Baptismal certificates

[Rev. Brian]

Obviously an FSM baptismal is just as "valid" as any other religion's baptismal - but something tells me you'll have an uphill fight on this one. You might want to take a look at a bunch of baptismal certificates from the "mainstream" churches and make yours a little more formal looking if you want to avoid a lot of hassle.

Here's a bunch: Bing Image Search for Baptismal Certificate

Of course, if you're like me, you might want the altercation to prove the point, but if you simply want to get your daughter registered for class, maybe tweak it a little.

Also, I could see where they may not be too keen on you being the one certifying to the baptismal as you obviously have a potential incentive to lie (since you're a related party). I know that in Florida, our Notaries Public cannot notarize any document for anything that they have any connection to - to avoid such conflict. Perhaps another friend or family member becoming ordained and attesting to the baptismal may be more effective (if such is practicable).

Very interested to hear how this goes - please do keep us posted.

[Rev. Brian]

All's well that ends well. Glad it worked. Be interested to hear if they ever follow back up on it.

[bonsaiherb]

After reading an excellent post on a Pastafarian marriage, I immediately jumped to the potential outcome. Offspring or young noodles. That would mean baptisms and I just prayed it would not mean boiling hot salted water. One certainly would need to survive the baptism before jumping to this stage of certification.

Neither has FSM made a clear stance on 'unholied births." Bastard noodles as the Catholic Church would have it.
Finally we all come to a sad final ending so more should be written about the funerals of Pastafarians.

As a side note I wonder about the Church hierarchy and how one advances. I have done searches on this but have found no enlightenment. I suspect I am a Novitiate. So how long does my apprenticeship last? Pastor, Reverent, Cardinal, Bishop etc.
Rules for de-noodling are also not spelled out.

[bonsaiherb]

There is no hierarchy. No pension plan, no health, no dental, nothing. You wanna be a Rev? Buy a certificate. Doctorate in theology? Write a thesis, we'll go wake up the Dean of the faculty. You wanna be a Cardinal or an Archbishop? Fine, call yourself one.
No hierarchy other than post rankings. That's it.

No dental? Considering the beak the FSM must have I would think there would be some.

Why then is "Maccheroncelli Missionary" under my avatar? I cannot find a way to edit that. Can I do something in signatures?

TIA

[bonsaiherb]

I finally got the answer I had been looking for.

"Maccheroncelli Missionary was exceptionally abhorrant to me. I did not understand the posting assention process and being labeled a long tube pasta which I took for Mac Cheese missionary was bothersome.

Back to the thread of baptismal certificates I hope. Marriage was well done, baptisms needed, divorces and funeral rites for noodleites.

[Cardinal Fang]

I wonder about baptisimal rites. Doesn't infant baptism imply that you're forcing the decision on a child about being a member of a religion rather than giving them the choice? I favour what a lot of the non-conformist churches have, which is thanksgivings or services of dedication for an infant, without the baptism, thus leaving it up to the kiddie-wink when they're older. After all the FSM seems to not be in favour of people being forced to become Pastafarians.

(For the same reason I have an issue calling a child a "Christian Child" or a "Muslim Child" etc when they're too young to have made a conscious decision for themselves. They're the child of someone of that belief system, but not a member themselves unless or until they decide to be for themselves).

I wonder if there it might be better therefore having a "certificate of welcome" or naming or whatever, rather than a formal baptism.

CF

[Cardinal Fang]

Sibling reading over my shoulder has suggested calling the certificate the "welcome to the world, make your own mind up when you're ready, the FSM loves you anyway" certificate

CF

[bonsaiherb]

I wonder about baptisimal rites. Doesn't infant baptism imply that you're forcing the decision on a child about being a member of a religion rather than giving them the choice? I favour what a lot of the non-conformist churches have, which is thanksgivings or services of dedication for an infant, without the baptism, thus leaving it up to the kiddie-wink when they're older. After all the FSM seems to not be in favour of people being forced to become Pastafarians.

(For the same reason I have an issue calling a child a "Christian Child" or a "Muslim Child" etc when they're too young to have made a conscious decision for themselves. They're the child of someone of that belief system, but not a member themselves unless or until they decide to be for themselves).

I wonder if there it might be better therefore having a "certificate of welcome" or naming or whatever, rather than a formal baptism.

CF

Wonderful post. Thanks! Two good points. I will add another. In the Catholic church women who were pregnant were forced to get married in a "holy union" otherwise their "unholoy" child - bastard could never be buried on a hallowed, consecrated cemetery. A recent stroy in Ireland points this out. http://sweetgeodes.com/senft/?page_id=2217
What I couldn't understand why the innocent child would be so shunned but the parents not. Did lead to a lot of forced and unhappy marriages. My family was one of those and my father would call me a 'bastard' for the rest of my life. You see he did
not want this marriage either, but was forced into it by family and social pressure .