Baptism

Baptism is a special ceremony in Christianity. It uses water to welcome a person into the faith. The water may be sprinkled or poured on the head, or the person may be fully immersed in water. This act is usually done three times to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Verrochio's and Leonardo's depiction of the Baptism of Christ (c.1475).

Many Christian churches see baptism as an important step for joining their community. Some believe it helps a person find peace and belong to God's family. Others have different views on its meaning. Baptism is practiced in many ways across different Christian groups. Some groups do not use water at all.

Beyond Christianity, other groups like the Mandaeans also use water in their rituals. They see it as a way to stay pure. The idea of baptism is sometimes used to describe any important test or ceremony that helps someone begin a new journey.

Etymology

The word baptism comes from an old Greek word called báptisma, which means "washing" or "dipping." This idea comes from an even older Greek verb, baptízō, meaning "to wash." These words were used in special religious washings a long time ago. The verb itself came from an even older word, báptō, meaning "dip."

History

Main article: History of baptism

The Al-Maghtas ruins on the Jordanian side of the Jordan River, traditionally considered the location for the Baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist.

Baptism began from Jewish traditions long ago. People like John the Baptist used water for cleaning and purity. The Mandaeans also used full water immersion to stay pure.

John the Baptist made baptism important. Later, Christians started their own baptism in the name of Jesus. Over time, different ways of baptism were used, like sprinkling or full immersion. By the third and fourth centuries, baptism included teaching and prayers. In the Early Middle Ages, it became common to baptize babies, and the ceremony was made simpler. Different groups had different ideas about baptism, which led to many changes over time.

Mode and manner

Baptism is done in a few different ways. One way is called aspersion, where water is sprinkled on the head. Another way is affusion, where water is poured over the head. Traditionally, a person is sprinkled, poured, or immersed three times, once for each person of the Holy Trinity.

Men lined up to be baptized by immersion in the Jordan River.

The word "immersion" comes from a Latin word meaning "dip." It can mean dipping part of the body in water or fully going under the water. Some groups use immersion to mean fully going under the water. Others use it to mean pouring water over someone who is standing in water.

When people talk about immersion instead of submersion, they mean standing or kneeling in water while water is poured over the top part of the body. This method has been used in both West and East since at least the 2nd century. In the West, this method was replaced by affusion baptism around the 8th century, but it is still used in Eastern Christianity.

Submersion is when the water completely covers the person's body. This method is used in the Orthodox and some other Eastern Churches. In the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, submersion is used in the Ambrosian Rite and is one of the methods allowed in the Roman Rite for baptizing infants. It is also required by some groups that started after the Protestant Reformation, such as Baptists.

Meaning and effects

There are different ideas about what baptism means for a Christian. Some groups, like Catholics, Orthodox, and many main Protestant churches, think baptism is very important for salvation. They see it as a special act that connects a person to God.

Baptism of Augustine of Hippo as represented in a sculptural group in Troyes cathedral (1549)

For example, Martin Luther said baptism is about being saved and delivered from sin. Other groups, like the Churches of Christ and Jehovah’s Witnesses, also see baptism as necessary for salvation.

Practitioners

Protestantism

Anabaptist

Early Anabaptists re-baptized people they did not recognize as baptized because they did not think infant baptism was valid.

Traditionally, Anabaptists poured water for baptism. Today, pouring is still common among Mennonite, Amish, and Hutterite groups. Some Anabaptist groups, like the Mennonite Brethren Church, Schwarzenau Brethren, and River Brethren, use full immersion instead. All baptism methods are accepted today among Anabaptists.

Baptist

For most Baptists, baptism means fully immersing a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is a personal sign that a person's sins have been forgiven.

For new converts, baptism often means becoming a member of the local Baptist church. Some Baptist groups require rebaptism if a person was not baptized by full immersion or if the baptism was done in a non-Baptist church.

Churches of Christ

Baptism in Churches of Christ is always done by full immersion. They believe immersion best represents Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Only people who can understand and repent are baptized, so infant baptism is not practiced.

Lutheranism

In Lutheran Christianity, baptism is a sacrament that connects a person to the Holy Spirit and the church. The words and command of God spoken during baptism have the power to forgive sins.

Methodism

Methodist teaching says that baptism is a sign of faith and a sign of being born again. Baptism is one of the sacraments that starts a person’s life in the church.

