Analyse how Christian religious practices influence the lives of adherents. In your answer, refer to baptism. “Christianity has developed into a highly ritual-filled tradition and many of its significant practices are acts of public worship associated with the sacraments.” – Living Religion, 4th edition pg. 266. Ever since its inception, Christianity has been epitomised by a range of religious practices that explore the sacred beliefs that have been upheld and spread around the world. These practices thus continue to bear a significant influence over the lives of adherents and how they seek to express their faith in Christianity. One such religious practice is that of baptism which functions as a significant milestone in the life of any …show more content…
Baptism has many inextricable ties to the beliefs that are held so very tightly by the Christian church and its adherents. It is one of the many traditions of the faith that seeks to express aspects of the religion that are essential to its practice. Baptism is linked to beliefs about: spiritual rebirth through Christ who seeks to cleanse and purify each individual from their sins, admission into the Christian Church and its mission, faith in the Holy Trinity, particularly in the power of the Holy Spirit which seeks to bring knowledge of God to the world as well as the need for salvation from eternal damnation as emphasised in Lewis Sperry Chafer’s book Major Bible Themes which states that: “...baptism when practiced can be no more than an expression of faith and the hope...that the child will ultimately be saved.” Baptism also highlights the Christian beliefs based on faith and repentance-reconciling with God and accepting one’s role as His son/daughter, participation in the life, death and resurrection of Christ by being able to partake in celebrating His sacrifice for mankind, and finally the forgiveness of sins- turning towards a life filled with God’s guidance and righteous presence. Baptism is often understood to symbolise the resurrection of Christ-the revival of the sinner to a life of righteousness. Romans 6:3-11: “Do you not know that all of
Christianity is a faith based religious tradition, of which the follower is considered to be a Christian adherent. Thus, being a living tradition, Christianity is continually subject to change in accordance to the needs of the adherent and reaffirming the Christian tradition within a contemporary context. The aspects, which attribute the present existence of Christianity and its dynamism therein, include sacred texts and writings, ritual and ceremonies, beliefs and believers, and ethics. Ultimately, the aforementioned characteristics strive to form and continually validate answers to the enduring questions of life through a process of change, which simultaneously highlights Christianity as a living tradition.
Baptism is such an important part of a person’s life. The sacrament of baptism goes back to 200 year old tradition. I will be focusing on community for the sacrament of baptism; there are different views, practices and significance of baptism for the individuals across many Christian churches such as Armenian Orthodox, Roman Catholic Church, and Anglican Church.
Centuries ago, the Bible was written when God gave his only son who died on the cross for our sins. “Our” is standing for everyone in the world that God calls his children. Jesus Christ died on the cross with active and passive obedience. This means Jesus actively kept Gods Law for us, which we live by today. Jesus passively took away all of our sins, he died on the cross to take them away and we receive righteousness. Even if we are un-deserving, when Jesus died on the cross for everyone, it gives everyone the opportunity to have everlasting life with God. Baptism is one of the few things that God asks of everyone. The purpose of Baptism is to cleanse your sins and you will be forgiven. With the blessing of God, the Holy Water cleanses the person’s sins and they are given everlasting life.
The importance of “baptism” scenes is very clear in a lot of literature. It symbolizes a washing away of the old, a new start. A good example of this is in the book “Fahrenheit 451” by Thomas C. Foster. This book is not only about burning, it is also about rebirth. Guy Montag is in the middle of running away from his rebellion, being hunted for reading books that he is supposed to be burning and killing a man. Montag reaches a river and jumps in to protect himself from being caught. He quickly changes his clothes so the mechanical dog’s do not find him and hides, floats, and waits in the water. As he comes to land on the other side of the river and we see him change as a person. He was stripped of his old life burning books and started a fresh
Often held as a rite of passage and entrance into the Christian church, baptism is much more than just symbolic ritual. Baptism was commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission recounted in the book of Matthew. Even though we are simplistically called to be obedient by being baptized the Christian church has long debated the aspects of this ordinance. Denominations are divided on the basic meaning, types and modes of baptism even two thousand years after the founding of the Christian church. Just as the other ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, congregations find themselves at odd with tradition, biblical interpretation and even individual understanding. However, the simple message of this awe inspiring act can be explained out of the
Christianity is a religion that provides adherents with the ability to fulfill their relationship with God every day. However not all Christians exercise this covenantal relationship the same way or act out the principal beliefs to the same extent. Different denominations represent their beliefs - the foundations for their lived expression - in different manners. Some of the Christian principal beliefs include, Revelation, Salvation, the Trinity, and the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is through environmental ethics and ethical teachings, and the practice of baptism that adherents are able to connect to their one God and attain a healthy relationship with God to a certain extent.
