De-Baptise Yourself!

Make It Official!

Liberate yourself from the Original Mumbo-Jumbo that liberated you from the Original Sin you never had. You can display your Certificate of De-Baptism proudly framed in your hallway (porch, loo, lean-to, etc.) as an outward sign of the inner rationality that inspires your being.

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Making an Official Break With the Church

We often have letters, phone calls and emails from people who want to sever their links formally with the church into which they were baptised or confirmed at an age when they were unable to resist.

Here are a number of letters from our members who have tried to de-baptise themselves in some official way. We hope that their experience will be helpful.

You can download our Debaptism Certificate and have it signed, witnessed and framed. After all, the concept of baptism is a complete fantasy that has no meaning outside the heads of the religious. Simply renouncing your religion to yourself and to anyone else you think ought to know should be enough.

But for those who want their names removed from church records and who do not want to be counted in church statistics, this is what happened to others who tried it (and if you want to add your own experience to this, please write to tas@secularism.org.uk.

From Richard Harris:
I was interested in other NSS members’ attempts to extricate themselves from the clutches of Catholicism, having tried to do so myself. A year or two ago, I was told by the priest of the church where I was baptised that my name could not be removed from the register. I recently read in the Catholic Encyclopaedia, (accessible online), that one cannot be ‘de-baptised’.

Consequently, I recently tried for excommunication, in accordance with the criteria from the Catholic Encyclopaedia. I sent a very strongly worded letter to the Bishop of the local diocese, three weeks ago, requesting excommunication.

Apparently, it is important that one’s apostasy be shown, so I thought that it would help my case that I am on record, in a British magazine, saying that the god of the monotheistic religions is imaginary, and were it actually to exist as described, it would be an amoral monster. In my letter to the bishop, I was extremely critical of Catholicism, and religion in general. I also clearly denied the existence of any gods, and all the supernatural nonsense associated with religion. I believe that this together should be sufficient to show my apostasy, in which case, I understand, they are bound to excommunicate me. For those without evidence of their apostasy on public record, perhaps proof of membership in the NSS would suffice to show apostasy?

I have yet to hear from the bishop, but will report to you on my progress. I wonder if a national newspaper would be interested in this subject, especially if NSS members have difficulty removing themselves from inclusion in Catholic records or baptismal registers? The Catholic Church’s behaviour in this regard seems to be quite unethical, especially so for an organisation that claims to exercise moral purpose and leadership. Of course, they do much worse than this.

From Richard Harris:
I’m no longer a Catholic, and this is how I did it. I sent a letter to the Bishop of the diocese where I was baptised. I presented evidence of long-standing atheism, and I was insulting to the Catholic Church in particular, and theism in general, hoping to be excommunicated as a result.

I received back from them a simple form that I filled out, signed, and had witnessed, and which I then returned. It stated that I formally renounced my adherence to the Catholic Church. This form was subsequently returned to me, counter-signed by the Bishop & the Chancellor, & stamped with an ecclesiastical-looking seal.

On the face of it, it seems that all one has to do is obtain a copy of the form, sign it & have it witnessed, & send it to the bishop of the diocese where one was baptised, & then wait for it to be returned. (This assumes that the same form is in use throughout the Catholic Church, UK branch.)

Well now, I’m not sure that this is entirely satisfying. I can prove that I’m no longer a Catholic, should anyone ask. But I guess my name is still in a book of baptismal records, and how do I know that I’m not still being counted as a Catholic?

The interesting thing now would be to find out if other NSS members can simply get the form from their bishop without having to provide evidence of apostasy, unless NSS membership fulfils that condition. I shall take up these matters with the bishop.

From Chris Taylor:
After reading about other NSS members successfully managing to ‘de-baptise’ themselves I thought that I would give it a crack with the CofE mob. I emailed the diocese where I was dunked many years ago asking if I could be struck from the record as I have always thought it to be a load of old rubbish and said that if my parents had given me the choice of going through some sort of black magic voodoo ceremony performed by a probable child abuser in a dress I would, even at the age of 6 months, have said thanks but no thanks. I received a reply telling me that there was nothing that I could do about it. I replied asking again, suggesting that it would be easy, and a good christian deed (as these christers like to call it) to simply remove me from their register but it was to no avail. They replied again saying that it was just not possible and that I would just have to live with it. I would be interested to know if anyone has been successful with CofE as the RC lot seem to give different answers to different people. Maybe it depends on how god is feeling at the time!

