Sample term paper on Baptism (extract):
Christians mark important events in the natural progress of a human life with ceremonies. These ceremonies answer the questions which people ask about the mystery of life itself. Baptism answers the questions “who am I?” and “what am I here for?”. Baptism is the rite of initiation into the Christian faith. The word “baptise” comes from a Greek word “baptizo” meaning “to dip”. When you get baptised you are asked to turn away from your sins. In baptism you are washed clean as a sign of the new life you are going to lead according to Gods law. When you are baptised you become a member of the catholic church. Baptism is the start of the three sacraments of initiation, the other two are holy communion and confirmation in the roman catholic tradition.
Baptism is an initiation rite, this means it is a ceremony by which a person is made a member of something. When you are baptised you become a Christian. Baptism is a sign of new life and it is said that if you are baptised you are born again. Baptism is the washing away of sins and a sharing in the life with God. All Christians who do baptise agree that there are two important features in every baptism which are, What god does is important and what human beings do is important. These are the symbols of baptism: Water: This is a powerful, natural symbol of life and death. It gives life to the desert but water can also have a bad side like when the sea is rough and many people have drown. Oil: Two kinds of oil are used before the baptism and is a sign of strengthening for the life long struggle of temptation, sin and evil. The fragrant perfume is a symbol of beauty and dignity of a child of god. White garment: In the early church when you get baptised you wore a white robe as a sign of the fact that he was clothed with Christ when he was baptised. The garment would usually be provided by the mother of the child. The messiahs clothing was white and this is why the garment is white. Candle: Jesus said that he is the light of the world so the candle is an important part in the baptism. The candle flickering is a sign of life. Words and gestures: The words “I baptise you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen – are the important words of baptism. The most important gesture in baptism is the sign of the cross. The cross represents the saving power of the crucifixion of Jesus.
Believers baptism is for people that are old enough to understand what they are doing. There is no minimum age for the believers baptism. People that get baptized by their own choice must choose themselves if they want to be Christians. When they make that choice they must commit themselves to Jesus as a savior and they must really love and serve him. Total immersion represents the believer identifying himself.
There are a lot of Christians that get baptized and there are some that do not get baptized. The Christians that do get baptized are: The catholic church, the Presbyterian church, the Methodist church, the Anglican church and the Baptists church. The Christians that do not get are: The salvation army and the Quakers. Christian churches believe that baptism is very important. Baptism is practized in most churches such as the catholic church, the Presbyterian church, the Methodist church and the Anglican church. Christians believe baptism to be very important because if they baptized all their sins will be forgiven and they will be accepted into the kingdom of God. There is a connection between baptism and resurrection because when you are baptized you are starting a new life and when you are arising you are also starting a new life. Baptism was important to Jesus because this was what he believed in and he wanted to join the kingdom of God when he died.
God has a lot of things to do with baptism. The three main things that God does are: forgives sins of the person being baptized, God receives them into his family as children and the last one is that he gives people a new spiritual life when baptized which continues with God after death for followers of Jesus. Human beings also have an important role to play during baptism. Those who are baptized must repent and accept Jesus as their savior and lord. When a child is baptized and the parents/God parents make the promises and statements on behalf of the child.
Christians understand the origins and purpose of baptism in different ways. There is a general understanding that the act of baptising forgives all sins and is a sign of joining other Christians in their new life as followers of Jesus Christ. Baptism is a physical act of which is a sign of new birth. Water is the important symbol used and the words of baptism expresses what is happening to the new member, however methods of joining the Christian church are different for various groups of Christians.
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