As Hugh was explaining the importance of baptism and what it truly is, I found myself reflecting on what I have been taught about baptism. Even though i feel that I was raised to see baptism similar to how Hugh believed it to be, there was this sense of true passion and understanding as to the real importance of baptism. That is just is not a time for you to be wash of your sins, but a time for you to realize that without baptism, salvation is almost impossible. That Jesus himself said, unless you are baptised in the the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. I feel modern Christians have lost that true sense of what baptism is and I truly believe that this is something that needs to be readdressed in the Protestant
In a contemporary Christian environment one of the most prominent practices to have a significant contribution to Christianity as a living religious tradition is Baptism. Baptism is of utmost importance for most Christian denominations. It has profound significance for the individual who is baptised and is also important for the Christian community as a whole. As a sacrament of initiation, Baptism calls its adherents to become missionary Disciples of Christ. It is through baptism that one’s faith journey begins and Christians are called to follow and live their lives in the light of Christ.
Baptism is the sacramental rite that admits an adherent into the Christian Church community. It has origins with of John the Baptist as described in the Gospels, available through the recounts from Paul.
Now in a new topic, what is the significance of Baptism and Holy Communion. (Breaking it down, 1st part) The significance of Baptism, is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Justification by faith is shown to be at the core of Christian expression; this is conveyed through the practice of baptism. Baptism is defined as “the practice of sprinkling water onto a person’s forehead or of immersing them in water symbolising purification or regeneration and admission to the Christian Church” by the Oxford dictionary. However Janet Morrissey says that “Baptism is not only a practice but also a sacrament”, this quote helps to emphasise the importance of baptism to the Christian adherents. Baptism is usually done at infancy by the parents, however, there are also people who receive the sacrament of baptism when they are fully grown adults helping them to make this decision very personal. St Pauls helps to show the importance of baptism through the quote “Union with Christ is Baptism, involving the reception of the Spirit of Christ and The Spirit of God” . This quote helps to represent the ways that baptism is able to express the beliefs of Christianity, as it
The purpose of baptism is tied to four aspects: repentance, obedience, public acknowledgment and following Christ. These aspects are not to be viewed as simply a growing process; instead they should be viewed as the pathway to life. As Christians,
Throughout the course of organized religion both present and past, ritualistic acts of praise and worship have been practiced as a sign of both love and honor to God. Catholicism refers to these rituals as sacraments. As Christians and members of this faith, the first sacrament received by each member is Baptism. This sacrament has not only been practiced since the beginning of our faith, but has deep meaning and symbolic ties to the start of creation with Adam and Eve. I hope to prove through both illustration and published works how Baptism as a sacrament is both a sign and symbol of humanities desire to become closer to God by cleansing them of original sin through this ritual and rite of passage.
All Christians know about the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, English Standard Version). In that command, Jesus tells us to baptize in the name of the Trinity. What does the word “baptism” mean? Baptimsa and sometimes baptismos, the Greek word origin of “baptism”, can translate to “immersion” or “bathing” without any religious implications (McGowan, 2014). Nearly every Christian church practices baptism with a religious implication; however, they do not agree on God’s activity in, the qualifications for admitting a person to, and methods of administering baptism. For instance, many churches do not baptize people until they become adults and make a profession of faith, while others encourage baptizing an infant soon after they are born. The practices and philosophy for baptism changed throughout its use in the New Testament, the Early Church, and the Medieval era.
Baptism is the sacrament that allows us to be reborn from above by being born of water and the Spirit. This sacrament is received within a community of faith, the Church, that prays for and supports the baptized so that the individual may continue to grow in the faith after