Edvard Cheranov
New Member
I was wondering what different religions teach regarding the practice of Baptism. I require information from individuals not of the Catholic Church of the Latin rite. That is all, gracias, senior.
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What does your religion teach about baptism.
- Thread starter Edvard Cheranov
- Start date
Noah Mccree
New Member
As a Baptist. I have always believed in Believer's baptism, which involves being baptized as an adult, not an infant, on the basis of his or her profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
Baptism is a spiritual awakening, enlightenment, and realization of belief, and ritually physical.
PruePhillip
Well-Known Member
I am not aware of any other 'religion' having baptism other than Christianity.
In theory all Christians should acknowledge baptism as it is a rite of passage
for believers. John baptized Jesus, but under protest as Jesus was greater
than himself, and not needing of the rite. But Jesus was immersed in water
to "fulfill all righteousness."
The issue in Christian history is whether infants should be baptized, not
whether there should be baptism.
And the teaching is that baptism washes away our sin symbolically. Some
churches hold people "cannot sin" after this rite, but this isn't scriptural, or
even evident in the lives of people who think they are sinless.
Baptism is not part of the Baha'i Faith, nor Islam.
I started a couple of threads recently exploring the nature of Baptism and how its essential functions may be part of different faiths.
The Baptism of Christ
Baptism: How necessary is it?
In one thread I noted:
Baptism appears to be a uniquely Christian practice, and part of the process of admission into the Christian Faith. It involves the use of water. The synoptic gospels recount Jesus being baptised by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:9-10. Luke 3:21). It is considered a sacrament in most Churches. The ritual can involve sprinkling of water on the head or full immersion. Water can be a symbol of purity.
Baptism - Wikipedia
Perhaps its function in part is integral to other religions. Muslims and Baha'is for example have ablutions where they wash certain parts of their body in prayer before turning to their respective Qiblih each day in prayer.
It depends on how you define Baptism.
1. Ecclesiastical . a ceremonial immersion in water, or application of water, as
2. an initiatory rite or sacrament of the Christian church.
3. any similar ceremony or action of initiation, dedication, etc.
4. a trying or purifying experience or initiation.
5. Christian Science . purification of thought and character.
I go for a broader interfaith meaning of 3 or 4.
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Hinduism doesn't have baptism like in Abrahamism, but there is a name giving ceremony, called the namakarana samskara, a few days after birth. It's usually done at home, but could be in a temple. There are other kinds of initiation rites.
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A broader definition of Baptism would include this.
I'm not from the Baptist denomination but would agree with Noah's position. We might differ on age appropriateness, but agree completely on the basis of his or her profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
As Baha’is we don’t have any form of baptism ceremony. For me though when I became a believer I felt like I was ‘baptused with the fire of the live of God’ because I feel in my heart deep love and respect for God’s Words and teachings.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
To me, as a Luciferian, baptism is a silly and foolish ritual that sells one soul to a god of slaves, tyranny, empty promises, wasted potential, a god who wants pets to worship him because people are terrified of the consequences and his unholy wraith. Baptism is to declare "I surrender my life and forfeit the life I had left to live." And as they are plunged into the waters, the Sacred Fires that were gifted to us (at severe and dire consequence to Prometheus, Lucifer, Satan, or other name we of the LHP use) are extinguished. They position themselves to offer their hands to the shackles of sin, the burden of needless guilt, and the life denying-and-killing commandment of "thou shalt not." (and, seriously, no one needs an ancient book to tell them to not steal or kill, and if they do they probably have some very serious mental health issues).
Baptism would only be taught in the context of comparative religion given it is not part of contemporary Pagan traditions (Christo-Paganism syncretic paths notwithstanding, of course). Many Pagan traditions do have initiation ceremonies of various sorts, but it would be incorrect to refer to any of those as "baptisms."
The original ceremony of baptism by water came from India. Baptism means immersion in water in order to cleanse or purify. Purification of the body should precede the purification of the mind. Hence, all souls who desired to begin living the spiritual life had to purify their bodies. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” but baptism of the body, unless followed by baptism of the mind, becomes practically meaningless. If we bathe and thus purify our bodies, we will find that our mind will temporarily become purified, but unless we change our souls’ wickedness by calmness and meditation, and constant spiritual vigilance, we will remain the same old devils with bad habits in spite of the temporary purifying effect of the water on our bodies. To illustrate this metaphorically: A Hindu saint said to his would—be disciple, “Son, it is necessary to bathe in the Ganges to purify the mind from sin. The sins will leave you temporarily while you bathe in the holy waters; but they will wait for you in the trees skirting the Ganges, and as soon as you come out of the sacred influence of the holy water, they will again jump on you.”
