As other ‘secular’ religions continue to criticize Hindu rituals as being superstitious and outdated, an incident in which a pastor accidentally killed an infant during a baptism has caused quite a stir. Missionaries usually take those who wish to convert to Christianity to pools, rivers, lakes, and oceans where they can be baptized and declare them to having accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
However, opposition against this custom is already growing in the West. The demand for abandoning this practice has been strengthened by the fact that three children have been killed during a baptismal event in Romania, having drowned in water.
Recently, a baby was rushed to the hospital after suffering a heart attack following its baptism. However, doctors pronounced the baby to be dead. Physical examination revealed that the baby’s lungs were completely waterlogged and that it died of suffocation. The Conservative Church, where the incident took place, has come under fire for this incident. A petition has been launched online requesting that the baptism ceremony be abandoned. It has over 57,000 signatures.
Investigative agencies have launched an investigation into the priest who conducted the baptismal service at the church. While some priests claim that a few drops of water on the head is enough, the archbishop insists that the baptismal rite be performed in the old-fashioned way. Meanwhile, back in India, there has been a controversy as missionaries have been involved in such activities, conducting baptisms in the lakes and ponds on the temple premises.
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