Reformed Protestantism

Reformed baptismal theology sees baptism as God's offer of union with Christ and his benefits. Baptism also marks a person as part of the church community. Reformed Christians accept pouring or sprinkling as ways to baptize.

United Protestants

In United Protestant Churches, such as the United Church of Canada, baptism is considered a sacrament.

Catholicism

In Catholic teaching, baptism is necessary for salvation. It forgives all sins and makes a person a new creation in God’s eyes. The Catholic Church uses water and the Trinitarian formula: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Eastern Orthodoxy

In Eastern Orthodoxy, baptism transforms a person, washing away sin. It is performed by full immersion three times in the name of the Trinity. Babies are usually baptized soon after birth.

Other groups

Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses believe baptism should be by full immersion and only when a person understands its meaning. Only after baptism are they considered full members of the religion.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, baptism is performed by full immersion by someone with proper authority. Baptism forgives sins and is followed by confirmation. Baptism must occur after the age of eight and is not performed for infants.

Freemasonry

Some Freemasons created their own baptism rituals, separate from church practices. These were used in certain lodges.

Nonpractitioners

Quakers

Quakers (members of the Religious Society of Friends) do not use water for baptism, for children or adults. They believe that true baptism comes from within, through the spirit, not water. They think water baptism is not needed because people are baptized by the spirit of Christ.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army also does not use water for baptism. The founders, William Booth and Catherine Booth, thought many Christians focused too much on outward signs instead of inner spiritual grace. They are not against baptism in other Christian groups, but they do not practice it themselves.

Hyperdispensationalism

Some Christians, called Hyperdispensationalists, believe that water baptism is not for today. They think that only Paul's letters are for the church now and that baptism was for early Jewish believers, not for later Gentile believers. They believe the important baptism today is the "baptism of the Holy Spirit".

Debaptism

Main article: Debaptism

Most Christian churches believe that baptism is a one-time event that cannot be undone. However, some people and groups practice debaptism, believing that baptism can be reversed if someone rejects the Christian faith or religion completely.

Comparative summary

This is a simple look at how different Christian groups practice baptism. The table below shows a few examples. It focuses mainly on groups that practice "believer's baptism."

