A candle is given to one of the parents who lights it from the great paschal candle (which represents life, and of knowledge) as a sign of sharing.
The Our father is recited by all those present; the Priest blesses the mother, then the father and finally he finishes by blessing the congregation.
Believers Baptism
Baptists believe in immersion, plunging the whole person beneath the water, carried out in rivers or baptismal tank. Jesus himself, along with many others, was baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. Baptism is a public confession of faith in Christ and is an act of obedience to God, and the means of entry into his Church. Adults or young people mature enough to have made their own Christian commitment are only baptised. (This distinguishes the Baptist church from infant baptism).
When a candidate asks for baptism, the minister to see if he is ready for baptism normally interviews him/her and if he is accepted for baptism the preparation will be given for the ceremony.
Friends and relatives usually crowd into the church with the normal congregation for the baptismal service.
This is an important step in a Christian’s life, a public declaration of his faith in Christ.
During the service, the minister explains the meaning of baptism and the candidate has the chance to say why they have decided to be baptised.
The minister asks questions about the candidate's faith, and in response to these, invites him/her to be baptised.
Baptism is normally by 'full immersion' which means that the minister and the candidate both stand in the water. The minister then asks a final public question, ‘Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your own personal saviour?’ If the reply is ‘yes’, the minister says, ‘On your confession of faith, I gladly baptise you in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’
And the candidate is immersed in the pool of water. For a brief moment the minister rocks the person in the water so that he/she is fully under. This symbolises the death of all that the old life represents, and the burial of the person with Christ who spent three days in the tomb.
The person comes out and leaves the pool out different steps to show that the new life that they are now sharing with Jesus has already begun. A friend usually assists with towels etc. immediately after the baptism, and a room is set-aside for the candidate to change afterwards.
The colour of white is worn to show purity and forgiveness.
A certificate is given to the newly baptised Christian.
Baptism is a highly symbolic occasion with every word and action having major significance in the life of a Christian.
First of all the candidate for baptism is presented along with the parents and godparents. The people who have come (parents and godparents) independently to offer this child to the church. The priest meets the people at the back of the chapel and acts as God’s representative he is reaching into the community and is welcoming the new member into God’s family. The child is given the sign of the cross, which is the ultimate symbol of Christianity, the sign by which the infant will live out the rest of its life, believing that Jesus was crucified, died and was buried.
Anointing with the oil of Catechumens is a sign of being given strength. Christians today knew that it is very difficult to be a good Christian (even the disciples’ denied Jesus when he was arrested) one requires strength to say ‘no’ to evil such as ‘murder’. This is what makes this action important for Christians.
Promises made by the parents and godparents on behalf of the candidate because the child is too young. This very significant for the parents and godparents as it serves as a reminder of their beliefs as a Christian such as ‘Do you believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This helps to spread the responsibility of Christianity to the wider community. Children will grow up as better Christians as the people around them are good Christian role models. Unfortunately this is not often the case as many parents and godparents do not even take their children to church or ensure they receive the sacraments.
The actual baptism with water, this is the focal point of the ceremony. Water is well known as a symbol of cleansing and new life. Christians today believe that all children are born with original sin and that the water of baptism frees the child from sin and also welcoming it into the house of God. Getting a fresh start is important to everyone and the symbol of the water in baptism is widely accepted by all Christians. Jesus himself was baptised himself in water in the River Jordan and Christians believe it is right for them to get baptised with water to.
Anointing with Chrism, Chrism is ancient oil, previously used to anoint kings. It symbolises that the baptised person is special. Christians today appreciate this special anointing as it sets them out from others. However it alone does not make a Christian act special, a Christian’s behaviour and attitudes to others are what make them good Christians and the child will not know this.
White Robe is another item used in Infant baptism. The colour white is another sign of new life and faith. A baptised baby is a perfect Christian as it is sinless. The white garment wrapped around the baby after the baptism represents the child being surrounded by faith and security.
To finish the ceremony a baptismal candle is lit from the paschal candle. The paschal candle is the Easter candle, representing the resurrection of Christ. The fact that the child gets its candle’s light from the Paschal candle means that this child’s Christianity will be a guiding light to the world, just like Jesus himself was. This closely links the baptism of a child to the life of Jesus, which is important for Christians today. The next time in the child’s life the paschal candle will be ignited is at the child’s confirmation. In reality the child in baptism might be to young for these commitments in Christianity that are promised by the parents and godparents and maybe the child should make these promises themselves at confirmation and not just renew them. And maybe this is too young for the child.
Adult baptism-immersion
The entire body being immersed under the water symbolises the death of the old life of the person and the burial of the person with Christ who spent three days in the tomb. This is a highly symbolic action, image that only an adult can take. It also reflects Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan, which would offer an immediate attraction for a lot of believers.
The person then leaves the pool by a different entrance, which symbolises that their new life with Jesus has already started. They have ‘risen’ from the water he starts a new life with Christ. This makes you question the ability of a human to stop living one lifestyle and then start living another.
As with infant baptism, believer’s baptism is practiced in a Baptist church is equally symbolic, with each action holding some significance in the life of the new Christian. The symbolism of Believers Baptism is similar to that of Infant Baptism, with the main difference being baptised by immersion and the candidate is an adult who has chosen to be baptised. This will affect the Christians life as they themselves are choosing what road to take in Christian life by thinking and committing of Christianity to the promises of Christianity themselves.
No I don’t agree as the sacrament of Baptism is a sacrament of initiation in the Catholic Church and as the word ‘initiation’ suggests, it is just for starters. The baptism of infant does not make a child a Christian; it is a combination of spiritual growth and further sacraments that guide the child into adult Christianity. Yet some still argue why baptise babies?
The main argument for adult baptism is that Jesus himself was not baptised until he was an adult (around thirty years old). As an adult he was able to take full responsibility for his discipleship. Baptists who believe that promises from others do not count also hold this view. So are there any valid arguments for babies being baptised?
Baptising babies comes from the Old Testament. By baptising babies today modern Christian churches believe includes the child part of God’s new Covenant. Many parents take their infants to be baptised due to the fear of their child dying with ‘original sin’ and not going to heaven. It is believed that prevents this. Many fail to see is that baptism does not cleanse every child from sin but only while that child has the ability to make choices for themselves.
In my opinion baptising infants only offers a stepping-stone into life of a Christian. From as little as six or seven years old that child has the ability to make choices such as to steal or not to steal, or a more worrying issue bullying. I believe how the child responds to sin will depend on the experiences of Christianity in its home, community and school that brings in a lot of people to help our child become a good Christian. Being baptised in the Catholic Church allows children into Catholic schools and catholic communities, which strive to help the child to be brought up Christianly. Surely we are better baptising children so they can be exposed to Christian life at work in their everyday lives.
To me, I believe my parents, brothers, sisters, aunts; uncles, godparents, parents’ friends and neighbours had influenced me in the moulding of my Christianity.
On the other hand people might say that Jesus was baptized as an adult, which they wish to follow his example. Today, believers’ baptism follows the principle that belief in Christ comes before baptism. The ceremony is seen as important because it is an outward sign and declaration of the changes that have taken place in person’s life through belief in Jesus Christ. People also might say that the babies are too young for the promises that are made for them and it should be the actual candidates choice. And adults can see for themselves this materialistic world then decide should they follow in the way Jesus lived his life unlike being baptized in your early years with no experience of the world your going to grow into.