From Jonathan Irons:
I have a rather pedantic point to make about your slightly tongue-in-cheek “De-Baptism” certificate. While every person’s faith is his own business and can be declared as and how he or she wishes, it is worth noting that the Catholic Church in England sees this slightly differently. Following a discussion with a family member on whether I was still a Catholic — as I had been baptised and confirmed but don’t believe and don’t practise — I wrote to the church and asked them what the score was. The polite, friendly and helpful reply was that if I wished to formally renounce my membership of the Catholic Church I should do so in writing (they sent me a form) to the bishop of the diocese in which I was baptised. This I then did. They then make a note in the baptismal register of the Church stating that I have renounced my membership.

The sentence which most concerned me was this: “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” (my emphasis). It was important for me that this is the case. I feel it should be me who decides what I believe, not someone else.

Continuing, they wrote “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.” Before writing, I tried to find out how one can renounce one’s faith, and found precious little information on the internet about it. Hence my e-mail.

Might I suggest that you make this information available on your website, as there may be other interested parties still counted as lost sheep, when in fact they don't regard themselves as sheep anymore. In fact, considering the stigma attached to leaving the church — and the family discussions that arise — advice may be welcome. I am enclosing the full wording of the email below. The original reply:

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.

From John Bosley:
In 2000, I wrote to the Bishop of St Albans (having no reply from the Rector of Stevenage) saying that I wished to have my baptism (in 1937) removed and my name removed not only from the parish records but more particularly from the ‘membership list’ of the Church of England. I said that I was unhappy to be still technically a member and I wished to ‘resign from the club’.

Eventually, I was informed that I was not counted as a member as their statistics were based annually on up-to-date parish records. As to my baptism, this was a bit like getting an ‘O’ level and it could not be ‘undone’. I had to smile.

From Michael Evans:
Here is a copy of my letter to the Archbishop of York:

Dear Archbishop,
I am writing to you because I was born in your diocese and would welcome your help. I was baptised at a very tender age and this was without my conscious agreement. At the age of 15 I was confirmed into the Church of England because I was under intolerable pressure from my peers, my teachers (at a Church of England school) and the local vicar.

As a committed atheist I strongly regret both ceremonies. I believe that I was brainwashed at an early age and I am grateful that I saw sense before the age of twenty. I now believe that religion in all its forms is the curse of mankind and is responsible for untold suffering in the world.

Can you please tell me what steps I need to take to become unbaptised and unconfirmed? I would be happy to pay a small fee to have my name removed from whatever records are in existence – especially if you can provide an exit certificate which I can display in my home.

From Michael Evans:
Here is the reply from Sentamu Ebor, who is praying for my soul as I write. It would seem that the CofE’s policy on de-baptism differs from that of the Catholics. I think I read somewhere of the experience of one ex-Catholic who had made a similar request and was told that a note would be made on the register.

I will now contact my local vicar (in Chiswick) to see if he has a form of ceremony that would allow me to repudiate my baptism and confirmation in line with the suggestion of the Archbishop.

Dear Mr Evans
Thank you for your email of 17 November. I am saddened that you so strongly repudiate your baptism and confirmation but these are facts in your past which cannot be obliterated from your story, any more, say, than your birth. Nor can the records of these events be altered because they record what happened and cannot be undone.

If you are so determined, you can - it sounds as though you do - repudiate your baptism and confirmation, and that is a personal decision. With regret that I have to write in this way and with my prayers.

Sentamu Ebor

Dear Vicar,
I have recently been in correspondence with the Archbishop of York, in whose diocese I was baptised and confirmed. I explained to him that, as a committed atheist, I wished to repudiate my baptism and confirmation. In his reply he said “If you are so determined, you can - it sounds as though you do - repudiate your baptism and confirmation, and that is a personal decision”.

I wonder if you have a short ceremony for such an occasion and whether or not I could pop along one day to be de-baptised? I was hoping to have some sort of certificate which I could display in my home to signify my exit.

From Sheila Kinsella:
I hate to be a party pooper, but as I was reading Richard Harris’ account of arranging to have the Catholic Church recognise that he was no longer a believer, as I am also an ex-Catholic, I recalled a conversation I had once with a priest who told me that the statistics that matter are the Confirmation ones, not the Baptismal ones. If you have been Baptised in a Catholic Church as an infant and then never participated in any of the Sacraments, the Church does not recognise you as one of the faithful. I am not sure how you become ‘unconfirmed’. Sorry!

From Sue Cauty:
Regarding those secularists eager to be ‘un-baptised, un-christened or un-confirmed’; I understand that The Church of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons) are busily collecting and compiling the names of every human being into a microfiche collection which ‘sanctifies’ each of those included as ‘believers’? Is this correct? If so, I have a problem with some silly ‘church’ misappropriating my name for its own agenda. Maybe we secularists should bring a class action against the LDS for ‘misrepresentation and embezzlement’? (They are very rich!)

