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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Adult baptism and sensory issues due to autism?
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Pomona
Shipmate
# 17175
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Posted
Someone in another Christian group I am in is a young autistic adult (early 20s) who wants to be baptised, but due to autism cannot deal with big groups or people, or (more crucially) being touched. Is there a way of being baptised without being touched (by people that is, being touched by the water is fine!)? He is in an independent evangelical church so guessing immersion is standard. Is it likely they can work around that?
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Consider the work of God: Who is able to straighten what he has bent? [Ecclesiastes 7:13]
Posts: 5319 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2012
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
Surely! If they aren't creative enough, send him along to the nearest Lutherans and they'll take care of it.
In such a case (given a preference for immersion) I'd just put the fellow waist deep in a swimming pool, pour the water over his head (not touching him) while saying the words, and have him do his own dunking immediately afterward/during (once or thrice, as his group prefers).
For a regular Lutheran it would be even easier. You'd just get splashed in the face from a short distance (or dripped on from on high).
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Pomona
Shipmate
# 17175
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Posted
Lutherans are in very short supply indeed in the UK! Thank you for the help though.
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Consider the work of God: Who is able to straighten what he has bent? [Ecclesiastes 7:13]
Posts: 5319 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2012
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SvitlanaV2
Shipmate
# 16967
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Posted
Maybe immersion could be avoided in this case and the person could be 'sprinkled' in the historical fashion?
The individual needs an advocate from their congregation who could explain the situation to the minister.
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Pomona
Shipmate
# 17175
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Posted
The person in question is perfectly capable of explaining themselves, but was posting in the group for reassurance. Sprinkling is an option but some churches consider it to not be a valid baptism - I don't know if that's the case in his church.
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Consider the work of God: Who is able to straighten what he has bent? [Ecclesiastes 7:13]
Posts: 5319 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2012
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SvitlanaV2
Shipmate
# 16967
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Posted
Well, I'd be interested to hear about how this would work. I've never heard of an individual dunking themselves in the pool, but with churches you never know.
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
There's nothing in the historical record that requires anything but the washing of Water with the Word--and I'm pretty sure you can "wash" (drip, douse, splash, whatever) without actually laying hands on the person. My pastor splashed me full in the face--water everywhere. I don't believe his skin ever touched me, though with the full-on flood, who could tell? As for the dunking bit, it's really not necessary even by the full-immersion people to be forcibly dunked by having someone take you over backwards. You're just as fully immersed if someone splashes you saying the words and you go under of your own volition, without human hand pushing you...
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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ldjjd
Shipmate
# 17390
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Posted
My partner teaches in a school for autistic children. He reports that almost all of them like swimming and/or dunking under water. Apparently, it has to do with the pleasurable feeling of pressure on their bodies.
He suggests that instead of the pastor reaching out and touching the young man, that it be carefully explained to him that he reach out and touch the pastor's arm or side while the young man dunks himself. This would have to be done with the young man's full agreement of course. Perhaps there should be a count-down also. That often helps ease anxiety on the part of many people with autism.
My partner hastens to add,though, that no two austic persons are alike. Something that works splendidly with one can be a dismal failure with another.
Posts: 294 | Registered: Oct 2012
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Gramps49
Shipmate
# 16378
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Posted
Certainly does not have to be done in a large group. Baptizer and Baptizee is all that is required. Oh, ya, water with the word too.
Please share how it turned out.
Posts: 2193 | From: Pullman WA | Registered: Apr 2011
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ExclamationMark
Shipmate
# 14715
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Posted
In those circumstances most baptist churches I know would baptise by sprinkling the water on the person.
This doesn't have to be done with the person in the pool. It would be considered as a valid baptism.
Posts: 3845 | From: A new Jerusalem | Registered: Apr 2009
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
If the touch is human touch I have seen valid baptisms performed by candidate standing/kneeling in a paddling pool and a bucket of water emptied over their head.
Jengie
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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
Back to my blog
Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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Chapelhead
I am
# 21
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Posted
Some of the earliest images of baptism in Christian art show Jesus being baptised in a way similar to that suggested above - with Jesus standing in the water (typically up to his waist) and J the B pouring water on his head. If it's good enough for Him...
The candidate getting wet and the Trinitarian formula are the essential parts.
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At times like this I find myself thinking, what would the Amish do?
Posts: 9123 | From: Near where I was before. | Registered: Aug 2001
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frin
Drinking coffee for Jesus
# 9
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Posted
I don't imagine that it would be the right thing for this candidate, but I remember one adult baptism where the candidate lent over the font and heaps of water was splashed up over his face. The confronting power of baptism was really vivid. There is no one standard way for a baptism, even in traditions that have a relatively fixed rite you will be able to find stories of local variation.
Perhaps a more helpful story: I got baptised under a waterfall, so although a minister was standing in the water with me it happens that she didn't physically touch me during the baptism. So perhaps rigging a camping shower (because warm water may be preferable to fresh off the hills temperature) over a bapstistry or paddling pool would work, and there are lots of biblical images of rain that talk about grace and blessing.
