Extracts from this document...

Introduction

G.C.S.E Religious Studies Coursework: Baptism AO1: Explain how Mark's account of Jesus' baptism has influenced Christian belief and understanding of the Sacrament of Baptism. Refer to the central features of infant and believers baptism in your answer. For Catholics the sacraments are the main ways in which we worship God and the ways that we get closer to Him. A sacrament is a special visible sign that puts us into contact with God. We believe that Jesus who walked the roads of Galilee all these years ago is still with us, and our meeting place with Christ is in the sacraments. The sacraments are concerned with great moments in our life, and these moments are usually highlighted. When someone is born, when someone reaches the age of 21, when someone gets married or when someone dies - each of these moments are, likewise highlighted by a celebration a sacrament. The first of the seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church is baptism. The baptism is the service by which people become members of the church, of the God's family. By being baptised all sins (even the original sin) are "washed away" - forgiven. Mark's account about Jesus' baptism shows that He was baptised as an adult by John the Baptist. It took place in the river Jordan. When Jesus came up out of the water he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him, and there came a voice from heaven, saying "You are my own dear Son. ...read more.

Middle

Another form of baptism is the believers' baptism. During the ceremony child is poured with the water which symbolises the new, cleansed way of way of life. Jesus was cleansed and renewed by being immersed in water. It was also a fresh start for Him, as he begun a new mission. For the child the water washes off the original sin. The Believer's baptism is practiced in Baptist Churches, and a few others. The person who would like to be baptised by this method (the candidate) must be an adult. It is because only adult person can really have faith in Jesus Christ and is not forced in any way to do so. In this case the baptism of Jesus is treated literally so every step from Jesus' baptism is present at the believers' baptism. Baptists believe that Jesus by being baptise as an adult showed that this is the way of that ceremony. They also say that when an adult is baptised it is his/her own decision that no-one has forced them to do so, and that is also the following of Jesus because it was his decision to be baptised in the river Jordan. IN believers' baptism as well as in Jesus' the full immersion in the water occurs. It symbolises also as in the infant baptism the cleansing of any sins. ...read more.

Conclusion

It is believed that we take in the light of Christ; this is when the light flame from the paschal candle is passed to the baptism candle. The paschal candle symbolises the resurrection of Christ, the new life. We share in this resurrection and new life in baptism. The light of Christ is present as a guiding force in the life of the candidate. The light will help the candidate to handle difficult situations in their life e.g. at time of depression, when they lose a close relative or some other situations. The candidate is dressed with the white garment. Throughout Christ's ministry white has been symbolic of purity. It is a Messianic colour. In baptism we believe that the candidate is purified and this is symbolised by the wearing of white garment. By saying purified I mean that the candidate is free from every sin and evil. During the baptism the sign of the cross is used. In baptism we believe that the Trinity is present as it was in Jesus' baptism. The candidate's all five senses are blessed to symbolise that everything he/she does should reflect the love of God and teachings of Jesus. It is true to say that Mark's account of Jesus' baptism has influenced Christian belief and understanding of the Sacrament of Baptism. One can notice that the Mark's account was an instruction for Christian of how to celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism. At every stage of the Baptism there is a connection to the Jesus' baptism in the Jordan. . ?? ?? ?? ?? ...read more.

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Baptism section.