Debaptism and institutional religion

Andy Jinks refers to a BBC article on the latest atheist statement against the institutional church: debaptism.

The article is worth a read, touching on subjects like the individual's freedom to religion, the role of theology and baptism, and the issue that seems to be dominating many atheists' soundbites: whether or not it is right to bring children up with religious beliefs.

It's interesting that original sin seems to be the thing that the guy in the article is particularly angry at. It's also interesting how the article closes:

The Church wonders aloud why, if atheists and secularists believe baptism is so meaningless, they are letting it upset them.

Mr Hunt supplies his own answer.

"Evangelical noises are getting louder and louder. The recent change in European legislation has led to religious beliefs not being challenged at all, and there's no limit at all on what anybody can claim as a valid religious belief. I think it's important that more people speak out and say they don't subscribe to the historic beliefs of the Church."

It still seems that many equate institutional Christianity with (abuses of) power, and that Christian beliefs are merely superstitious. What a challenge we Christians face in debunking these ideas.