But if there is a desire to make the baptism look as much like the adult baptism practice of your church as possible then I would suggest that the candidate be encouraged to practise doing a brief self immersion while at swimming or bathing so that the candidate can describe to the celebrant what they are comfortable doing.
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"Even the crocodile looks after her young" - Lamentations 4, remembering Erin.
Posts: 4496 | From: a library | Registered: Apr 2001
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Arethosemyfeet
Shipmate
# 17047
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Posted
Totally bizarre thought: would a climbing harness (or similar) which allowed the touch to be indirect suffice?
Posts: 2933 | From: Hebrides | Registered: Apr 2012
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Sarah G
Shipmate
# 11669
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Posted
As Idjjd has remarked, it's very much an individual thing. Indeed it's sometimes hard to predict how the autistic person will react in any given situation, even if you know them well. When the church discussed the baptism process with him, what did he say his no go areas were with this, and what were his thoughts about how it could be done?
Posts: 514 | Registered: Jul 2006
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Adeodatus
Shipmate
# 4992
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ExclamationMark:
In those circumstances most baptist churches I know would baptise by sprinkling the water on the person.
This doesn't have to be done with the person in the pool. It would be considered as a valid baptism.
That's my experience of the Baptist ministers I know, too.
Speaking as someone who has baptised a person using a damp cotton wool bud, I'm sure that 99% of ministers wouldn't let liturgical norms get in the way of this sort of real pastoral necessity.
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"What is broken, repair with gold."
Posts: 9779 | From: Manchester | Registered: Sep 2003
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ExclamationMark:
In those circumstances most baptist churches I know would baptise by sprinkling the water on the person.
This doesn't have to be done with the person in the pool. It would be considered as a valid baptism.
Yes, I've done this. The principal point of "believers' baptism" is that it is for believers (!) - the mode normally used (i.e. by immersion) is less significant.
I also like what Chapelhead said above.
[ 19. September 2015, 17:19: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by SvitlanaV2:
I've never heard of an individual dunking themselves in the pool, but with churches you never know.
I think that's what first-century Jewish (not Christian) proselytes did, as it happens.
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
I've always wondered about those pics you see of thousands of folks being baptized more or less at once--not so sure they actually touched every single one of them. And of course such a requirement is not spelled out anywhere in Scripture--you could use a firehose, I suppose.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Pomona
Shipmate
# 17175
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Posted
He hasn't discussed this with his church yet, he was asking this group for reassurance - I think he's a bit anxious about asking his church in case they can't do it. I will pass on these ideas, I think it will be helpful. Thank you, and I will report back if it goes ahead.
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Consider the work of God: Who is able to straighten what he has bent? [Ecclesiastes 7:13]
Posts: 5319 | From: UK | Registered: Jun 2012
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SvitlanaV2
Shipmate
# 16967
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Posted
Of course, one could say that if he's still at the stage where he's fearful about having an open discussion with one or two of his own church members about this sort of thing, then he should spend a bit more time getting to understand his church and their beliefs first, rather than rushing to tie himself to their mast via baptism. Baptism isn't going anywhere, and this church probably isn't either. But this is something of a tangent.
Posts: 6668 | From: UK | Registered: Feb 2012
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Arethosemyfeet
Shipmate
# 17047
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Posted
Baptism doesn't tie you to the mast of a particular congregation, but to the universal worldwide Church throughout time, and more importantly to Christ as its head. Nothing to stop this young man being baptised at one church one week and then joining a different one the following week.
Posts: 2933 | From: Hebrides | Registered: Apr 2012
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SvitlanaV2
Shipmate
# 16967
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Posted
True. But he's keen for his baptism to be acceptable to this particular independent congregation. He doesn't care how broad-minded the Methodists down the road might be.
Posts: 6668 | From: UK | Registered: Feb 2012
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Lamb Chopped
Ship's kebab
# 5528
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Posted
Then you're basically at a point where someone (him or ??? has to go and ask the congregation. While in most circumstances I would expect the questioner to do that, in his case it might be kind of you (or another local person) to make theoretical-type enquiries on his behalf. You know the sort of thing--"I know someone who might want to be baptized in your congregation but they truly can't handle being touched. What would your congregation say about that if asked? Thanks, I'll pass it along."
If the answer is positive, you can encourage him to ask freely. If not, you can try to gently steer him in another direction, or at the least make a note to be there for him when his request is refused.
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Er, this is what I've been up to (book).
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
Posts: 20059 | From: off in left field somewhere | Registered: Feb 2004
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Gee D
Shipmate
# 13815
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Posted
In the long run, the young man must himself - and probably as a part of his instruction for baptism - discuss with the minister just what is involved, what he can deal with and what would cause him real trouble. At one extreme, it's possible that he can't stand being touched but is prepared to undergo the agony as showing his commitment. If he considers that the slightest touch is too much, he and the minister can then discuss how the office can be performed without subjecting him to behaviour which would be more than he can bear. He is the one to discuss this, as it is he who knows best what he feels and can tolerate.
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Not every Anglican in Sydney is Sydney Anglican
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