It must be remembered, however, that bodily baptism by water has its good points. The custom in India is to take spiritual lessons from a holy man only immediately after bathing. To take spiritual lessons with a sweaty, unclean body is not effective. The Baptists do well to immerse their initiates in water, but the ceremony of immersion without following it up with continued spiritual lessons in meditation and God—contact is of little value.
Sprinkling of Water on Head
The aristocratic, modern way of baptism consists in sprinkling water on the head. This is all that is left of the original custom of purifying the body by water. Baptism by the sprinkling of water may be all right for most civilized people, for they usually bathe themselves daily. Then, too, immersion of initiates in water may be unnecessary if they are mentally evolved, but sprinkling of water on the head of evolved people is unnecessary, unless this is done only out of respect to the ancient, baptismal ceremonies.
Baptism of Jesus
It is evident that Jesus, although he was so evolved, did not fail to go into the water. He did not fully immerse, for the River Jordan was practically dry at that time. Thus it is all right for spiritually minded people to bathe before being baptized, but it is also true that in modern America many aristocratic people would refuse to be baptized if they had the prospect of a second bath in the church. They would rather forego entering Heaven than be publicly immersed in water. For such people, spiritual instruction, without this second bath, is all right.
Another important matter in connection with the baptism of Jesus Christ is that He insisted on being baptized by John, who in self realization was far inferior to Him. John said he was not worthy to unloose the lachet of the shoes of Jesus, and that he baptized only with water, while Jesus baptized with Spirit. Alas, modern baptism has become baptism by water only.
Feeling his spiritual inferiority, John wondered why Jesus wanted to be baptized with water. This action of Jesus distinctly demonstrated the ancient, pre-Christian, Hindu custom and the real spiritual way, which every God-aspirant should follow. - Paramahansa Yogananda
It must be remembered, however, that bodily baptism by water has its good points. The custom in India is to take spiritual lessons from a holy man only immediately after bathing. To take spiritual lessons with a sweaty, unclean body is not effective. The Baptists do well to immerse their initiates in water, but the ceremony of immersion without following it up with continued spiritual lessons in meditation and God—contact is of little value.
Sprinkling of Water on Head
The aristocratic, modern way of baptism consists in sprinkling water on the head. This is all that is left of the original custom of purifying the body by water. Baptism by the sprinkling of water may be all right for most civilized people, for they usually bathe themselves daily. Then, too, immersion of initiates in water may be unnecessary if they are mentally evolved, but sprinkling of water on the head of evolved people is unnecessary, unless this is done only out of respect to the ancient, baptismal ceremonies.
Baptism of Jesus
It is evident that Jesus, although he was so evolved, did not fail to go into the water. He did not fully immerse, for the River Jordan was practically dry at that time. Thus it is all right for spiritually minded people to bathe before being baptized, but it is also true that in modern America many aristocratic people would refuse to be baptized if they had the prospect of a second bath in the church. They would rather forego entering Heaven than be publicly immersed in water. For such people, spiritual instruction, without this second bath, is all right.
Another important matter in connection with the baptism of Jesus Christ is that He insisted on being baptized by John, who in self realization was far inferior to Him. John said he was not worthy to unloose the lachet of the shoes of Jesus, and that he baptized only with water, while Jesus baptized with Spirit. Alas, modern baptism has become baptism by water only.
Feeling his spiritual inferiority, John wondered why Jesus wanted to be baptized with water. This action of Jesus distinctly demonstrated the ancient, pre-Christian, Hindu custom and the real spiritual way, which every God-aspirant should follow. - Paramahansa Yogananda
Baptism corresponds to the concept in yoga, called initiation, or in Sanskrit, diksha. At the time a spiritual master accepts a disciple, he gives him initiation, which is literally a transference of spiritual energy — a projection of the master’s life force and consciousness and awareness; his divine blessing, divine grace, into the consciousness and body and mind of the disciple. Truly speaking, that is what baptism was always meant to be.
