Infant Baptism Research Paper

In the Anglican Church baptism starts off by gathering hymns, pslam or anthem depending on the priest. After that is done the priest greets the community as respect. The Collect of the day is prayed and other prayers as well. After this the priest talks about the lesson from the scriptures which most often are from the bible , then they will be a presentation and examination of the candidate then the baptismal covenant is prayed to bless the baby towards the end they also pray prayers of thanksgiving and the priest will bless the baby over the water. When the baby is washed with the water the prayers of consecration over oils is prayed after this the

Baptism has many inextricable ties to the beliefs that are held so very tightly by the Christian church and its adherents. It is one of the many traditions of the faith that seeks to express aspects of the religion that are essential to its practice. Baptism is linked to beliefs about: spiritual rebirth through Christ who seeks to cleanse and purify each individual from their sins, admission into the Christian Church and its mission, faith in the Holy Trinity, particularly in the power of the Holy Spirit which seeks to bring knowledge of God to the world as well as the need for salvation from eternal damnation as emphasised in Lewis Sperry Chafer’s book Major Bible Themes which states that: “...baptism when practiced can be no more than an expression of faith and the hope...that the child will ultimately be saved.” Baptism also highlights the Christian beliefs based on faith and repentance-reconciling with God and accepting one’s role as His son/daughter, participation in the life, death and resurrection of Christ by being able to partake in celebrating His sacrifice for mankind, and finally the forgiveness of sins- turning towards a life filled with God’s guidance and righteous presence.

The sacrament of baptism is typically interpreted as a ceremony that accepts you into the church, however, it also gives us grace. Our job in the process is to accept the grace bestowed upon us in order to ease the pain we feel, gradually. Baptism cleanses us of Original Sin and gives us a clean slate because we will sin throughout life many times. Vaz explains the symbolism behind specific parts of the sacraments’ process. Infants are supposed to wear a white garment due to tradition.

Baptism is the first sacrament of the seven. It helps understand god’s love and compassion by showing how he would except anyone to become catholic. This sacraments symbols are Dove, oil,

While both religions believe in being baptized and the reasons for it are similar, there is a disagreement between them over how one should be baptized. The Baptists believe that one should be an adult to fully understand their commitment and be able to make that choice. They also say that you should be fully submerged in water so you can fully wash away your sins. The Catholics, on the other hand, believe in being baptized as an infant. They do not fully submerge someone in water either. The person is sprinkled with holy water and marked with the cross across the forehead. I myself was baptized as an infant as catholic but no longer associate with religion at all. My beliefs stem from a spiritual place more so than a religious one.

Often held as a rite of passage and entrance into the Christian church, baptism is much more than just symbolic ritual. Baptism was commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission recounted in the book of Matthew. Even though we are simplistically called to be obedient by being baptized the Christian church has long debated the aspects of this ordinance. Denominations are divided on the basic meaning, types and modes of baptism even two thousand years after the founding of the Christian church. Just as the other ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, congregations find themselves at odd with tradition, biblical interpretation and even individual understanding. However, the simple message of this awe inspiring act can be explained out of the

Baptism has been a sacrament and also a regulation of Jesus Christ. In some denominations, baptism is also known as christening, but many people know christening as baptism for infants. The most common form of baptism known among the earliest Christians was for the person getting baptized that their whole body be submerged underwater or like a quick dunk, also another way is by standing or kneeling in water and having water poured on the person. Another form of baptism now in use includes pouring water on the person’s forehead;

Baptism is a highly significant practice for most Christians as it is the rite that marks the admission of an individual into most of the Christian churches. It is through this practice that candidates (commonly infants in Anglican, Catholic and Orthodox branches of Christianity) hand themselves to God whilst receiving a promise of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Baptism is significant to the individual and also to the wider church community as it is through this introduction of a new person into the community, that adherents are able to live out their principal beliefs in different ways and therefore fulfill their relationship with God. Within the sacrament of baptism, all three aspects of the principal belief of the Trinity is revealed, “Go, therefore, make disciples of all

Baptist church, baptism is something that an individual decides upon when they feel they are

The elements of this practice equip the individual to perform this ritual in a successful manner and allow adherents to be disciples of the Lord in the Christian community. The use of water signifies the spiritual cleansing of the individual and reflects the discussion of rebirth through water in the Gospel of John - “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water” (3:5). The use of water also unifies the individual with the ministry of Christ as we take part in the same ceremony as him. The bible highlights the eternal connection established with the Christian community as the word stresses the importance of this practice. Furthermore, the white garment symbolises the pure and virtuous nature of this ritual and signifies the releasing from the chains of sin and being reborn into a new life with Christ. Pope Francis’ statement that the “people of God have become missionary disciples” highlights the communal aspect of baptism and its contribution to Christianity as a living tradition as it is the individuals moral duty to baptise non-believers and unite them with the Christian community. The Gospel of John reinforces this obligation and the importance of baptism for the individual and the community as a whole in “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mttw

Most denominations baptise ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

In conjunction with water being a sign of initiation into the church so are the symbolic acts of the priest during the sacrament. “The symbolic act of laying hands by the priest, parents and godparents during the anointing of the initiate with chrism emphasizes the sacrament’s communal character.” (Mueller 139) As all of the parties involved are members of the church, baptism is the first act of initiation of us into our own Christ filled community known as the church. Involving various active member of the church brings together the church of past, present and future alike. The priest acts as Christ, who through his own

All Christians know about the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, English Standard Version). In that command, Jesus tells us to baptize in the name of the Trinity. What does the word “baptism” mean? Baptimsa and sometimes baptismos, the Greek word origin of “baptism”, can translate to “immersion” or “bathing” without any religious implications (McGowan, 2014). Nearly every Christian church practices baptism with a religious implication; however, they do not agree on God’s activity in, the qualifications for admitting a person to, and methods of administering baptism. For instance, many churches do not baptize people until they become adults and make a profession of faith, while others encourage baptizing an infant soon after they are born. The practices and philosophy for baptism changed throughout its use in the New Testament, the Early Church, and the Medieval era.

One of the key terms disputed in Matthew 28:19 is command to “baptize”. Within the institution of Christ’s church, there exist many denominations. These denominations execute the ceremony of baptism differently,

At the baptismal font, the priest would anoint the child after which the child would be immersed under water. The child after being taken out of the water would then be wrapped by the godparents in pure christening white linen gown. The child’s godparents and the sole responsibility to look out for the child as one would to their own children. Other than looking out for the child, the godparents were expected to teach the child prayers and even go further to teach the child on morals and ways of conducting one in a Christian manner in the society.