Denomination	Beliefs about baptism	Type of baptism	Baptize infants?	Baptism regenerates / gives spiritual life	Standard
Anabaptist	Baptism is considered by the majority of Anabaptist Churches (anabaptist means to baptize again) to be essential to Christian faith but not to salvation. It is considered to be an ordinance.	Traditionally by pouring or sprinkling, since the 18th century also immersion and submersion.	No	No. Faith in Christ is believed to precede and follow baptism.	Trinity
Anglicanism	"Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of difference, whereby Christian men are discerned from others that be not christened, but it is also a sign of Regeneration or New-Birth, whereby, as by an instrument, they that receive Baptism rightly are grafted into the Church; the promises of the forgiveness of sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed; Faith is confirmed, and Grace increased by virtue of prayer unto God."	Immersion or pouring.	Yes	Yes	Trinity
Baptists	A divine ordinance, a symbolic ritual, a mechanism for publicly declaring one's faith, and a sign of having already been saved, but not necessary for salvation.	Submersion only	No	No	Trinity
Brethren	Baptism is an ordinance performed upon adults in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is a commitment to live Christ's teachings responsibly and joyfully.	Immersion only	No	Yes	Trinity
Calvary Chapel	Baptism is disregarded as necessary for salvation but instead recognizes as an outward sign of an inward change	Immersion only	No	No	Trinity
Christadelphians	Baptism is essential for the salvation of a believer. It is only effective if somebody believes the true gospel message before they are baptized. Baptism is an external symbol of an internal change in the believer: it represents a death to an old, sinful way of life, and the start of a new life as a Christian, summed up as the repentance of the believer—it therefore leads to forgiveness from God, who forgives people who repent. Although someone is only baptized once, a believer must live by the principles of their baptism (i.e., death to sin, and a new life following Jesus) throughout their life.	Submersion only	No	Yes	Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (although Christadelphians do not believe in the Nicean trinity)
Churches of Christ	Baptism is the remissions for sins, it washes away sins and gives spiritual life; it is a symbolization through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Churches of Christ have historically had the most conservative position on baptism among the various branches of the Restoration Movement, understanding baptism by immersion to be a necessary part of conversion.^: 61	Immersion only^: 107^: 124	No^: 124^: 318–19^: 195	Yes; because of the belief that baptism is a necessary part of salvation, some Baptists hold that the Churches of Christ endorse the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. However, members of the Churches of Christ reject this, arguing that since faith and repentance are necessary, and that the cleansing of sins is by the blood of Christ through the grace of God, baptism is not an inherently redeeming ritual.^: 133^: 630–31 Baptism is understood as a confessional expression of faith and repentance,^: 179–82 rather than a "work" that earns salvation.^: 170	Trinity
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints	An ordinance essential to enter the Celestial Kingdom of Heaven and preparatory for receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.	Immersion, performed by a person holding proper priesthood authority.	No (at least eight years old)	Yes	Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost (the LDS Church does not teach a belief in the Nicean trinity, but rather a belief in the Godhead)
Christian Missionary Alliance	Water baptism identifies a person as a disciple of Christ and celebrates the passage from an old life into a new life in Christ. Simply stated, it is an outward sign of an inward change.	Immersion	No	No	Trinity
Community Churches	Not necessary for salvation but rather is a sign as a Christ's followers. It is an act of obedience to Christ that follows one's acceptance of salvation by God's grace. Baptism is a symbolization of cleansing of the spirit through God's divine forgiveness and a new life through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection.	Immersion only	No	Yes	Trinity
Disciples of Christ	Baptism is a symbolization of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. It also signifies new birth, cleansing from sin, individual's response to God's grace, and acceptance into the faith community.	Mostly immersion; others pouring. Most Disciples believe that believer's baptism and the practice of immersion were used in the New Testament.	No	Yes	Trinity
Eastern Orthodox Church	Baptism is the initiator the salvation experience and for the remissions of sins and is the actual supernatural transformation	Immersion	Yes	Yes	Trinity
Evangelical Free Church	An outward expression of an individual's inward faith to God's grace.	Submersion only	No	No	Trinity
Foursquare Gospel Church	Baptism is required as a public commitment to Christ's role as Redeemer and King	Immersion only	No	Yes	Trinity
Grace Communion International	Baptism proclaims the good news that Christ has made everyone his own and that it is only Him that everybody's new life of faith and obedience merges.	Immersion only	No	Yes	Trinity
Jehovah's Witnesses	Baptism is necessary for salvation as part of the entire baptismal arrangement: as an expression of obedience to Jesus' command (Matthew 28:19–20), as a public symbol of the saving faith in the ransom sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:10), and as an indication of repentance from dead works and the dedication of one's life to Jehovah. (1 Peter 2:21) However, baptism does not guarantee salvation.	Submersion only; typical candidates are baptized at district and circuit conventions.	No	No	In the name of the Father (Jehovah), the Son (Jesus Christ) and the holy spirit. Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the trinity but view Jehovah as Sovereign God Almighty; Jesus as God's firstborn only-begotten son, second only to Jehovah himself in authority, who now reigns as the anointed king of God's Messianic Kingdom; and the holy spirit as God's active force or the force by which God causes things to happen.
