Are you a sprinkler, a dunker, or the inward fountain? From what I know of all of you, the people reading this span across the whole baptism belief spectrum. Some people believe, not necessarily anyone reading this, that you have to be completely submerged to be saved, some believe as long as you are baptized in some form, you’re good to go. Others believe baptism is a good and important ritual but not necessarily needed. The Quakers believe the change in the heart and the way you live your life is the proclamation needed, not an outward act. Then you have the differing ideas about whether it is okay to baptise children or whether the sacrament should be solely reserved for adults. Each of these beliefs came to fruition as a reaction to another set of beliefs that had lost it’s meaning. For example, George Fox was of the opinion that the Anglican church was rich in rituals but poor in meaning and in the inward relationship with God. Menno Simmons, who founded the Mennonite movement, believed that the ritual of baptizing a child was not a real baptism as the child is not of an age to make a full conscious decision for Christ.
This evening at church we discussed this topic. One of the reason I have enjoyed going to Ecclesia is it helps me hone my own beliefs. Having a multifaceted spirituality, it has been interesting for me to learn how to put these rivers of faith together into truth that honors all the distinct traditions I love. Being Christian, I grew up being taught the Bible stories on flannel boards in Sunday School, sang the Christian camp songs, and wiggled through services. I still hold these beliefs, some deeper, some looser, some expanded, but I hold them still. I loved growing up in that church and it was a good experience for me. They gave me a solid grounding that cannot be shaken. I can still go there and feel very comfortable and welcome.
I have also come to really appreciate some of the core beliefs of the Quaker tradition, that what goes on in the heart and how one’s faith is lived out is more important than an outward ritual. I agree with them that we can interact and communicate with God directly, that we can hear from God every day. I didn’t look at Quakerism and decide to believe those things, I had already wrestled with such ideas on my own and with my fellow students and professors, and then while studying Quakerism for a school project, saw they believed many of the same things I did. Only later did I realize how diverse Quaker beliefs really were.
Even before that though, I’d already learned I was Jewish and I learned I was Jewish AFTER I had started attending temple services because something in them called to a deep place in me. My Judaism is an inheritance I am proud to claim, indeed, it has filled in a lot of holes Christianity is lacking such as community and sticking up for each other, treasuring one’s roots, reverencing God while daring to come close, and valuing Torah. I don’t know whether my belief came first or if I was influenced by temple, but my emphasis tends to be on God as one. “Shema Yisrael, Adonai eloheynu, Adonai ehad.” (Hear Oh Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” I believe Jesus was God and came to bring us back to Himself, but instead of focusing on the divine trinity, I focus more on one God expressed in different ways. As we can never even come close to comprehending God, I am okay not “getting it”.
So you can imagine baptism is a bit of a struggle for me. On one hand, I value both points of view on children and adults being baptized as a public declaration of belief. I also can see how it can be an outward ritual done for itself without the inward change of heart and how it is not necessary for salvation. In Judaism, as far as I yet know, there is no equivalent to baptism. Having a bat mitzvah or bar mitzvah at 13 years of age or later is more of a declaration that the bat mitzvah or bar mitzvah student has reached the age of maturity. They have studied Jewish history, beliefs, and are capable of leading the service in English and Hebrew and have the ability to handle adult responsibilities in the community.
Taking these traditions into account, listening to what my friends had to say, I have realized that there is no easy belief to hand out. Each community does what they do for God and I think God honors all of it when the heart is turned to Him/Her. Some people baptize their children as a formal acceptance into the community. Some only have adults who make that choice for themselves eligible for baptism. Some churches focus on the inward heart, and the Jews have a rich tradition of bringing a child into the adult faith world. Each belief has it’s own strengths and weaknesses. There are pits they all fall into, things they can each teach to one another for the betterment of all.
So I would say whatever you do, do it based on a strong and open relationship with God. Where are hearts are at is first. If our hearts are there in love, our actions will be also. Any ceremony to symbolize that commitment, as important as it can be to some, is secondary.
365-09 #322