I have just caught a clip of the film Casino Royale on the BBC World’s Talking Movies. The villain is asked ‘Do you believe in God?’ and replies to the effect that he believes in making money. Once again a specious take on religion ‘you don’t believe in God’ you are avaricious, immoral, and of criminal bent. I’ve not read an Ian Fleming novel – is this proposal specific or implied in his Bond books – and / or Casino Royale? If so – boycott the movie!

From Barbara Smoker:
Fellow ex-Catholic Sheila Kinsella is correct in stating that theoretically the Church regards Confirmation as a more significant statistic than Baptism; but secularist protests can include both – thus doubling the opportunities for seriously poking fun at exaggerated Christian claims.

Years ago, when president of the NSS, I drafted Catholic and Protestant versions of De-baptism certificates, and a number of members used them for appropriate circularisation and ritual. It was at least partly tongue-in-cheek, but not less effective for that. In fact, our getting a bit of fun out of the situation adds to the element of orthodox annoyance.

However, I feel that the alternative of accepting the role of apostate is no less telling. In the last few months, as a Catholic apostate, I have had three hard-hitting atheistic letters published in one of the two main RC weeklies in this country, the Catholic Herald (It is not worth trying the other, The Universe.)

I was one week old when baptised and eight years when confirmed. In the Protestant churches, Confirmation is more likely to be postponed until the teenage years, but it is still too young for most people have reached their final considered religious standpoint.

Whichever childhood sacrament the Catholic Church may use in their attempts to distort membership statistics, they cannot escape the fact of rapidly declining faith and Mass attendance. Maturity is what really counts.

A letter from Andrea in Italy:

I have just discovered the NSS; it’s incredible how sometimes you feel you know who's around but then you keep finding great secular groups and resources!!

This is to say a word about de-baptism.

Italy is my country, and the UAAR (Union of Atheists, Agnostics and Rationalists) have thought out a way to de-baptize our no-more-religious people. I'm happy to say that already a few thousand have done it!

We actually forced the churches (Catholic in particular, as the mainstream religion here) to accept our requests, by way of the Italian privacy law. The church simply has to accomplish the request, otherwise they would be subject to legal issues!

Formally, they can't cancel the baptism, as it is a historical fact, says the Italian law. As debatable as that may be (the Sacra Rota tribunal actually can wipe off a wedding), the church will write a note in the baptismal register beside our name, stating our will to renounce membership. This is all they will do, and as for the statistical count we must only hope, since their counting method also 'works in mysterious ways'.

The procedure is as simple as writing a registered mail with return receipt to the priest in charge at the church where the baptism took place (he is responsible for the answer, not the bishop), stating simply what you want. No explanation of any sort is needed. You have to refer to the relevant laws and also stress that the priest cannot tell anyone about it (we had some hostile priests trying to manipulate the person into not debaptizing by telling his family or the congregation!). Attach an identity document and that's it!

The priest then will answer with a signed response, confirming the note has being added in the register.

This is how it works in Italy. Since we started (1999) we have had to solicit the Italian government to take action more than once. But then the church had to adjust to it, and do it! This is what you actually would need to do to get the de-baptism procedure easily attainable, by involving real laws and not only priests’ good will.

More information: under Catholic law, anyone who declares him/herself an atheist is subject to excommunication – latae sententiae - by just saying it. Of course, a formal, written declaration is way better, given it is a manifest will and it can be counted. Minors can de-baptize themselves here too, although under the age of 14 they need parental consent.

Here is the link to our website (in Italian). You will also find a pre-made pdf form ready to be filled in and sent, which you can adapt to your needs here .

We have found that among atheist/agnostics there is sometimes a sort of indifference on whether and why to debaptize. Let's motivate and inspire them all!

We know that in Europe several countries already have similar official ways to do it (Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland. Next will be Spain). Go ahead UK!

Hope this information will help. Let's all be strong in affirming our freedom and secularism!!

Regards,
Andrea

Michael Igoe:
In relation to the debaptism certificate: if you're RC (originally at least), it’s simplicity itself to be ejected from the flock (appropriately named, it strikes me time and again). All you have to do is divorce. Whatever the reason, you remain unforgiven, prohibited from full participation in ecclesiastical rites. To me, it matters not the least to be de facto de-baptised or excommunicated. Yet there are some, including a prominent journalist, who feel greatly hurt by this vicious exclusion. Her 'crime'? Her marriage failed - like 30% or so of all marriages. And, for others, what’s the difference? Do I suppose I needed to be purified - within days of birth - of some 'Original Sin' (which is commonly suspected to be nothing but sexuality)?