Lutherans	The entry sacrament into the church by which a person receives forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation	Sprinkling, pouring, or immersion	Yes	Yes	Trinity
Methodists and Wesleyans	The sacrament of initiation into Christ's holy church whereby one is incorporated into the covenant of grace and given new birth through water and the spirit. Baptism washes away sin and clothes one in the righteousness of Christ. It is a visible sign and seal of inward regeneration.	Sprinkling, pouring, or immersion	Yes	Yes, although contingent upon repentance and a personal acceptance of Christ as Savior.	Trinity
Metropolitan Community Church	Baptism is conducted in the order of worship.	Sprinkling, pouring, or immersion	Yes	Yes	Trinity
Moravian Church	The individual receives the pledge of the forgiveness of sins and admission through God's covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ	Sprinkling, pouring, or immersion	Yes	Yes	Trinity
Nazarenes	Baptism signifies the acceptance of Christ Jesus as Savior and are willingly to obey him righteously and in holiness.	Sprinkling, pouring, or immersion	Yes	Yes	Trinity
Oneness Pentecostals	Necessary for salvation because it conveys spiritual rebirth. Being baptized is an ordinance directed and established by Jesus and the Apostles.	Submersion. Also stress the necessity of a baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; 8:14–17, 35–38).	No	Yes	Jesus
Pentecostals (Trinitarian)	Water Baptism is an ordinance, a symbolic ritual used to witness to having accepted Christ as personal Savior.	Submersion. Also stress the necessity of a "second" Baptism of a special outpouring from the Holy Spirit.	No	Varies	Trinity
Reformed (includes Presbyterian churches)	A sacrament and means of grace. A sign and a seal of the remission of sins, regeneration, admission into the visible church, and the covenant of grace. It is an outward sign of an inward grace.	Sprinkling, pouring, immersion or submersion	Yes	Yes, the outward means by which the Holy Spirit inwardly accomplishes regeneration and remission of sins	Trinity
Quakers (Religious Society of Friends)	Only an external symbol that is no longer to be practiced	– (none): do not believe in Baptism of water, but only in an inward, ongoing purification of the human spirit in a life of discipline led by the Holy Spirit.	–	–	–
Catholic Church (Eastern and Western Rites)	Necessary for salvation for those to whom the Gospel has been proclaimed. Though God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments. (CCC 1257). It erases the original and all personal sins. The sanctifying grace, the grace of justification is given by God through baptism.	Usually by pouring in the West, by submersion or immersion in the East; sprinkling admitted only if the water then flows on the head.	Yes	Yes, as explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1265) Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte "a new creature", an adopted son of God, who has become a "partaker of the divine nature",^{(2 Cor 5:17; 2 Pet 1:4; cf. Gal 4:5–7),}member of Christ and co-heir with him,^{(Cf. 1 Cor 6:15; 12:27; Rom 8:17),} and a temple of the Holy Spirit ^{(Cf. 1 Cor 6:19).}	Trinity
Seventh-day Adventists	Not stated as the prerequisite to salvation, but a prerequisite for becoming a member of the church, although nonmembers are still accepted in the church. It symbolizes death to sin and new birth in Jesus Christ. "It affirms joining the family of God and sets one apart for a life of ministry."	Immersion	No	No	Trinity
United Church of Christ (Evangelical and Reformed Churches and the Congregational Christian Churches)	One of two sacraments. Baptism is an outward sign of God's inward grace. It may or may not be necessary for membership in a local congregation. However, it is a common practice for both infants and adults.	Sprinkling, pouring, immersion or submersion.	Yes	No	Trinity
United Church of God	Through the laying on hands with prayer, the baptized believer receives the Holy Spirit and becomes a part of the spiritual body of Jesus Christ.	Immersion only	No	No	Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (although members of the United Church of God doctrinally believe in Binitarianism believing that the Holy Spirit is a power of God and Jesus Christ rather than a separate person)
Vineyard Churches	A public expression of faith for a person who has committed to follow Jesus. It also symbolizes a person's cleansing of sin and gives a person a chance to openly profess their faith in front of the church, friends, and family.	Immersion only	No (at least six years old)	Yes	Trinity

Baptism of objects

The word "baptism" or "christening" is sometimes used to name or start the use of certain objects.

Boats and ships

Church bells

The name Baptism of Bells is used for the blessing of (musical, especially church) bells, especially in France, since a very long time ago. This involves washing the bell with holy water and using special oils. A smoking censer is placed under the bell, and prayers are said.

Dolls

Baptism of Dolls: the custom of 'dolly dunking' was once common in parts of the United Kingdom, especially in Cornwall.

Other initiation ceremonies

Main article: Initiation

Many cultures have special ceremonies to welcome young people into adulthood. Some use water, and some do not. For example, people from ancient Egypt, Hebraic/Jewish, Babylonian, Mayan, and Norse cultures all had their own ways. Today, the Japanese have a ceremony called Miyamairi that does not use water.

Mandaeans have their own way of baptism called masbuta. They believe this helps them stay pure. Their baptism uses natural flowing water and includes special steps.

Other groups, like the Sethian people, have their own ways too. The Yazidi people also have a special blessing for children.

In Islam, there is a cleaning ritual called wudu that helps people feel ready for prayer.

In the Yadav community from the Hindu tradition, there is a ceremony called Karah Pujan. During this, people are bathed in warm milk.