Baby dedication

I went through a phase where I specifically wanted to debunk certain aspects of the Christian faith, in particular, as I felt such noble work (leading others away from falsehood) would surely bring about good things. I thought people would listen to my well-reasoned arguments and admit they were wrong, and like me, turn from the err of their ways and embrace a new freedom of mind and being.

Then I woke up.

Anyway, I don't often hone in on Christianity in particular much anymore, but there's one practice that seems peculiar to it that I wanted to comment on: baby dedication.

The logic I would use to argue that the practice is ridiculous reminds me of the issue of prayer. I suppose it could be argued that prayer is for our benefit, not based on the illogical desire to change God's mind or cause something to happen that wouldn't anyway. In the same way, I guess baby dedication can be "justified" as being a ceremony that makes parents feel better about themselves.

But the hard questions, for those who embrace the idea that a baby dedication actually does do something other than rub the parents' glands the right way, still exist:

1. If you accept the idea of free will, doesn't "dedication" violate this idea?
2. If you don't dedicate your baby to Jesus/God, is this your sin or the child's? Therefore, would the child suffer or would you?
3. If God is a "Father to the fatherless" as the Bible describes, isn't he already looking out for your kids?
4. Do you think that this dedication sways God over to your side in protecting/providing for your child in some way that God otherwise wouldn't? If so:
5. Do you realize what an asshole this sort of God would be?
6. Is this sort of God only responsive to such ceremony because God just doesn't pay much attention otherwise?
7. Or is this sort of God democratic, and needs you to vote/lobby/show your interest in an issue before acting?

So many things people do are just dumb. Baby dedication is one of them.