From Lee Dickenson:
I had the following exchange of correspondence when I tried to get my baptism cancelled:

Dear Revd Clarke

My parents had me baptised as an infant in the Wellington Methodist Church. I am now (and have been for several years) atheist and I dislike the idea of paedobaptism. I have come to think that all individuals should have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to believe or participate in any religion, and that it should never be decided for them at any stage in life.

Out of respect for my personal choice not to believe in any deity nor to align myself to any religion, I request that the church erase any record of my involuntary involvement with it during infancy: a sort of de-baptism, if you will. Unfortunately I do not know the exact date on which I was baptized but it was after my brother was born so it was probably during 1989; from the photos, I assume we were baptized together. I must stress that I write only for myself, and not for my brother.

This is an issue of mutual respect, which I believe is paramount in such a diverse society as ours. You must respect my freedom not to believe as I must respect your freedom to believe, no matter how obscure we may think each other's outlook is.

I thank you for taking the time to read this and hope that you are able to act according to my wishes.

Kind regards,
Lee Dickenson

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Dear Lee,

Thanks for your e-mail. I’ll check out the situation, but I think the registers have been deposited in the County Archive in Shrewsbury, according to our rules for safeguarding documents. I’ve not had this particular request before but understand where you are coming from.

The record will of course be a statement of fact – for better or worse it did happen, though of course you had no choice in the matter. As far as we are concerned, baptism of infants is about what we understand to be God’s promise to us. I don’t think it can be held to be binding an infant to a particular faith or belief – and adults can change their convictions too.

Our practice of confirmation stands as an opportunity for young people or adults to ‘own their baptism’ for themselves if they wish to – and that is entirely their own choice and conscientious decision. At that point the promise is received and responded to. It’s not quite the same, but is in some respects similar to the fact that we have no choice about our birth into a particular family but at 18, or whatever age adulthood is achieved, we have the right to own or disown our family ties – if that is the freedom intended to be conferred by the ancient idea of ‘the key of the door’!

Anyway, I don’t think we would understand infant baptism as in taking away the right of any individual to choose faith or belief in God at all for themselves when able to do so.

The promise made by parents and god-parents at baptism are not on behalf of the child but about how they will bring a child up and encourage them to faith. No one can make a person believe and we would never presume to have parents promise things on behalf of a child that deny the autonomy of the individual.

I have a feeling it will not be possible to alter the record as it a record of what actually happened, but I will check it out. If not, I hope the comments above will be of help. It cannot be held that infant baptism holds the infant to a belief system for ever and denies the freedom for personal choice and expression. I will email again with more information, but in the meantime if you want to get back to me on any of these points or discuss the situation further, please email again.

Yours sincerely,
Peter Clarke

From Lucy (name and addressed supplied):
Having come across your site and the particular thread of “de-baptising” people I thought I could provide a quick theory that may be of assistance to people no longer wishing to be counted among the faithful.

These records would no doubt count as personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998, as it is by its own description, “an Act to make new provision for the regulation of the processing of information relating to individuals, including the obtaining, holding, use or disclosure of such information”. The records contain not only your name but your age; the religion you were indoctrinated into, parents’ details etc and they are most definitely held, disclosed and used by the institutions in question. All such people who process information of this nature have to be registered… failure to be registered and still processing information is an offence- I would love to see people asking for copies of the individual church people’s data protection registration certificates.

Section 2 of this act states what is sensitive personal info and I quote it below- the relevant point really being C:

“2 -Sensitive personal data
In this Act “sensitive personal data” means personal data consisting of information as to—
(a) the racial or ethnic origin of the data subject,
(b) his political opinions,
(c) his religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature,
(d) whether he is a member of a trade union (within the meaning of the [1992 c. 52.] Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992),
(e) his physical or mental health or condition,
(f) his sexual life,
(g) the commission or alleged commission by him of any offence, or
(h) any proceedings for any offence committed or alleged to have been committed by him, the disposal of such proceedings or the sentence of any court in such proceedings.

Section 10 gives an individual the right to request that the person processing the information for a specified purpose or in a specified manner ceases to begin or ceases to continue to process the information in that manner. It should therefore be possible to write and request that the church does not count you as one of the faithful, or processes your information any further.

However the most interesting Section for me is Section 14 which requires (upon application to a court to enforce this) an institution to rectify, block, erase or destroy data held about an individual that contains an expression of opinion which appears to the court to be based on the inaccurate data – would being counted as a Catholic (or C of E etc) be inaccurate data if the individual is clearly not a Catholic?

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