I don’t follow the Kardashians at all –- but you’d have to be on Mars not to notice all the photos out there about Kim Kardashian’s trip to Armenia for the baptism of her three youngest children. I wasn’t aware she was particularly devout.
But she has named her kids Saint, Chicago and Psalm. All were baptized at the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat. There are Armenian churches in this country (such as this one in Evanston, Ill.), so I’m not sure why she felt the need to fly back to the old country, other than to bring attention to the Armenian genocide (by the Turks) a century ago.
This being the Kardashians, much of it was on camera and the mother’s Instagram post of being “baptized along with my babies” the event got 5 million likes. Even though she’d previously had an older daughter, North West, previously baptized in Jerusalem, was Kardashian herself ever baptized? And by whom? No one seems to know.
Here’s what CBN said:
Socialite and business mogul Kim Kardashian West visited her family's homeland of Armenia to get baptized with her children at what scholars say is one of the oldest churches in the world.
"So blessed to have been baptized along with my babies at Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia's main cathedral which is sometimes referred to as the Vatican of the Armenian Apostolic Church. This church was built in 303 AD," West wrote in an Instagram post.
West is pictured lighting candles in the cathedral, an orthodox tradition that symbolizes Jesus being the light of the world.
I’m curious if the Kardashians had to jump through hoops to get their kids baptized like most people have to do. This article notes that most believers have to apply months ahead of time, have their baptisms approved by a religious council and other requirements.
I’m sure the Kardashians, who were photographed at a meal with Armenia’s president, Armen Sarkissian, got a pass from any such requirements.
The visit comes after West's husband Kanye West announced he is done producing secular music and is only committed to creating gospel music. The hip-hop superstar is expected to drop his latest album titled "Jesus is King" at any moment, after failing to finish the project by the September 27 release date.
People magazine has the most photos, so click here if you wish to see them. It was the only publication I found that showed a hooded priest actually baptizing the kids. I wish someone could have researched what goes into an Orthodox baptism and what happens at these ceremonies.
Refinery29 has tried to investigate exactly what they’re all up to back in the States.
So, in January, when West and various members of the Kardashian family started posting videos and photos of an elusive "Sunday Service" gathering, many people began wondering: Is Kanye starting a religion? Service-goers have been pretty cagey about the weekly practice, though it sure appears to be church-like.
After describing the event,
Pivoting to religion might seem kind of random for the mega-famous family of entertainers and business moguls, but the Kardashians have always had a spiritual side. In 2016, Khloé wrote an essay for Lenny Letter explaining her relationship to spirituality and organized religion. In it, she described herself as "spiritual" and "devout," and explained that her dad would read the Bible every single day. "Sundays then became about his bringing church and religion into our home," she wrote. "He would play gospel music — it had so much soul, and he loved that." Nowadays, Khloé wrote that she still practices "daily devotionals," but "haven't found a church that I'm passionate about, where I fit in."
Kim, on the other hand, said in a 2018 interview with Vogue that the whole family identifies as religious. "We are very Christian — and our work ethic and our discipline comes from so many years at Catholic school," she told Vogue. Each morning, Kris Jenner sends a Bible verse to their group chat, she said. Kourtney Kardashian often shares photos of passages from the book, Jesus Calling, on her Instagram story, and has been seen going to trendy churches, such as Zoe Church and Hillsong.
XXL magazine goes even deeper into Kanye’s God thing. But not a whole lot of ink goes into what his wife believes.
I’d love for some reporters to get their teeth into why the Kardashians are going traditional when it comes to baptizing their kids; how they were able to get the ceremony done without any red tape and where they attend church back home and whether they mean to bring their kids up in the faith. The Orthodox of all kinds tend to be sticklers for that kind of thing.
If this famous family has no such intent, then their trip to Armenia should be labeled as such: A photo op that means nothing. Does anyone want to ask some serious questions?