Babies

I really want to see the new documentary called Babies which follows the progress of four babies, one in Mongolia, another in Namibia, yet another in Japan, and finally one in the States. The reviews so far have been very positive, and what's not to like about lil' bambinos, especially if you don't have to take them home? The doc follows these four cherubs through the early stages of their lives and not surprisingly they are fascinating.

Today we will baptize a baby in worship, infant baptism being the usual although not exclusive practice of the United Church. Some denominations baptize adults only and consider us to be somewhat inferior Christians for sprinkling infants. We argue that there are stories in scripture describing baptism of entire households or families, so wouldn't that include kids? In fact, coincidence or providence offers up one of those stories within the lectionary readings this week.

We take on the responsibility of being the extended family of the children we baptize, not unlike the communal child-rearing in places like Namibia. The difficulty is that while some families seek baptism and we make our promises, we don't get much of a chance to be the village that raises a child. I know some parents figure that they will get around to church, but why bother until then? To add to the discussion, take a look at this article in the New York Times on the moral life of babies http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/magazine/09babies-t.html

Is baptism meaningful for you? Do you take your promises seriously? Should we even bother in this day of rampant individualism, or should we just wait for adult commitment as with other churches?