Baptism within the Roman Catholic and Baptist Churches
This essay will support the hypothesis that while there are shared teachings about the ritual of baptism within Christianity, there are also significant differences amongst the denominations. The information below will explore the differences that the Roman Catholics and the Baptist church have between believer baptism and infant baptism.
Firstly, baptism is a ‘life-cycle ritual’ in Christianity. Life cycle rituals are found in every society throughout the world; however, their importance within those set societies tends to vary (Encyclopedia Britanica, 258/14). Life cycle rituals, or ceremonies, often symbolize a coming of age for a child or a ‘rite of passage’ for a person. Rites of …show more content…
This is because they believe that “young children are not…able to confess their faith” Reference: (Virtual Museum of Protestantism, 26/8/14). However, in place of an infant baptism, a naming or dedication ceremony can be held for a baby (Oxford Studies Of Religion, 2010). Baptists do not strictly follow how baptism was done in the bible. They use it as only a model and they believe that it is only meaningful and significant when the person being baptized is fully aware of their promise and connection to the faith (ReligionFacts, 25/8/14). By baptizing adults, a profession of their faith is made and this symbolises their adoption of the gospel in their personal life. Baptists generally refer to themselves as “God’s free people, … Churches of Christ … and those who follow the baptized way” (ReligionFacts, 25/8/14) . The meaning of baptism in this instance is different than those of other denominations. One thing about baptism in the Baptist church is that is symbolizes unity within the church, due to it being a ceremonial rite of passage to which they all have to go through. Baptists also do not believe that it is regenerative, meaning saving within itself. Rather, they prefer to think of it as an ‘ordinance’, “where it’s a teaching of the bible that Jesus intended for his followers to observe” (William H. Brackney,
This essay will support the hypothesis that while there are shared teachings about the ritual of baptism within Christianity, there are also significant differences amongst the denominations. The information below will explore the differences that the Roman Catholics and the Baptist church have between believer baptism and infant baptism.
Firstly, baptism is a ‘life-cycle ritual’ in Christianity. Life cycle rituals are found in every society throughout the world; however, their importance within those set societies tends to vary (Encyclopedia Britanica, 258/14). Life cycle rituals, or ceremonies, often symbolize a coming of age for a child or a ‘rite of passage’ for a person. Rites of …show more content…
This is because they believe that “young children are not…able to confess their faith” Reference: (Virtual Museum of Protestantism, 26/8/14). However, in place of an infant baptism, a naming or dedication ceremony can be held for a baby (Oxford Studies Of Religion, 2010). Baptists do not strictly follow how baptism was done in the bible. They use it as only a model and they believe that it is only meaningful and significant when the person being baptized is fully aware of their promise and connection to the faith (ReligionFacts, 25/8/14). By baptizing adults, a profession of their faith is made and this symbolises their adoption of the gospel in their personal life. Baptists generally refer to themselves as “God’s free people, … Churches of Christ … and those who follow the baptized way” (ReligionFacts, 25/8/14) . The meaning of baptism in this instance is different than those of other denominations. One thing about baptism in the Baptist church is that is symbolizes unity within the church, due to it being a ceremonial rite of passage to which they all have to go through. Baptists also do not believe that it is regenerative, meaning saving within itself. Rather, they prefer to think of it as an ‘ordinance’, “where it’s a teaching of the bible that Jesus intended for his followers to observe” (William H. Brackney,