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essay about adult baptism
adult baptism /essay
essay about adult baptism
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Baptism
Let us consider first the baptism of adults. It is clear that before being baptized, adult candidates should be converted to the Lord, to living the Christian life, and to Christian morality, and they should be formed in Christian attitudes.
The few adults who are seeking baptism today in the Catholic Church are frequently not led to a point of conversion before being baptized. Many Christians from other denominations are becoming Catholics to resolve a mixed marriage. Often they were unconverted members of their previous churches-and their instructions in the particulars of the Catholic faith do nothing to lead them to a conversion experience. They often are not led to a personal relationship with the Lord, a life of prayer:, life in the Holy Spirit, love of the brethren, and Christian service. Jesus may not be any more the center of their life after they become a Catholic than before. "Instructions" and the use of appropriate liturgical rites in the various stages of the adult catechumenate don't necessarily produce converts.
With the baptism of infants, which is the predominant way the Catholic Church is maintaining itself today, we have an even more difficult situation. The Catholic Church has rightly defended the validity of infant baptism, citing its ancient and continuous practice and enunciating its theological justification. It has pointed out that infant baptism depends, for its ultimate effectiveness, on the baptized infant's being raised in an environment in which the infant can become a mature, committed Christian.
The effective catechumenate required in conjunction with infant baptism, then, is provided after the sacrament is administered, as the child grows up in a family environment and parish environment that function as a training ground of Christian life and faith. According to the sacramental theology of the Catholic Church, infant baptism is supposed to be administered in the context of a community of faith that will provide what is needed for the seed of divine life planted in baptism to grow.
Today, while the theoretical justifications for infant baptism remain valid, the conditions for its effective administration are realized less and less. The existence of a "very large number of baptized people who . . . are entirely indifferent to [their baptism] and not living in accordance with it" could have been predicted from the weaknesses in the circumstances in which the sacrament is being administered.
Today, many of the babies being baptized in the Catholic Church will not grow up in an environment of active faith and example in their families, or their parishes, with which they will probably have only marginal, insignificant contact.
Here one can see the significance of baptism extending far beyond the momentary act that is the baptismal rite. Baptism is an act of birth; it gives an immediate and direct connection with Christ’s resurrection, and it lays the foundation for fellowship, which
The Church believed that through Baptism you are cleansed and that you are free from original sin but the council announced that we can be cleansed through baptism but we can not fully be cleansed because once you have been Baptised you are still under the temptation of sinning. This issue was important to the council, they affirmed and readdressed this matter and as a church community we now all follow this new church law as it is stated in the Tridentine Creed. “I embrace an receive all and every one of the things which have been defined and declared in the holy Council of Trent concerning original sin and
US Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. Complete Edition ed. N.p.: US. Catholic Church, n.d. Print.
“Be assured, and doubt not, that not only men who have attained the use of their reason, but also little children who have begun to live in their mothers' womb and have there died, or who, having been just born, have passed away from the world without the sacrament of holy baptism,
The main debate with the issue of baptism is seen in the way Scripture is translated and interpreted. In regards to who is able to be baptized, the mostly debated age group is whether infants are able to be baptized due to them unable to understand the act or truly have faith. Luther begins this section by attempting to let people know this is not a topic worth the arguments. He states in regards to whether in...
More specifically, their traditions include the authority of Scripture and the Holy Spirit; salvation through conversion by the Spirit of God; believer’s baptism, usually by pouring or immersion; discipline in the church (including shunning in some congregations); and the Lord’s Supper as a memorial rather than as a sacrament or Christian rite (Third Way Cafe, 2014).
In this paper, I will be using Victor Turner’s concept of liminality to analyze the Christian rite of passage of baptism. Turner built upon Arnold van Gennep’s three-stage model of rites of passage, focusing on liminality rather than reaggregation and introducing the concept of communitas as the unstructured community during the liminal stage in which all members are equal. By using the anthropological lens of Turner to analyze baptism, specifically Jesus’ water baptism in the book of Mark, I hope to apply his concepts of liminality and communitas to the text to gain a deeper understanding of the model for modern Christian baptism rituals and interpretations, including Spirit baptism.
Many Christian denominations practice the tradition of baptism. However, many denominations differ widely on the meaning and significance of the sacrament or ordinance of baptism. Baptism in the Old Testament is used as a symbol of a believer’s devotion to God by washing with water as a sign of purification and consecration. There are many different meanings and techniques to baptism that have been observed by many faiths over thousands of years. Many of the customs and b...
Baptism is one of the most important and popular rituals in Christianity. It is a simple process that requires an individual to be immersed into the water, blessed and pronounced “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Christian
Christianity is considered to be a living religion especially in terms of the reach for salvation. In the present through the practice of Baptism, Christians believe they die to the life of Original Sin and are born again to Christ, thus able to achieve Salvation. Thus, the tradition and sacred ritual of baptism implies that in order to be active adherents in the Catholic church, one must be baptised, just as Jesus was in the New Testament, “Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.” (Acts 2:38) Another way in which baptism demonstrate that Christianity is a living religious tradition, is through the teachings associated with the purpose of human existence. Through the act of Baptism, which is a direct display of the belief in Salvation through Jesus, the purpose of human life is presented in terms of adherent’s purpose to lov...
These areas will be discussed here in this paper based upon the research I do: I will discussed the meaning of baptism, the purpose and benefits of baptism, was baptism designed for infants or just those who have believed in Christ, and what mode of baptism is biblical. This paper will hopefully present reasoning from both aspects of the questions being asked.
On one hand, baptism is a sacrament that any human must have because it is a lifelong process of salvation and it is necessary for eternal salvation. Since Adam’s sin, all human is born spiritually death; therefore a newborn in spirit is necessary, in order for humans to have “spiritual eyes open” It will keep the person closest to God, because “open eyes” helps to discriminate good from bad during the person journey in life. Baptism present two parts, an outward and sensible sign, and an inward and spiritual grace implied, but baptism is not sanctification by itself. Furthermore, baptism is the Church’s external affirmation and proclamation of prevenient grace; it is an initiation and incorporation into Christ Holy church. During baptism church as a whole play an active role; first, by welcoming the new member, then after baptism, the church provides the nurture that makes possible a comprehensive and lifelong process of growing in grace. On the other hand Communion celebration by using bread and wine is a remembrance of Jesus death, and resurrection and the waiting until He comes again. The way in which bread and wine is converting into Jesus’s body and blood is a mystery. When during celebration Jesus says “for you” it connotes expiating and sacrifice meaning to liberates “us” sinners. Participate in communion
In the Christian faith there are many beliefs and acts for the baptized Catholic to follow,
Becoming a Christian is considered by many to be the greatest thing that one can do in life. Praying, worshipping God, and studying His word are all valuable parts to a walk in faith. Yet, some tend to forget an important action that should take place to attest a stand for Christianity. Baptism is an act of confirming that one is a Christian while symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Through the teachings of the Bible and Jesus, it is apparent that the Southern Baptist view of baptism is the most accurate to the symbolization of Christ’s perfect resurrection and declares the public statement to necessary to affirm the relationship with Jesus. While baptism is not necessary for salvation, but does assert the example that Christ portrayed.
The sacrament of Baptism is a rite of passage undertaken by believers in celebrating, symbolising and making present the central beliefs of the religious tradition of Christianity. It is an experiential religious act involving the transformation of the individual.