When I was eight years old I was informed I had reached the age of accountability and therefore needed to forge a contract with God which would make me responsible for all of my decisions and actions, especially those that were potentially damaging to myself and others, from that point forward, forever and ever. I remember walking through marbled halls and answering to men wearing starched white shirts held tightly around their necks with perfectly knotted ties wrapped in tailored jackets, sitting in very quiet rooms with high ceilings, behind large, ornate desks.
I was in agreement with and felt a bit honored by the whole ordeal, really. Most of my friends at the time were Catholic and had to make the same agreement when they were so young they couldn’t even walk or talk so I figured I was getting a pretty good deal. At the time I had a pretty good grasp of the concept of symbolism but I really didn’t understand why I had to be pushed to the bottom of a giant four foot deep ornate bath tub filled with cold water in order to seal the deal, twice. I thought maybe the twice part was because someone sensed I might be a bit of a problem in the future and they wanted to make sure I got the point.
I think most people who get baptized miss the fact that the Devil takes note of such an event. In my case the fact that the Devil was a witness to the whole ordeal kind of erased any questions I had in my mind as to, “Where’s the pen and paper, where do I sign?” I remember feeling that his attendance reinforced my very early recognition of the existence of good and evil. As it turned out, when all was said and done there was a pen and a piece of paper but I was never invited to sign it. I resolved the conflict in my mind with the understanding that my submission to my own near drowning was just as good, or perhaps even better than my signature.
My baptism influenced my life for the good and has a lot to do with where I am today. As I mentioned above it helped reinforce my understanding of the profound concept of good vs. evil, even at the tender age of eight years old.
What I had no concept of at the time was ever living to be 61 years old and the inevitable highs and lows that would occur in my life between then and now. I do remember when I turned ten years old I decided since I was born in 1950 I would think of my future life in terms of decades lived. Even so I had a very difficult time imagining 1970 and the year 2000 was but a futuristic fantasy filled with x-ray glasses, 3 dimensional, color TV and flying cars.
Please excuse my rambling. My point is, it’s 2012 and I’m still here and my baptism seems like it was 100 years ago.
- Me Self
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