Backwards Faith

Part 1

2002

The holy water, meant to baptize you in Christ and save you. A baby girl is drenched in it, just nearly a few months old and set to live in the light of Jesus Christ for the rest of her life.

Cameras snaps fill the air, capturing a moment of the crying child. Gifts are given in little pink wrappings for the daughter, for although the girl is screaming, this is a celebration. The priest wraps the baby girl up in a cotton blanket, drying the water along with her tears.

The child is put in her best Sunday dress and subjected to taking more pictures and being held by the horde of friends and family who had come. A short, plump woman came to the front, barring a golden chain inlaid with a golden cross. The necklace was laid around the child's neck and she cried harder as the clasp was done, causing the woman to wipe the child's eyes and kiss her head.

The priest commended the ceremony finished and the guests began to file out into the entryway. The mother held her baby girl cradled in her arms shielding her from the rest of the crowd. Even though she was never given a choice, she is now cemented to the new belief her parents and the church have given her. The golden cross ties her to it.