Process and Symbolism of Baptism
Baptism: The Most Essential Ritual of Catholicism
Hypothesis: Baptism is an essential symbolic ritual of the Catholic religion that brings the adherent closer to God, has a number of effects on the adherent including original sin and has a continued affect on their life.
An abundant amount of religions across the world use rituals to demonstrate their beliefs and bind adherents together in a sense of community. The Catholic Church does this by using the sacraments of initiation to embrace the adherents into the Catholic Religion. The sacrament of Baptism is the first of the seven sacraments of initiation and the start of lifetime with God. Baptism is an essential symbolic ritual of the Catholic religion that brings the adherent closer to God, has a number of effects on the adherent including original sin and has a continued affect on their life. The significance of the ritual of Baptism will be discussed by examining the process of the ritual and its symbols and its resulting effects, the role of Baptism as an initiation ritual, and the on-going effect Baptism has in the adherent’s life.
The ceremony of Baptism has several important steps. These steps will in turn bring the adherent closer to God and welcome them into the Catholic Community. The first step of the ritual is the Sign of the Cross and the Baptismal Promises. When the Adherent first walks into the Church, the priest will trace the sign of the cross on their head. This symbolizes an invisible branding that says the adherent belongs to Christ. Evidently, this is then followed by the Baptismal Promises, where the adherent and the priest gathers around the Baptismal font, the priest will then ask the adherent what they want and they will reply with ‘Baptism’. The adherent will then say the Baptismal Promises that binds them to God and rejects evil in all its forms committing the adherent to live a life “I felt the Baptismal Promises had the most impact on me during the ceremony of Baptism
Hypothesis: Baptism is an essential symbolic ritual of the Catholic religion that brings the adherent closer to God, has a number of effects on the adherent including original sin and has a continued affect on their life.
An abundant amount of religions across the world use rituals to demonstrate their beliefs and bind adherents together in a sense of community. The Catholic Church does this by using the sacraments of initiation to embrace the adherents into the Catholic Religion. The sacrament of Baptism is the first of the seven sacraments of initiation and the start of lifetime with God. Baptism is an essential symbolic ritual of the Catholic religion that brings the adherent closer to God, has a number of effects on the adherent including original sin and has a continued affect on their life. The significance of the ritual of Baptism will be discussed by examining the process of the ritual and its symbols and its resulting effects, the role of Baptism as an initiation ritual, and the on-going effect Baptism has in the adherent’s life.
The ceremony of Baptism has several important steps. These steps will in turn bring the adherent closer to God and welcome them into the Catholic Community. The first step of the ritual is the Sign of the Cross and the Baptismal Promises. When the Adherent first walks into the Church, the priest will trace the sign of the cross on their head. This symbolizes an invisible branding that says the adherent belongs to Christ. Evidently, this is then followed by the Baptismal Promises, where the adherent and the priest gathers around the Baptismal font, the priest will then ask the adherent what they want and they will reply with ‘Baptism’. The adherent will then say the Baptismal Promises that binds them to God and rejects evil in all its forms committing the adherent to live a life “I felt the Baptismal Promises had the most impact on me during the ceremony of Baptism
Citations: * James Donn, Personal Communication, 2013 * Matthew 28:19, New World Translation, 2013 * Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011. (1213) * Psalm 51:5 * Psalm 23:5