I de-baptise thee in the name of Freud, Darwin and Lou Reed

I was greatly taken with the De-Baptism certificate that Mr Boldray has kindly found:

It is the brainchild of the National Secular Society, my new favourite organisation, and on their site are a few accounts of people’s experiences with de-baptism. The best is the one the bold Ray quotes: a slightly arch reply from the diocese to his request:

If you have decided formally to renounce your Catholic faith, there is a simple procedure. You need to write to an official known as the diocesan chancellor for the area within which you were baptised. Give him as much detail as possible about where and when you were baptised, and briefly state the reasons why you wish no longer to be considered a member of the Catholic Church. Keep it factual and avoid anything that he might construe as aggressive or insulting to the Catholic religion.

A note will then be made in the baptismal register of the Church where you were baptised stating that you have formally renounced your membership of the Catholic Church. For all legal purposes, both in the law of the Church, and, where applicable, in civil law, you will no longer be considered a Catholic.
It is not possible to cancel your baptism as such, since baptism is regarded by the Church as leaving an indelible mark on the soul, but of course, this will not concern you since you no longer believe in that.

~ by bettyslocombe on December 2, 2008.