Baptism and Secularization in the Context of the Communist Totalitarian Regime within the Czechoslovak Republic
2013
Abstract
The study concerns the reform of baptismal rites in the Czechoslovak Church (Cčs), which was accomplished in response to a process of radical secularization of Czech society after the Second World War, culminating in the Communist takeover in 1948. First, a theological reflection of Socialism and its economic, political, and cultural values expressed in the official statements of Cčs is discussed.
Second, expressions of baptismal commitment and of pastoral instructions for a preparation for baptism issued in the new Agenda (1951) are analysed and evaluated.