A Baptism

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." - Mark Twain


"If everybody could read all the books that have ever been published and still have time left over to lead a normal life devoted to other interests, there would be little need for universities." - Lyman Abbott, 1924


If you enjoyed my post about my journal, the vlog about it that I may or may not have mentioned on here is now up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bJqI0Z75hc


I went to my baby cousin's baptism this morning. Their church is very...different from ours. Much more liturgical. I swear, the priest chanted for about half an hour straight. The entire thing took about an hour. Just the baptism.
It was also much more ritualistic, which was interesting, but a lot of it seemed kind of redundant. Like renouncing Satan three times in a row, and then acknowledging that you just renounced him three times in a row.
Instead of a baptismal font like we have, they had a giant cauldron-thing that looked like a massive goblet. My dad, of course, started whispering "Flesh of the servant...willingly offered. Bone of the father....unknowingly given. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken," which is a reference to the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, if you didn't catch that.
They painted my cousin's forehead, chest, hands, and feet with oil, cut his hair, and then the priest said "Take his clothes off." 


Me:    0_0  WHAT?!


But no, they really did take his clothes off and dunk him (up to his neck) in the goblet thing. 


And they spit on Satan. The priest said "Now turn and spit upon him!" And they turned around and spit on the floor. I couldn't believe it. They actually spit.


The thing I really didn't like, though, is that the real altar is behind a partition, and only men are allowed behind it. My cousin's godmother wasn't allows to go with the godfather and the priest. Just men. 
That's one of the reasons we came home afterwards, instead of staying for the service itself.
One of the other reasons is that we have vacuuming and dishes and other such things to do...so I have to go. :)