Pastor plans baptism at river on heels of dispute
BY KIRAN KRISHNAMURTHY TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jun 4, 2004
FREDERICKSBURG - A pastor plans to baptize a church member at a waterfront park here Sunday, two weeks after park officials told another pastor his baptismal ceremony in the Rappahannock River violated park policy.
Fredericksburg-Stafford Park Authority Director Brian Robinson, whose handling of the earlier incident has come under scrutiny, said yesterday that he will allow the Rev. John H. Reid to baptize a church member at Old Mill Park in Fredericksburg on Sunday afternoon.
"It seems to be just a small, casual group, and we wouldn't have a permit issue," Robinson said.
The American Civil Liberties Union's Virginia chapter has said it is prepared to take legal action if park officials ban baptisms or otherwise discriminate against religious activities.
Kent Willis, executive director of the state ACLU chapter, said yesterday that he plans to monitor the event in light of the May 23 incident, in which the Rev. Todd Pyle of Cornerstone Baptist Church said he was told by a park official to cease baptisms in the river at Falmouth Waterfront Park in Stafford County.
Pyle said he had baptized 12 people in the river that day when Robinson told him such a ceremony was prohibited because the park discourages water activity. Pyle said many other people were wading in the river at the time.
Robinson later acknowledged that he is unable to bar any certain group of people from the river. He said churches and other groups are allowed to hold events at a park shelter but that they must first obtain a permit.
However, the park authority's policy on the matter is unwritten and does not specify what constitutes a group. "There is a gray area," Robinson said yesterday, adding that the park authority is reviewing its guidelines.
Robinson, for example, said he is not requiring a permit for Sunday's baptism, primarily because Reid's New Generation Evangelical Episcopal Church apparently plans no other activities at the same time and because a small number of church members - Reid estimates 10 to 20 - are expected to watch.
Reid said he has baptized about 40 people in the past six years at waterfront parks operated by the regional park authority. He said that this Sunday's baptism was planned before the recent dispute over Cornerstone Baptist Church's baptisms.
Robinson also noted that Cornerstone Baptist members were passing out religious literature in what he considers a common area, away from the shelters that can be reserved.
Willis said he is troubled by the lack of a hard-and-fast policy at the park.
"What they have are traditions, maybe even de facto rules, but they are very vague," he said. "We will need to be vigilant."
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031775863253&path=%21news&s=1045855934842
ACLU - even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again.
Two previous threads:
Public Baptism Sparks Controversy (More State-Sponsored Religion Bashing)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1146547/posts
Public baptism sparks controversy
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1146280/posts
Can you say "token" ?
: a member of a group (as a minority) that is included within a larger group through tokenism; especially : a token employee
Even a blind pig finds an acorn every once and a while
The Church is j8ust wrong on this.
In making this baptism a public event, they are stepping out of the church realm and stepping into showmanship.
If this guy wants to get baptised, and the Pastor believes he is a genuine Born Again Christian, then he can baptise him in any water deep enough to immerse him.
To DEMAND that they be allowed to use a privately owned park, even a public owned park, that is pushing the envelope, and FORCING people to demand they watch almost.
They can find a spot on the Rappohannock somewhere that no one has to see this event.
Unless the whole idea is to make this a show or something, then that proves my point.
I don't understand what the minister is waiting for. Does the Bible tell believers/repenters that there is a six month waiting period on baptism?
I kind of doubt that the national organization agrees with the Virginia ACUL on this position. Usually, the ACLU is against use of public property for religious displays or use.
I think Mohammad Ali called this his Rope-a-Dope tactic - it confuses the enemy.
OK- I'm confused:
As a former Episcopalian, I can attest to the fact that the Episcopal Church does not do baptism by immersion - but by sprinkling.... Although I will admit I've never heard of an "Evangelical Episcopal Church".....
These people should not let the ACLU defend them, I don't care if it's free. The ACLU loves to use these cases to pretend they are evenhandedly defending American liberties, while the reality is that they are an anti-American force for destroying American democracy, a bunch of leftists trying to tear down the things that made us great so they can impose their socialist nirvana.
Talk about politics making strange bedfellows.