A Seventh-day Adventist pastor in Kigali is alleged to
have called upon the faithful to consider baptising children less than 12 years
of age and discouraging the re-baptism of converts from the Protestant
denominations.
Pastor Deogratias Bazimaziki is alleged to have said
so last Sabbath 20th November 2021 at Horeb SDA Church in
Kigali to a group of Master guides from all over his district jurisdiction.
“There were arguments over a 10-year old who was
baptised because we thought it was wrong but pastor Bazimiaziki said it wasn’t
wrong at all” one of the master guides who preferred anonymity told Faith
Reporters on Wednesday 24th November 2021.
Faith Reporters contacted three master guides who
claimed they attended the meeting with the pastor and all confirmed that Pastor
Bazimaziki explained that as long as a child was brought up in an SDA family,
they can be baptised before 12 years of age.
“He told us to forget about old mentalities and start
baptizing children of 10 as long as their parents are believers in our church.
He even dismissed baptizing converts from Pentecostal churches, claiming that
it is repetition since Pentecostals practice immersion baptism just like the
SDA Church” another Master guide who claimed to have attended the meeting told
Faith Reporters on Thursday 25th November 2021.
We contacted Pastor Bazimaziki on Wednesday but he
refused to comment, claiming that he did not know our reporter in Kigali, that
he had to first know them.
We contacted the Rwanda Union Mission President Hesron
Byiringiro and asked him if such allegations would not be a breach of the
church doctrines.
Pastor Byiringiro first condemned such teachings of
baptizing children below 12 but later said he was not ready to comment on an
incident he had not learnt about himself.
“How are you expecting me to know what is happening in
every corner of this country? Am I the Holy Spirit?” he asked, guiding us to
talk to the one in charge of communication who he said was in the position to
know.
Pastor Onesphore Yadusoneye in charge of communication
at the Union said he had no information about the incident and has not returned
to us until press time but also slammed the allegations as impossible.
“According to what you were told, what would be the
motives for the Pastor to baptise children less than twelve years?” he asked on
Thursday 25th November 2021.
The attendants confirm that Pastor Bazimaziki who had
baptised a child of 10 that Sabbath argued that it was written in the Church
Manual but did not specify the page.
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Faith Reporters
Email: faithreporters@gmail.com
Tel: +250788240436
May God bless you
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