Jensen describes baptism as: "A ritual of cleansing as well as a physical and spiritual healing" (50). I was intrigued by the many different elements that were important to the rite of baptism. The book describes baptism as a way of cleansing oneself and publicly submitting to the Church and God. Through biblical references, Jensen describes how water is used as a "removal" of sin. For example, in the story of Noah's Arc, the book suggests that in this biblical story, the water of the flood cleansed the world of sin. The concept that baptism is a means of being "reborn" is still important today, but how have the rituals changed? Jensen lays out different elements of baptism such as immersion in water, exorcism, giving of salt, exsufflation, renunciation of Satan, and more, that were all aspects of the baptismal ritual. I guess my question is: how have the rituals of baptism changed over the years? Why did some rites lose significance? Personally, I find it interesting thinking about how baptism has transitioned from a major profession of faith, to, in some denominations, a way of gaining membership as an infant. I don't believe one is necessarily better than the other, but simply find it intriguing how through the split into different denominations, something that was so "common" across the entire religion, has become unique in certain aspects within each denomination.
....More of an open-ended question than a statement....
Hi Annie,
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great question, and I don't think that there is a simple answer. I will say that, in my experience as an American Baptist, baptism is more of a ceremony and "milestone" in someone's life. For example, in my church, I was baptized when I was thirteen as a way of "officially" joining the church that I was raised in. This entailed making the decision that I am a Christian and making the profession that "Jesus in Lord". When taking the discipleship classes leading up to the baptism on Easter, we didn't really talk about the "washing away of sin" as much as just making a decision to follow Christ. My personal opinion is that baptism changed because people evolve and new ideas and practices emerge. I think, as our ideas and interpretations of the Bible change, our practices change. I also think that different people present different ideas. I feel this way about a lot of Christian practices, and I think it is so fascinating! Thanks for posting this question, it gave me a lot to think about!
-Olivia Arges
I definitely agree with both of you in that the understanding of baptism has changed throughout the years. Something that Olivia mentioned was that baptism in her church is seen more as a decision to follow Christ than "washing away sins". I see that as a difference that separates many denominations. As we read in Jenson, in early Christianity, baptism was seen as a ritual necessary in the salvation process. Without baptism, people could not be "born again" and could not shed their old life of sin. Baptism was a requirement and exceptions were made about when people could be baptized if they were about to die. Some churches still hold this belief: that someone who has not been baptized cannot be saved. Other denominations, however, hold a more abstract view. They hold that there is a lot of symbolism in baptism and it is good as a public declaration of faith, but not ultimately needed for salvation. I think this goes along with a more modern thought process of faith being completely internally and all rituals being purely symbolic. I know that there is one approach that I find adheres more to my beliefs, but I also believe that both interpretations make sense and are valid.
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