When I was 15 years old I talked to my grandfather ,a pastor, about my faith and the idea of baptism. Together we went over my journey of faith, and then my grandpa said “You have been raised in a Christian home and understand your religion but baptism is a public showing of your faith and it’s your choice.”
Two weeks later I was baptized in Lake Muskoka by my grandfather. That Christmas I was given my necklace with a cross on it, that I always have around my neck, as a gift from my grandparents.
Christianity has been a part of my family for generations, dating back more than 6 generations. A large part of Christianity is adult baptism as a public proclamation of faith and the acceptance of Christ as your Savior. The difference between child baptism in Catholic faith and adult baptism is that adult baptism is your own choice whereas child baptism is a choice by your parents. As Christians we believe that Jesus Christ lived and died for our sins but three days later rose again. His death and resurrection is a sacrifice that pays the debt caused by sin and makes a way for us to go to heaven. Now, we recognize this as Easter. The events of Easter are Good Friday, which represents when Jesus was crucified on the cross and Easter Sunday which is three days later, when Jesus rose. This is why baptism is important in Christianity because it publicly shows you believe that what Jesus did, paid the penalty for our sins.
Works Cited
Papke, Sandra. Telephone interview. 26 Oct. 2017.
Wouters, Jaime Leigh. Interview. 25 Oct. 2017.
American Standard Version. ASV. Bible. ed
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Eric. I was baptized as a baby, and was surprised to discover through my some of my friends that they were not baptized until they became teenagers. It makes sense to me that you would do it later in life when you have an understanding of what it means and what you believe in personally, and not what your parents have decided for you. As I mentioned in class, my decision to not baptize my own children as infants came as a surprise to my mother; however, if they decide later on that they wish to become followers of Christianity, I will support them. That said, I will support them regardless of what faith they decide to believe (or not believe) in. I only ask that they continue to be good people: honest, caring, loyal, and putting others first when it makes sense to do so.
ReplyDeleteExcellent paragraph Erik, best I've seen.
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