# Jesus, is this supposed to be a Christening? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 19, 2019, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283 "2019-07-19T01:49:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/1 "2019-07-19T01:49:50Z")
Holy Hell, if this was my child, I’d beat this priest to a pulp. [https://twitter.com/badguy\_jc/status/1150783204472885248](https://twitter.com/badguy_jc/status/1150783204472885248) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/2 "2019-07-19T02:34:02Z")
That wasn’t what I would expect. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/3 "2019-07-19T03:07:54Z")
Guaranteed that’s an Eastern Orthodox (I’ve no idea if it’s Russian, Greek, etc. though). I’ve personally never seen an Orthodox baptism nor have I seen one in film or on TV. I do know the priest is required to fully submerge the infant so I can see why it’s important to get the three “dunkings” done as quickly as possible. This is scary, though. Has anyone here seen an Orthodox baptism of an infant and, if so, how similar was it to this scary video? ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/4 "2019-07-19T03:39:28Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Guaranteed that’s an Eastern Orthodox (I’ve no idea if it’s Russian, Greek, etc. though). I’ve personally never seen an Orthodox baptism nor have I seen one in film or on TV. I do know the priest is required to fully submerge the infant so I can see why it’s important to get the three “dunkings” done as quickly as possible. This is scary, though. > > Has anyone here seen an Orthodox baptism of an infant and, if so, how similar was it to this scary video? I’ve never seen one, but [here’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQzHH7qMqSs)a video of a baptism. Note the infant is submerged three times, but it’s done quite gently. And, in response to the video shared by the OP, the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia has a firm [denial](https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/05/27/greek-orthodox-church-dont-blame-us-for-that-viral-and-violent-baby-baptism/): > [@](#): > > “The Greek Archdiocese of Australia would like to make it known that this is definitely not the Greek Orthodox practice. The ‘priest’ in question is not Greek Orthodox, nor is he a bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church as is alleged of the video.” ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/5 "2019-07-19T04:20:48Z")
That’s fucked up. Poor kid could have brain damage from that. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/6 "2019-07-19T05:12:35Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > That’s fucked up. Poor kid could have brain damage from that. Upon which he will be considered a special child of the god and the parents told that the god is testing them. They are given a new journey. EMWIGMT. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/7 "2019-07-19T05:47:45Z")
Child abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/8 "2019-07-19T07:17:06Z")
Was expecting the priest to either toss the kid backwards over his shoulder on the third go or just suplex him. I am disappoint. Seriously though, not only is this awful, it’s semi-obviously \*not \*how these things are supposed to go down judging by the shocked faces & body language of the people in the background. I’m going with “priest on \*\*all \*\*the cocaine”. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/9 "2019-07-19T10:15:36Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Holy Hell, if this was my child, I’d beat this priest to a pulp. > > [https://twitter.com/badguy\_jc/status/1150783204472885248](https://twitter.com/badguy_jc/status/1150783204472885248) What the fuck did I just watch? I didn’t have audio for it, but I imagined the priest saying: “SMASHY SMASHY!” ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/10 "2019-07-19T10:36:00Z")
That is fucking horrible, just defies all common sense ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/11 "2019-07-19T10:38:42Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I’ve never seen one, but [here’s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQzHH7qMqSs)a video of a baptism. Note the infant is submerged three times, but it’s done quite gently. > > And, in response to the video shared by the OP, the Greek Orthodox Church of Australia has a firm [denial](https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/05/27/greek-orthodox-church-dont-blame-us-for-that-viral-and-violent-baby-baptism/): In some old fashioned Southern Baptist baptisms, preachers go out to rivers or lakes and dunk kids, but they’re at least told to hold their breath and it’s done gently. But that little baby’s skull isn’t developed enough yet to reliably withstand that kind of shaking. Just horrible ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/12 "2019-07-19T10:42:59Z")
I couldn’t even finish watching it. I hope the baby is okay. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/13 "2019-07-19T12:26:56Z")
I couldn’t even process it. My brain tried to convince me it must be a fake video, or using a doll or something. The kids limbs are flying in a way that limbs aren’t supposed to. But then you see the kid crumple up. :eek::eek::(:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: Any new info on where it is from? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/14 "2019-07-19T12:40:03Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Guaranteed that’s an Eastern Orthodox (I’ve no idea if it’s Russian, Greek, etc. though). I’ve personally never seen an Orthodox baptism nor have I seen one in film or on TV. I do know the priest is required to fully submerge the infant so I can see why it’s important to get the three “dunkings” done as quickly as possible. This is scary, though. > > Has anyone here seen an Orthodox baptism of an infant and, if so, how similar was it to this scary video? I’m orthodox, and the priests do submerge. it is usually gentle and the majority of priests have children and are accustomed to handling infants. the baptisms I’ve seen don’t look like the video. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/15 "2019-07-19T12:51:30Z")
Sunken Baby Syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/16 "2019-07-19T13:06:13Z")
That’s the baptismal ceremony for that particular church/religion, so its members obviously know what the ceremony entails. The fact that they are there and participating indicates to me that don’t have a problem with it. I’d love to speak to someone there and ask them why it has to be such a violent process. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/17 "2019-07-19T13:07:40Z")
Reading the comments, I don’t want to watch this. Can anyone write a brief description (perhaps in spoilers) of what happens? I washed my babies in the bathtub, holding them on my lap. If the water is the right temperature, babies are very comfortable in water. I would have thought it really easy to hold a baby and gently submerge it in water for just a moment for a baptism, if you wanted to have a full-submersion baptism. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/18 "2019-07-19T13:09:42Z")
There’s a guy holding a baby under its arms, and slamming it rather forcefully a few times into a ceremonial bird bath looking thing. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/19 "2019-07-19T13:21:18Z")
Wow, that guy really hates that baby. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283/20 "2019-07-19T13:22:22Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Reading the comments, I don’t want to watch this. Can anyone write a brief description (perhaps in spoilers) of what happens? As the article put it, the priest dunked the child in a manner reminiscent of a starving man dunking an Oreo into a glass of milk after having just been rescued from a deserted island. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-is-this-supposed-to-be-a-christening/837283.md?page=2)