De-Baptism Gains a Following in Britain

More than 100,000 former Christians have downloaded "certificates of de-baptism" in a bid to publicly renounce the faith, according to the London-based National Secular Society (NSS).

Terry Sanderson, the society's president, says the group started the online de-baptism initiative five years ago to mock the practice of baptizing infants too young to consent to religious rites. Their web site invites visitors to "Liberate yourself from the Original Mumbo-Jumbo that liberated you from the Original Sin you never had" and allows them to print out a paper certificate that uses quasi-formal language to "reject baptism's creeds and other such superstitions." But in recent months, as tens of thousands began to download the certificate, organizers realized that they had struck a chord with atheists and once-devout church members who are leaving churches they see as increasingly out-of-tune with modern life. "Churches have become so reactionary, so politically active that people actually want to make a protest against them now," Sanderson says. "They're not just indifferent anymore. They're actively hostile."

The campaign has become so popular — with nearly 1,000 certificates downloaded each week — that the NSS has started taking orders for certificates printed on parchment, at $4.50 each; they've sold nearly 2,000 in just three weeks. "Every time the Pope says something outrageous we get another rush on the certificate," Sanderson says, noting that traffic to the site skyrocketed last month following Pope Benedict XVI's comment that condoms could worsen the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Public gaffes like that one may explain the anti-Catholic backlash driving similar movements elsewhere in the world. In October last year, Italy's Union of Rationalist Atheist and Agnostics sponsored the country's first-ever "De-baptism Day," when the no-longer faithful attended protests and passed out de-baptism forms to areligious people who didn't have internet connections to download them. More recently, on March 2, atheists and feminists in Argentina teamed up to launch the "Not in my Name" Internet campaign which encourages Roman Catholics to notify their local bishops of their desire to officially leave the church. So far more than 1,800 have joined their Facebook group or signed the petition on their website

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Source: TIME

Policeman shoots pastor

A policeman at the weekend shot dead a pastor of a Pentecostal church and critically injured a bishop in Nakapiripirit district before turning the gun on himself.

Julius Atuhairwe, attached to Tokora Police Post on the Mbale- Nakapiripirit road, reportedly opened fire on Pastor Eric Barasa of Amudat Pentecostal Assemblies of God church at 11:00am moments after being granted a pass leave.

The attack injured bishop George Omara, the head of churches in Karamoja sub-region.

Atuhairwe then shot himself in the chin and died instantly. The north-eastern regional Police chief, Okot Obwona, said the reason for the attack remains unclear.

“We cannot tell why Atuhairwe shot at the two people randomly,” he said.

“After receiving permission, he went to the barracks, picked his gun and on getting to the town council, he shot the pastor and the bishop.”

Obwona appealed to Police officers confide in their supervisors when they have problems so as to avert such incidents. “I also request that when you come across a colleague with problems, inform us about it in time. ”

Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba yesterday said Omara had been admitted to Matany Hospital in Moroto district while the bodies of Barasa and Atuhairwe were taken for postmortem examination.

Witnesses said they saw Atuhairwe raise his gun and open fire on the duo without saying a word.

“We got shocked when we saw people falling down before we scampered for our dear lives,” a witness said.

Pastor Robert Olupot of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church in Moroto said Omara was in Nakapiripirit for a leadership training.

“It is unfortunate that when Barasa went to receive Omara, they met the frustrated Police officer who showered them with bullets,” he said.

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Source: The New Vision

Decatur Church Being Built In 24 Hours

FORT WAYNE, IN (Indiana's NewsCenter) - While a slow economy has slowed or stopped some construction projects recently, that is not the case in Decatur.

A few hundred workers have converged on the town to build a church in 24 hours.

The United Pentecostal Church's Home Missions Department has built nearly 100 churches around the country and this is the 5th in Indiana. The Decatur church purchased the materials for around $80,000 and all the labor is donated.

Pastor Bruce Bush said it would have cost his church over four times that amount and 4 months to construct the building.

Workers came from as far away as Las Vegas to donate their services.
They started with a concrete slab at 7am and will have the church finished by 7am on Saturday.
The first service is Sunday morning at 10am.

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Source: Indiana's NewsCenter: Fort Wayne WPTA-TV