In the description of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist*. there you see the true baptism, which isn’t about just dunking somebody in the water. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way; but only to point out that many of these rituals and ceremonies over the years have become divorced from the real spiritual power that was there in the beginning. When John the Baptist conferred that spiritual baptism on Jesus it is recounted, he “saw the heavens open and the Spirit of God descending on him in the form of a dove.” This is a description of baptism by the Holy Ghost, baptism in the spiritual consciousness, the opening of the tricoloured spiritual eye at the point between the eyebrows, which is a very well-documented and well-explained aspect of initiation and deep meditation in yoga. It is opening the doorway, the portal, through which the disciple can go from body consciousness into the higher states of divine consciousness.
In the description of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist*. there you see the true baptism, which isn’t about just dunking somebody in the water. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way; but only to point out that many of these rituals and ceremonies over the years have become divorced from the real spiritual power that was there in the beginning. When John the Baptist conferred that spiritual baptism on Jesus it is recounted, he “saw the heavens open and the Spirit of God descending on him in the form of a dove.” This is a description of baptism by the Holy Ghost, baptism in the spiritual consciousness, the opening of the tricoloured spiritual eye at the point between the eyebrows, which is a very well-documented and well-explained aspect of initiation and deep meditation in yoga. It is opening the doorway, the portal, through which the disciple can go from body consciousness into the higher states of divine consciousness.
"Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” In these words to John the Baptist, and in asking John to baptize him, Jesus was acknowledging the divine rights of his guru.
From a reverent study of the Bible from an Oriental viewpoint, and from intuitional perception, I am convinced that John the Baptist was, in past lives, the guru of Christ. Numerous passages in the Bible imply that John and Jesus in their last incarnations were, respectively, Elijah and his disciple Elisha. (These are the spellings in the Old Testament. The Greek translators spelled the names as Elias and Eliseus; they reappear in the New Testament in these changed forms.)
The very end of the Old Testament is a prediction of the reincarnation of Elijah and Elisha: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Thus John (Elijah), sent “before the coming…of the Lord,” was born slightly earlier to serve as a herald for Christ. An angel appeared to Zacharias the father to testify that his coming son John would be none other than Elijah (Elias) - Paramahansa Yogananda
From a reverent study of the Bible from an Oriental viewpoint, and from intuitional perception, I am convinced that John the Baptist was, in past lives, the guru of Christ. Numerous passages in the Bible imply that John and Jesus in their last incarnations were, respectively, Elijah and his disciple Elisha. (These are the spellings in the Old Testament. The Greek translators spelled the names as Elias and Eliseus; they reappear in the New Testament in these changed forms.)
The very end of the Old Testament is a prediction of the reincarnation of Elijah and Elisha: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Thus John (Elijah), sent “before the coming…of the Lord,” was born slightly earlier to serve as a herald for Christ. An angel appeared to Zacharias the father to testify that his coming son John would be none other than Elijah (Elias) - Paramahansa Yogananda
lostwanderingsoul
Well-Known Member
I can't find any example of children being baptized before about the third century when the Roman church changed much of what the Bible taught to some new ideas that it invented.
e.r.m.
Church of Christ
As with Noah Mccree, I as well have always believed in Believer's baptism, which involves being baptized in water as an adult or old enough to know what one is getting into, not an infant, on the basis of his or her profession of faith in Jesus Christ. I will include also the Biblical purpose of baptism in Jesus's name is into the remission of sins Acts 2:38, to crucify the old man and to be set free from sin Romans 6:4-7.
The history of baptism, though not called baptism, goes back to Judaism as initiation, purification, or return to ritual purity called mikva or tvilah rites. John the Baptist initiated the 'Baptism' rite for Christianity as an initiated rite to becoming a Christian. Some Christians also practice the 'Baptism' rite as a renewal and recommitment to faith,
Actually, throughout the history of humanity in different cultures there are various initiation rites of commitment, and acceptance into the community of to adulthood. Confirmation in Christianity, and bar mitzvah in Judaism are ceremonies of attainment of adulthood
Some Buddhist belief systems have ceremonial initiations like the Sugye ceremony in Korean Buddhism.
I see I replied to an old post I had already replied to ... so I deleted the second one. Sorry. Still, thanks for the more detailed explanation. Diksha is perhaps comparable, but there are several kinds of diksha.