something I agree with even though I am in one of those churches. In all of those churches, there's also Confirmation, where the children make a cognitive, adult, and intentional affirmation and such of their faith. It's generally done in early adolescence.

They make an adult decision in early adolescence? That's quite the feat. I don't think most people make their first adult decision before turning 25.

 

[Nithavela]

I always love when nonbelievers claim God is not real and its all fake and we are all unintelligent people for believing such nonsense. And yet their son gets baptized and they freak out. If Gods not real then why are you so mad over something that doesn't even matter and is fake? Granted they are saying he was forced and what not and I understand.

Still my point remains its funny how many get offended by God and spend their days hating God despite the fact they say Hes not real. They spend an awful lot of time hating someone who doesn't exist.

This is obviously because all atheists believe in their heart of hearts that the christian god exists, but they don't want to change their sinfull lifestyles.

 

[xpower]

They make an adult decision in early adolescence? That's quite the feat. I don't think most people make their first adult decision before turning 25.

I have heard some atheist people say they choose to be atheist before they were 10.

 

[USincognito]

I always love when nonbelievers claim God is not real and its all fake and we are all unintelligent people for believing such nonsense. And yet their son gets baptized and they freak out. If Gods not real then why are you so mad over something that doesn't even matter and is fake? Granted they are saying he was forced and what not and I understand.

Still my point remains its funny how many get offended by God and spend their days hating God despite the fact they say Hes not real. They spend an awful lot of time hating someone who doesn't exist.

Did you actually read the story before going off on this rant?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Granted they are saying he was forced and what not and I understand.

Then why did you post your irrelevant observation?