Baptism
So I went to church yesterday. No I didn't burst into flame nor did pigs fly. My mom's been on my back about it, and besides I needed a little spiritual healing. So I get there and apparently this kid was getting baptized that day. So I'm watching this moment take place and some of the minister's words struck a cord with me. I'll paraphrase so I can get to the point. It was along the lines of "Lord forgive this boy his sins..." and so on and so forth. He also asked the boy if he was ready to have Christ in his life. And that got me thinking. Does this kid know what this guy just asked of him? Like that's a big career move. So I kept thinking and I came up with this question...Should there be an age limit when it comes to baptism? My initial and current answer is yes. I just think that a person should understand the responsibility they're assuming once they take that dip into the water. Maybe this is the cynic in me coming out after a few years at this thing called life. I hope not. But feel free to respond accordingly.
posted by Jarrod at 3:10 AM
8 Comments:
From what I get, the baptism of a child when he/she is really young is more of a protective measure... you know, kind of a "Lord, watch over this child who has been baptized in your blood" kind of thing. But then when people are ready to "accept Christ into their lives," then they make an informed decision to do it as adults (or teens, or whatever). That may be wrong, but that is my interpretation of the whole thing... kind of like giving you a little help until you can make the choice for yourself, ya dig?
7:21 AM
as i was taught, that protection thing is the christening, which is also when you name the god parents... i got baptised when i was 9. but i asked my mom and she asked me if i knew what it meant before she let me. she didnt want it to be in vain...
1st post on your page! *waves*
11:06 PM
i don't think its cynical. i understand the baptism protection at a really young age. maybe he didn't get baptized at birth. there should probably be some kind of classes before and after for children who want to be baptized. he probably understands abt as much as some people 3xs his age.
3:21 AM
X...I'm not 100% sure if you're right or not. Might have to check the text of The Good Book.
Joy...*waves back*. Welcome to the spot, don't be a stranger. I didn't ask when I took that dip into the water. I just went for it. I don't think I could've fully understoood it at that age.
Jameil...you're probably right about him knowing as much as some older folks
4:20 AM
i don't think you're being cynical at all, however there is something to be said for perhaps having a questionnaire that gives folk an idea of the maturity level of a child. i think that would be a better way of determining if the child is aware of what the committment entails.
i also think protection from god comes regardless of baptism. i don't think a ritual is necessary. i mean, why would a loving god only protect those who are baptised? now this is the cynic in ME, but it just seems as though folk create these hoops for folk to jump through, these rules folk must abide by, all in the name of 'winning' god's love and trust. meanwhile, i thought everyone had that kind of thing at birth.
5:20 AM
I'm gonna try not to let my own cynicism about religion take away from what I have to say...
Being the child of a preacher, I know for a fact that for the most part what everyone says about the ritual of christening is correct. It isn't so much to wash them of their sins in as much as it is a protection ritual. The baptism ritual is a lil different. It is supposed to be a conscious act, a decision that you make to include God in your everyday life. It marks your agreement to learn of his teachings, live your life accordingly, and share it with others. I personally don't believe that children should be allowed to be baptised because they're a little too young to understand the responsibility of the sacrament. I at least applaud Catholics for having a process that you must go thru, things you must learn, before you're allowed to be indoctrinated to the church.
8:23 PM
Good question, I think overall maybe it should deal with the maturity of the child rather than the age. Coming up I realized I knew and understood a lot more than most kids my age because of my surroundins and the parents I had. Being a PK, I was baptized at 8 and I understood what it meant...now did I actually do what i was supposed to...no...but I did understand. Maybe churches need to have "pre-baptism" classes for those who sign up, like "new members" class for those newly joined.
3:03 PM
My best friend is Catholic, and I rememeber going to her confirmation when we were younger. I remember thinking to myself why we didn't do that in the baptist church. I mean we had bible study, but that is about as close as it got. She, as opposed to I, had a deeper understanding of what she was doing when she gave her life to the GOD. It was bc of those classes that she remains steadfast in her practices of her religion. I on the other hand struggle sometimes, not with my religion, but with understanding bc I didn't have classes, all I had was a mother and Grandmother to lead me, but they were still learning themselves. It just would be helpful to understand more, although I do understand the protection aspect of being baptized as a child.
10:02 AM
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