What the Heck is "Self-Proclaimed?!"

Ok...
Now as you know, I'm not really a ranter, but I was reading up on some ideas on ways to make my Summer Solstice celebration a little more Irish feeling when I saw that infamous phrase: Self-proclaimed.

I have seen that phrase printed over and over as a prelude to witch, druid, shaman, pagan, and a few others, but I've never seen it used with catholic, luthern, buddist, methodist or the like.

Why? What makes some people "official" in their religions and others not?
What kind of stir would I make if I were to write an article and refer to someone as being a "self-proclaimed baptist?" (bad enough I don't capitalize it, huh?)

I think it's a way of attempting to take away power from a person. Telling them "you're not real" makes them seem harmless.
Now that I think of it... I can't be angry with these people. It must be terrible to live in such fear that you must undermine another person's beliefs just to make yourself feel better.

But then... don't most people do something similar?
Who doesn't watch that size 3 darling waft past in that cute little sundress and mutter to your friend how "scrawny" she is or how being so thin makes her look skeletal? but really...let's be honest.... she was cute. and the dress was past cute.

weird how i tend to talk myself out of being mad at people at times isn't?
I wish I could do that all the time.

Well...
No one's perfect... yet.

Shosha