Baptism and Children: Is it Time to Get Wet?

by Caroline Bergeron

Family ministry specialist Caroline Bergeron 

gives her take on how, why, and 

when a child should be baptized.

What is baptism? 

The practice of baptism didn’t start with the prophet John. It was a common practice in the first century for religious teachers to baptize their followers. By agreeing to be baptized, the follower expressed his commitment to learn, practice and pass on the teachings of his master. The act of immersion in water was a public declaration that one was taking his relationship to the next level: from simply being a follower to becoming a dedicated student, or disciple, of a religious master. 

Why Parents Lie to Let Kids Join Facebook

By PEGGY ORENSTEIN

It’s been clear for a while that parents lie about their children’s ages so they can join Facebook. A survey by Consumer Reports published in June found that there were 7.5 million users under age 13 (the site’s threshold for membership); more than 5 million were under 10. Over the year leading up to the report, a million children said they were harassed or threatened on the site.

But cyberbullying is not why kids are supposed to stay away. The legal reason for the age limit is to protect children’s privacy. Facebook collects personal data from its users — lots of it. The site’s whole purpose is to erode the concept of privacy, to make public everything about you, not only for the benefit of your 622 BFFs, but to customize your advertising or use your endorsement of a product (through the “like” button) to sell it to a friend.