For nearly two millennia, Christians across the globe have practiced baptism. Despite their many differences of opinion, the centrality of baptism for membership in the Christian community is something that all modern Christians agree upon. They believe that at baptism their sins are forgiven, they die to their old lives and are reborn in Christ
This was the wish of a young man whose fate rather took a different turn as the reborn literally died during the initiation.The 20 year old lost his life in controversial circumstances while being baptized in the Weija River in Accra.
In a video captured on the Facebook page of ‘Ghana in Africa’, the young man, whose name was given as Yaw Kyeremeh was seen being led by another man to undertake one of the major customs in Christianity; baptism.
Yaw Kyeremeh, in the video was the second to be baptized after a first who was led through the same process by the baptizer.
The pastor, after muttering some words of prayers immersed him into the river; head backwards, and lifted him up the first time. Per the Christian doctrines, baptism by immersion ought to be done such that the person being baptized is immersed in the water body three times to signify the ‘Father, Son and Holy Spirit’.
Kyeremeh however could not go through the ‘Son and HolySpirit’ steps as he strangely sunk deep down into the water just about the time he was being immersed the second time.
Realizing what was happening, a man on the bank of the river seemed to have stretched his hand out so the drowning man could hold on to. Sadly, it was too late. About the same time though, the pastor who seemed not to be an expert at swimming with another person swam himself to safety and called for help as recorded by the video.
All efforts to retrieve Kwadwo Kyeremeh’s body proved futile as Kwadwo’s body wasn’t found at the exact spot he drowned.
Though the rest of the incident wasn’t recorded as it appeared the person recording the ‘ceremonial baptism’ had dropped his phone to join in the shout for help, voices in the background detailed what the witnesses were saying.
The drowning, which happened on Sunday, has led many people to question why a life should be lost during a religious ritual.
The man’s family is quoted by local media as saying that it does not blame anyone for the drowning.
Police said the 20-year-old’s body was in a mortuary, and an autopsy still needed to be done before it was given to the family for burial.
Sources say a junior pastor had been arrested at the scene while the police were still searching for the head pastor of the church involved in the baptism.