THE Jamaica Council of Churches is urging faith leaders involved in last month’s “troubling” baptism mishap in Bog Walk, St Catherine — which was captured in a now-viral video — to exercise more wisdom in the future.

While making it clear that the council does not wish to impinge upon the religious rights and freedoms of anyone, General Secretary Reverend Newton Dixon opted to highlight the responsibility that religious leaders have for the well-being of those under their pastoral care in the wake of the distressing incident.

The video of the baptism attempt, which was being done by Revivalist Bishop Joseph Telfer, shows four people in the water. Telfer and one of the others attempted to submerge the woman being baptised as apparent church members on dry land could be heard issuing instructions for the woman to relax and stop her breath.

What followed was a shocking scene of the three being swept away in the turbid water, and the bishop disappearing from sight. The video ended before Telfer resurfaced, but
The Star newspaper later reported that the leader of Holy Stars of Mount Zion in Linstead is alive and well.

“We are challenged to see the wisdom of conducting this sacred rite under such unsatisfactory and unsafe conditions, that is, when the life and well-being of the baptismal candidate and other participants are at risk,” Dixon told the Jamaica Observer.

“This circumstance actually seems antithetical to the whole point of a baptism — the idea of cleansing, of renewal and resurrection to a new life.”

While Telfer told that The Star that he has performed countless baptisms in the same river without any issues, the Jamaica Council of Churches pointed out the health and safety concerns raised by the video of the incident.

“First, it is well known that at this time of the year, we have entered into one of the wetter periods when rainfall is heavier than normal. This means greater levels of turbidity and higher volume in rivers and streams.

“It cannot be overstated that during these wet seasons, rivers pose hidden hazards as well as sudden dangers due to heavy rainfall upstream,” Dixon said, adding that these turbid waters may be unhygienic and, therefore, a threat to health.

“We strongly advise against any form of riverine activity during and shortly after periods of heavy rainfall for both health and safety reasons,” he told the Observer.

The council also suggested that people pay attention to advisories from the Meteorological Service of Jamaica “and give due regard to the threats that may exist in the natural environment”.

Responding to questions about whether there should be best practices when an individual receives this sacrament in their life of faith, the council suggested not only ensuring the baptism site is prepared but the participant, too.

“It appears from this video that an impromptu decision may have been made regarding the selection of the location for the rite. These popular spots may be familiar and used often, but it is still always good to do the pre-checks and the preparations if a river location is the preferred site for baptism,” said Dixon.

The clergyman added that most churches spend a significant amount of time in pre-baptismal sessions to prepare the candidate spiritually, mentally and physically for the baptismal rite.

“The apparent reluctance of the candidate in this instance may account, to some extent, for some of the mishap,” he said.

The general secretary also said it may not be wise to conduct a lengthy baptismal liturgy in the water.

“To be safe, most of this could be done on terra firma [dry land] and then the act of immersion done with wisdom and alacrity in the water,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Jamaica Council of Churches said it hopes anyone who may have been traumatised by the experience has or will receive the necessary support to deal with the “troubling” experience.

“We are grateful that there was no loss of life or serious injury and strongly urge the faith leaders concerned to exercise wisdom in the future,” said Dixon.