The ritual baptism commonly practiced by Baptists community. Baptists are Christians who believe that baptism is performed on adults(do not accept infant baptism). They believe that the ritual must be performed through immersion in water(not scatter and affusion). Baptism is performed through a religious law whereby a person is purified with water and becomes one of their own. Baptism continues to play a key role in the sacramental tradition of Baptists. This ritual has helped a lot in shaping the behaviors of Baptists. Baptists have come to understand the importance of forgiveness. It has contributed a lot in passing moral and ethical values to people as time advances. This ritual helps in understanding the norms and customs of Baptists without any uncertainty. These objectives are achieved through introduction of Sunday school classes and religious seminars where children and youths participate before the ritual is performed (Baptist faith & message, 2000).
This ritual of baptism is not fixed, but it continues to grow as time progresses. Through research and gathering information’s from church artifacts and the elderly, I have come to realize that the former baptism was performed through immersion in water by the Jews (Hebrew Bible). John the Baptist performed this ritual with the intention of reducing crime while other priests had other motives like changing to Judaism. This ritual was passed by John the Baptist to Jesus and his disciples. Jesus was immersed in water by John. Jesus also performs this ritual to his disciples since it was part of their culture and had to be transferred from one generation to the next generation through observations and actions. (John 3:22-4:2). After the era of these prophets passed, Christians changed the meaning of this ritual to an initiation rite into the Christian faith in Christ and abandoning your past life (Colossians 2:12)). Baptism has evolved from running water sites to static water sites. Early Christians preferred immersion in rivers while today this ritual can also be performed in immersion in seas, lakes, ponds and springs (Jewett, 1978). According to these experts, a change that raises controversy exists. In the apostolic age, many converts were adults, nowadays we have included infant baptism; conducted by Orthodox and Catholic churches. In church, we perform this ritual through immersion in water. The tradition of immersion in water continues to evolve from immersion in water to that of pouring and sprinkling. Among the Baptist, the ritual is performed on responsible people. Baptist has also undergone changes when it comes to the meaning of the ritual (Jewett, 1978).
Faith is one of the causes of change as well as movement from one geographical area to the next geographical area. It has affected the identity both negatively and positively. It has raised differences between the Baptists and the catholic churches when it comes to performing the ritual. It has also affected characters positively since baptism is carried on adults, who knows what they are expected after the ritual is performed (Blount & Wooddell, 2007).
The ritual (baptism) continues to evolve as time progresses (How it is performed and its implications). This operation was done traditionally through immersion in water, but it evolved to sprinkling of water. Traditionally, this ritual was performed to mature persons, but in today’s world, some churches perform this ritual even to the infants (catholic churches). Baptists perform this ritual by immersing the follower in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It symbolizes the believer’s denial to earthly things, the entombment of the previous life, and the resurgence to walk in novelty of life in Jesus Christ (Baptist faith & message, 2000). This ritual has contributed a lot in improving the behaviors and conducts of family thereby reducing crime in our community since for you to prepare for this ritual; you have to attend classes where you are taught of what the community expects of you after the ritual is performed.
References
Baptist faith & message. (2000). Dallas, Tex.: Baptist Executive Board, Baptist General Convention of Texas\
Blount, D. K., & Wooddell, J. D. (2007). The Baptist faith and message 2000: critical issues in America's largest Protestant denomination. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Jewett, P. K. (1978). Infant baptism and the covenant of grace: an appraisal of the argument that as infants were once circumcised, so they should now be baptized. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
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