All Christians have sacraments. Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches have seven sacraments and Church of England has only two. Baptism is a sacrament of initiation. All churches have baptism. Baptism is “An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace” this means that it can be outward and spiritual as it is visible and tangible, but can also be something inward and spiritual. When someone is being baptized they have water poured on to their head (can be different depending on the type of Christian) this is outward and visible but is also spiritual as it is a sign of washing away sins.
The word ‘Baptism’ means immersion hence the washing of sins for that reason some Christians are fully immersed during baptism, it is also because that is the way John the Baptist baptised people.
Baptism started two thousand years ago in the time of John the Baptist. He would baptize people by dipping them into the River Jordan as a sign of washing away their sins.
It was a symbolic way for adults to turn away from their sins. At that time Baptism didn’t have such a deep, spiritual meaning it was just a way of fresh start. Some people were even baptized more then once. It was very common and fast. When Jesus himself was baptized it wasn’t to wash away his sins but as a way to show how Jesus was a one of us. At his baptism the Father and the Holy Spirit were present, meaning the trinity was present.
After his baptism around the time of Pentecost Baptism had become to have a much deeper meaning as you had to promise to believe in Jesus as God’s son, the true lord and in his resurrection. At Baptism they would receive the Holy Spirit and have their sins forgiven. They would also become part of the Christian community. As the faith became bigger and more people were getting baptised families started to get baptised and amount of young people increased and infant baptism became very popular.
Today most Christians are baptised as infants. Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Church of England all baptise their children however Baptist churches only baptise you if you’re an adult which is often at the age of about twelve and above therefore you can make the decision of being baptized for yourself. However babies can have a dedication which is where the minister will pray for it, in hopes of it to grow to become a Christian, this does not make the child part of the Christian community.
When infants are being baptized water is a very important feature of the ceremony. In an Orthodox Church the child will be dipped into a large font with water containing special baptismal oil three types this is to symbolize the trinity. Roman Catholics and Church of England sprinkle water onto the child’s head. The water represents the cleansing of the soul and new life; it is a symbolic way of washing away your sins.
Another central feature is the oil. There are two types of oil. One is called a catechumen this is anointed before the baptism. It symbolizes that the Holy Spirit is present and is becoming part of that person’s life. It is also a sign of turning away from the temptations of evil and sin and being strong against it. The other type of oil is called the chrism. It is fragranced and contains olive oil. It is anointed after the baptism. The scent of the oil is a sign of dignity and beauty of the new member of God’s family.
Another central feature is the candle. After the child is baptised the priest will light a candle from the Paschal candle. The flame of the candle symbolizes life and knowledge. It is also a sign of coming from the darkness into the light. This reminds Christians of when Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”. For that reason the candle is lit from the paschal candle as the paschal candle represents Jesus and his resurrection. Light is very symbolic to Christians as Jesus was known to light up darkness.
Another central feature is the white garment. When a child is being baptised they often wear white. This symbolizes their new life in faith of Jesus. The colour white is used because according to the Bible that is the colour Jesus himself wore. This mean the child getting baptised is getting closer to Jesus when he was baptized.
Another central feature is the Godparents. A Godparent is someone whom the parents of the child choose to help with the religious upbringing of the child. The Godparent can help by guiding them and to help them understand the faith.
Believer’s baptism is when a church baptizes you as an adult this is often in Baptist churches as they believe you should only be baptized out of choice. When they get baptized it is in a baptistery which is like swimming pool and sometimes when the church doesn’t have a baptistery they would use a pool instead.
During the ceremony people will sing hymns, listen to readings from the Bible and a sermon is read by the priest. The candidate must state and explain its reasons for getting baptized. This is called a testimony. The candidate would have a sponsor which is a Christian who supports them. The candidate is fully immersed into the pool. Often candidates walk into the pool and walk out from the other side as a sign from turning away from their sins and candidate shouldn’t look back, because that would be like looking back at your sins. When the candidate comes out of the pool the sponsor is ready with a towel to dry them off. The ceremony ends with hymns and a final blessing from the minister.
Being baptized as a child would make quite an impact on your life. It could change who you are. Infant baptism would make a significant influence on your upbringing. If Christians are baptized as children they would be part of the Christian community and may go to Christian schools and further their knowledge and understanding of the faith, along side other people who are just like them and are growing within the faith. Therefore they can be set a good example. They can grow up learning about right and wrong. They can also develop and appreciate their gifts of the Holy Spirit. They can go to church every week and learn about the faith through readings from the Bible. They can also go on to receive the sacraments; however this may not include all Christians. Also by being baptized as an infant it is showing that your parents would like you to be a Christian and therefore can help you and guide you to become a good Christian. This can all help you build a relationship with God and to really put your faith and trust in Him.
This can therefore affect the person you’re going to be as you will try to live your life as a Christian and then this would change your lifestyle. It could change your lifestyle as you might like to participate in mass and be closer to God. You might like to organize church events which can help raise money, this may further your awareness of others and may possibly cause you to feel more giving and less selfish. If you were to live out the full meaning of baptism this means you are fully immersed in God and live in his true likeness. Further more if you were baptized as an infant and would like to continue with the faith you could get confirmed and really show how dedicated you are as a Christian. Therefore can be a good example to other Christians and guide them to be a good Christian as well. You could also go on to do bigger things involving your faith.
Infant baptism can also affect your attitude. You can grow up with the perception of being God’s child and being amongst your brothers and sisters. Therefore you can treat them with respect as people would with our own family. This would mean people will be treated equally and there wouldn’t be discrimination between people. It can also make a difference to your attitude towards things as you would learn to appreciate what you have and not take it for granted. Because of this you might decide to help out the community and help others who might be less fortunate than you. This again could bring you closer to God.
A03- “Baptizing Babies is Pointless” Do you agree? Give reasons
For your answer showing that you have considered more than
One point of view
I disagree with this statement. I think baptizing babies isn’t pointless for many reasons. Firstly because I think baptizing is a good way to start a sin-free life as all babies have original sin which means that babies have the potential to sin. By getting baptized they are starting cleansed of original sin and are getting all the support not to sin. Secondly I think it’s not pointless because at baptism you are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit and because you receive it from a young it means you can grow to use and appreciate them. Thirdly when a baby is baptized it can grow in the Christian community which will affect its upbringing, lifestyle and attitude. For example by going to church on Sundays and maybe getting involved with church events they might become more aware of other people and want to give and be less selfish. It can change who you are and what kind of person you are going to be. Fourthly it is good to be baptized as a baby so you can grow up as a Christian and go to a Christian school; therefore you can grow and learn about your faith, it is also good because the people around you can set you a good example of being a good Christian. Lastly I think is important to that you are brought up as a Christian as you are given that choice later on to be confirmed, which is important to do out of their own free will.
However other Christians might agree and say that being baptized as a baby is pointless because they are only babies so they don’t know what they are doing, the decision is being made for them. That means they can’t appreciate the full experience of baptism and what it means. Secondly people might say that babies haven’t sinned so it is pointless to baptize them because they have not sins to clean. Thirdly some Christians might say that if you are baptized when are an adult you will be a better Christian as you have become a Christian out of choice which means that you will be dedicated to being a Christian. Whereas some Christians that are baptized as babies might come to resent the faith and might not longer want to be Christians as they have been forced to get baptized and learn about it. Lastly some Christians might say it’s pointless to be baptized as a baby as Jesus himself was baptized as an adult and Christians are meant to live like Jesus. Therefore they can not be a good a Christian.
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