Rituals of Christians and Baptism - Essay Example

College Rituals A ritual is a ceremony or rite with meaning and purpose to a group of people with similar background or beliefs. Rituals are performed on specific occasions and some during a specific time according to the calendar of those conducting it. Religious groups are popularly known for conducting rituals which are led by their ordained leaders. A ritual must be conducted by an individual with prior experience and who leads the members of the religious group in other forms of worship. Pastors, Deacons, Priests and Bishops are the main people perform rituals for Christians. The main rituals conducted by Christians include; wedding ceremonies, burials, baptism, eating the Holy sacrament, Easter rituals, Christmas and many other rituals. All these ceremonies have a significant meaning to the Christians and they help in recognizing the existence of Christianity as they take place over the globe. The leaders of the church are responsible for leading the whole world in universally recognized dates of the Christians especially Easter and Christmas. However, the other rituals are conducted whenever leaders of the church decide or when it is required. Baptism of the Christian family is a ritual that is carried out at a certain time with the members of a church. Each church conducts the ritual at different times of the year but the ceremony is similar with every church as they share similar beliefs. There are two main forms of baptism in the Christian religion and they take place differently following the difference of the parties involved. The first form of baptism is the infant baptism and the other is adult baptism and the two occur among the born children and the adults respectively. There are two symbols signifying baptism both for the infants and likewise for the adults. After the birth of a Christian child, the child undergoes baptism after one to three months and the symbol that signifies this form of baptism is the sprinkling of water on the forehead or on the head by the priest. As for the adult baptism, the symbol is quite fast and simple. The adult Christian is immersed completely in a pool of water. Some believe the water must be moving water like in a river or ocean but the modern Christian believes the baptism conducted in a swimming pool is right as long as there is water. Baptism is a ritual with significance among the Christians in that they all believe in going through the ritual however, the ritual is only for the willing. It is not compulsory for one to undergo baptism but for the serious in faith they usually need the ritual. A number of meanings come with this ritual and the leader of the church insist on every Christian undergoing the ritual due to the purpose it serves and what the ritual means to their faith. A course of action is followed by the members of the church who choose to undergo baptism including prior teachings on the importance of the ritual so as to familiarize them with the ritual. The meaning associated with the ceremony is basically purification of the members of the church so as they may be acceptable in the presence of God and while serving in the church. They are sanctified into a more moral life. The immersion signifies death of their old lives and they are resurrected into a new life which they belief will be eternal with the coming back of the Son of God. The decision of individuals to undergo the ritual portrays their willingness to serve and wait for the Kingdom of God. The main purpose for baptism is identifying with the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God the father in that during the ritual the priest performs it by mentioning the names of the three main Principals of the Kingdom of Heaven. This establishes the presence of the Holy Spirit during the ritual. Mentioning of Jesus Christ in the ritual recitations creates a form of relation to the death and resurrection of the Son of God. God the father is mentioned as an honor of the sovereign ruler and creator of both life and death. The ritual also signifies people’s obedience to the Biblical teachings. Other purposes of the ritual emerge depending on the faith of the different churches but the similar purpose is to wash off the sins of the Christians with water in the presence of people and with the authorization o f a leader of the church. The individual to which the ritual is performed on have to recite lines of sayings in order to proclaim their salvation and the washing away of their sins. Salvation is quite important particularly for the protestant Christians as they believe and proclaim that Jesus is their guide and savior of their lives. However, in the early days the baptism was carried out after the death of the person so as to wash off all the sins they committed during their lives in the world. Moreover, in the olden days baptism was performed to exorcise evil spirits in a believer. Attending the baptism ritual for both the infant and adult forms gives a clear insight of what procedure takes through the whole ritual and the environment in which it takes place. The infant baptism is quite simple as the children are mostly between one and three months old hence they appear to be sensitive. The ceremony is conducted in a church or any other place of worship in front of a congregation. The first stage is for the parents to present themselves with the children as well the company of the appointed godparents. They appear on to the altar where there is a section for baptism and face the priest or any clergy depending on the denomination. A bowl with the baptismal water is placed at the baptism altar and the priest conducts a prayer for the commencement of the ritual. A set of reading from the Bible are recited and the priest advises the parents and the guardian on how to raise the child according to God’s word by upbringing them with Christian values as early as when they are young. Thereafter, the bowl is forwarded to the priest who dips his hand inside and sprinkles water on the foreheads of the children then recites another prayer. Hymns are sung after the prayer as a form of blessing to the baptized children and the ceremony ends. The adult ceremony moreover occurs in the presence of a congregation in a pool of water which can be a swimming pool, lake or river. However some of the large developed churches have a baptistery in the church for the baptism rituals. During the ritual, the person going through the ritual together with the priest or pastor enters into the pool of water in the presence of the congregation. The individual proclaims their faith and salvation with Jesus Christ and after that the clergy member holds and deeps them in the water for a two to three seconds and revives them from the immersion. The process is fast and the baptized people become new in spirit in that they have arisen with Jesus Christ. The congregation cheers with hymns and clapping of their hands. The baptism of Christians is a simple symbolic process which nonetheless connotes a new beginning for the baptized people. The salvation of the people from their old lives through baptism indicates a devotion to serve God and the church with their body, soul and mind. This ritual is very important only as the ordained clergy can perform the ritual both on the new born children and the adults. The ritual is time saving as it does not take a long time. In view of this, the baptism ritual basically links the members with God by giving them a new spiritual life. References CHRISTIAN, B. A. P. T. I. S. M. (1835). Christian baptism: shewing the right of infants to that ordinance ... Being the substance of a sermon, preached in the Congregational Chapel, Chard. Chard: printed by John Toms. Meeks, W. A. (1993). The origins of Christian morality: The first two centuries. New Haven: Yale University Press. Murray, J. (1952). Christian baptism. Philadelphia, Pa: Committee on Christian Education, Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Roberts, J. E. (1900). Christian baptism: Its significance and its subjects. London: J. Clarke, Kingsgate Press. Read More