The Anglican baptism is similar, but does not include rituals such as the oils, the white garment or prayers to the saints. High Anglicans may include the lighted candle.
The Orthodox Baptism Ceremony
As in the Catholic Church baptism is seen as a sacrament in the Orthodox denomination too. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, babies are brought to be baptised when only eight days old. The child is undressed to symbolise the removal of their old sinful self. Each child has a sponsor to represent them as they are obviously to young to represent themselves. The priest turns the child to the west and the sponsor declares the rejection of Satan (in the Orthodox belief the west is the origin of evil). Then the sponsor says the child has turned to Christ, and the child is turned to the east, the source of light. The child is immersed in the font three. This is because the first Christians were more likely to be immersed than sprinkled with water. The child is dressed in white (as in the Catholic ceremony) and the child has the sign of the cross put on various parts of its body with oil. While doing this the priest says “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit”. This is known as Chrismation and it symbolises the child growing strong in the Christian faith. A small lock of hair is cut away from the child’s head to demonstrate the child’s devotion to the faith. This is seen as their first sacrifice to Christ. The child is given a small cross that they will wear for the rest of the life, and is now a member of the church and can also accept Holy Communion. Chrismation replaces confirmation in the Orthodox Church.
The Baptist Infant Dedication Ceremony
Not every group of Christians believes in infant baptism. Baptists, despite their name, do not baptise people at birth (although they do baptise people later in life). Instead they hold a dedication service, to welcome the new person and thank God for the baby. To start the service the parents usually go and stand by the communion table facing the priest. There are no Godparents as the ceremony concerns the church as a whole, not just the parents. The priest welcomes the church and their baby and will then read some appropriate verses from the bible. He then addresses the parents questioning
“In the name of the Church, I ask you: do you acknowledge with gratitude the goodness of God in the gift of this child, and do you accept the responsibility that comes with the gift to give your child a Christian upbringing?” The parents reply “We do”. The minister then addresses the congregation and says that if they accept the responsibility to help in whatever way possible then they should stand. When the people who will help have stood (usually the entire congregation) the priest takes the baby and says, “(name) may the Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you: the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.” He then gives the baby back to the parents and leads the congregation in prayer. The parents are then given a certificate. The words of the service are similar to infant baptism, but obviously baptism with water and symbolic rituals are missing.
A02 – Referring to Christian Infant Rites explain their meaning and importance in the life of believers.
Why do Christians baptise? To obey the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”
Water is the symbol of life. The most important symbol in Baptism is water. Water has many deep meanings. It is widely used for cleaning, but it also brings life, and we would not be able to live without it. Water is powerful but as well as life giving, it can be destructive. Floods, torrential rain and tidal waves all represent the destructive force of water. Water also cleans and cleanses. Water in baptism signifies a new life and the death of the old sinful life and also the cleansing of sins when Jesus was sacrificed for us. The water in the Red Sea helped Moses escape form the Egyptians. In the story of Noah’s Ark, the floods killed everyone except Noah’s family and the animals. In the times of John the Baptist, being baptised symbolized repentance. In today’s ceremony water reminds believers of all these things but most important that the person has died to sin and rises again to share a new life with Christ. The meaning of the sacrament of Baptism to the believer can be seen during the symbolic acts of the ceremony. For example, one of the most important gestures during the ceremony is the sign of the cross, which is a sign of the saving power of the crucifixion of Jesus.
The Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican denominations see baptism as a sacrament. Baptism is thought to be a conduit for God’s Holy Spirit to begin working in the child, an action outside the body that makes something happen within the child. The concept is that the child will now be receptive to the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit can guide the child through their life.
During a Catholic Baptism there are two times when the child is anointed with oils. One is before baptism, which accompanies the prayer of exorcism. This is the oil of Catechumens, which is a sign of strength to resist temptation, sin and evil. The other one is the Oil of Chrism, which also is a sign of strength against temptation but is also a symbol of consecration for special service in the Family of God. It reminds us that we have taken the name Christian and that we are followers of the ‘anointed one’.
The candle – symbolises the light of Christ will shine on and through the child for their whole life. The fire of a candle reminds the believer to let the light of Christ shine through their life. It symbolises Christ’s love. When the Baptismal candle is lit from the Paschal candle; the Parents are asked to keep the flame burning in the child’s heart by praying with them and by taking them to mass so that when the child grows up he can be an example to others by living a Christian life. Jesus said, “ I am the light of the world, anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark, he will have the light of life”.
The Baptist dedication service is very important for Baptists, although not quite as important as an infant baptism for other denominations, their ceremony of import being believers’ baptism. A dedication is not where the baby is initiated into the church. Instead that comes at believers' baptism and at this service a simple thanks is said for the safe deliverance of the baby. Prayers are also said for the thankful parents and for the baby. It is hoped that the baby will be brought up a Christian, but Baptists believe it is best that the baby makes the decision for itself when it is old enough and that the baby can use its free will that God has given it. Then the baby can either not become a Christian, join another denomination or alternatively, if they want to be a Baptist, can have the Believers’ baptism. This involves the symbolism you would expect in a Baptism service e.g. the immersion under the water. This can be at any age when the person has decided that they definitely want to be a Christian. They are then officially part of the Baptist church.
A03 – “Christian rites of passage should be reserved for believers only”.Do you agree? Give reasons showing that you have thought of more than one point of view.
There are many Christian rites. All are sacred and important in the Christian faith. However in a country where Christianity is our main religion is it right for non-believers to participate in these rites?
Many Christians would say no. Christian faith is a special gift passed down from God through the sacrifice of Jesus. If the people have no belief what is the point of having a service, so symbolic and holy to some, if it is meaningless to those who participate?
A few examples are such ceremonies like a funeral where Christians believe that if the bereaved is not a Christian that they will go to hell. So surely what is the point of them having a Christian funeral. Another is marriage. A Christian marriage is in the eyes and house of God. The person who is being married might not agree with the teachings and, again, symbolism Christians place in marriage.
Perhaps the largest point of controversy is the baptism of babies by the church. Many Christians would not agree with this practice for many of the reasons because if the parents don’t believe then they are essentially lying throughout the service, bringing a Christian sacrament into disrepute. 25,000,000 people have been baptised and because people don’t believe when they have their baby baptised they don’t bother to come to church. Average church attendance on Sunday service is just 500,000 people.
Having said all this there are circumstances when many, if not all non-believers should partake in some of these services. If one partner in a relationship is a Christian should this stop them getting married in a Christian church, which would mean so much to one of them and still be an amazing occasion for the other. Indeed the non-Christian may convert into the Christian faith either because of their partner or because of the ceremony. A funeral for a non-believer could comfort their remaining family. In probably the largest issue a baptised baby will be given a start in the Christian church to take up if they want to later in life and it would be best if the baby had the Holy Spirit inside it. It is wrong to penalise the baby for the actions of the parents. Also if the church wants to increase the rapidly falling attendance figures then they could do with more people becoming Christians. Is the parents asking for a baptised baby not an act of God?
Overall I would believe most ceremonies to be of benefit only to believers. However the marriage example above and also infant baptism could greatly benefit the falling members of the church and the people involved.