According to the Christian faith, baptism confirms a person’s position in Christ and affirms God’s blessings on those who believe. So Christian parents are mandated to ensure their children are fully baptized at birth. And given the significance of this sacrament, only an ordained priest can perform it.
Normally, the priest sprinkles a few drops of “holy” water onto the child’s forehead to symbolize purification. But a Kenyan Catholic priest appears to have devised new and unconventional ways of baptizing infants, which have left the entire nation perplexed.
Instead of sprinkling water onto the little angels as is the norm, the priest pours gallons of cold water on the infants, leaving them completely drenched and breathless.
In a recent video recorded during one of his baptism rituals, the unidentified priest can be seen pouring basins of water on terrified children, who are held by their presumed parents. The priest also gives the parents washbasins full of water to pour onto their children.
It’s a disturbing scene that might be touted as child abuse in the advanced democracies. Unfortunately, the Kenyan authorities appear not to be bothered by the priest’s actions.
Christians view baptism at birth as a way of receiving the young ones into the community of Christ. They believe that through this rite, a door is opened for the child to enter the kingdom of Christ on earth.
Unfortunately, many children, not just in Africa, but across the world, have drowned during baptism and others left with life-threatening conditions due to over-exposure to cold.
See the video below.
