Describe and explain the central features of infant and believers baptism.

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Ruby Lewis        RS Coursework        09/05/2007

Baptism GCSE Assignment

AO1 – Describe and explain the central features of infant and believers baptism

Infant Baptism

Originally the term ‘baptism’ was applied to sheep that were dipped in water to kill any parasites attached to them. When this term was used for people in the Christian church the same idea was carried forward and given a spiritual meaning – the dipping of people under water to cleanse them of their sins. For most Christian churches baptism has become the means by which a baby becomes a member of Christ’s church.

  There are variations between the Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican ways of carrying out the service of Infant Baptism. In an Orthodox church, baptism and conformation follow each other in the service, which happens when the baby is 8 days old. The service is called Chrismation, it begins with prayers that the baby will come to know God and Gods commandments. This baby’s’ clothes then get taken off to symbolise leaving an old life behind. This is what happens at the service, it falls into 3 main parts:

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-The priest blesses the baptismal water with a prayer and breathes on the water in the shape of a cross.

-Then a pre-baptism anointing with the ‘Oil of Gladness’ takes place.

-In the baptism itself, the baby gets held in the font, facing east (a symbol of the resurrection) and dipped into the water 3 times, while the priest says a prayer. This is what the priest says whilst the baby is dipped into the font full of blessed water:

‘ The servant of God (giving the child its name) is baptised in the name of the father, Amen. ...

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