Is it still important to perform baptisms?

Topic:
Society Debates

20 Contributors
in this discussion.

Yes
75% of users

  • Baptisms are still and important part of many people's religious beliefs.

    Baptisms have been common in many family's religious rights for generations. I feel that baptisms are still very important, if for no other reason, than that families should be able to have their children baptized, if they choose.

    Yes ClosedUlysses75

  • Yes, I believe it is still important to perform baptisms but only as important as it is to the person who is prepared to receive it

    As long as a baptism is willed by the recipient, or legal guardians of same, every American should participate in whatever religious rituals they so choose, so long as those rituals are not physically harmful to anyone, including themselves.

    Yes CruelDante46

  • Baptisms remain important, due to the symbolic value it imparts in people's lives.

    There has been a lot of debate over the value of baptisms in today's world. Baptisms remain valuable, however, due to the symbolism they hold for a large swath of our populous. If the baptism serves to convince a grandmother that her grandchild will get into heaven, or gets a child to sleep easy for just one night, then it was worth it.

    Yes C0n5tGet

  • I believe baptisms should still be performed, as they are needed to cleanse people from sins.

    In the Bible, Jesus was baptized and encouraged others to be baptized. Baptism cleanses one of sin and is also a way of declaring that he or she wants to follow in Jesus' path. Baptism also is a way of publicly declaring your intention to raise a child in the faith, and a way of involving the community in the spiritual raising of that child.

    Yes BurlyJeffery73

  • Baptism is a central rite for Christians so, as long as Christianity exists, there will be baptisms.

    Not all religions have a rite of baptism, of course, and those that do not should always be free to carry out their own rites of initiation. However, baptism is required as the main entrance rite in Christianity, as stated in the Bible, so, it will be important to perform baptisms, as long as people want to become Christians. Since Christianity is still growing very rapidly outside the West, it seems likely that it will remain important to perform baptisms for a long time to come.

    Yes R3yGoobIe

  • Although times have changed

    Baptism still stands for the same thing it did a thousand years ago. Baptism is a public profession of your faith. God tells us to not just believe in him but to profess our faith to everyone and gods instructions have not changed just because society has

    Yes Anonymous

  • Yes, because if you believe in Christ, then the importance of baptism never changes.

    While the world may be growing more cynical and less spiritual, the truth and the meaning behind spiritual activities such as baptism doesn't change. For those who believe in Christ, to say that baptism is no longer important would be to say that God is a changing God, and he no longer requires the "modern enlightened" person to be baptized, but people of the past did have to be baptized. Basically, it is an argument where you are saying that modern people are better than people from the past, so they don't need things that were spiritually important in the past.

    Yes MariaR

  • No, it is not still important to perform baptisms.

    This question is really a matter of opinion. If you're agnostic, like me, then you see no point in baptism. However, for many religious people, they believe that it is the "only way to get into heaven", or something. Personally, I think it's a bunch of mumbo jumbo.

    Yes LorenaH

  • Baptisms are part of some religions that play an important role in church tradition and family unity.

    The ritual of a baptism is very symbolic to have a person welcomed into a religion and house of God. Some believe that without being baptized, one can not go on to heaven. To the people involved, yes, baptisms are very important and should be continued.

    Yes F Clayton

  • Yes, it is important to perform baptism in today's times as it is a proclamation of one's faith in God.

    When a person has committed himself to Jesus and accepts that Jesus is our savior and understands the importance and meaning of baptism, then that person is ready to be baptized himself. This is an outward sign of what has happened within that person. This is when a person receives the Holy Ghost, so it is absolutely important to keep baptism part of our spiritual lives.

    Yes Z Frye

  • Yes it is still important to perform baptisms because it keeps faith alive.

    Whether a baptism is performed on a baby or an adult it keeps the faith in God alive. When a baptism is performed it causes people to look inward at themselves and realize what they have been neglecting when it comes to God and the church. They need to be born anew and that is where baptism comes in and it helps with that.

    Yes B3rkIffy

  • Baptisms, when chosen by the individual, are an important way of accepting faith.

    For an individual who has chosen to be baptized, the symbolic act of being "washed of sin" performs an important ritual.  It gives not only a personal moment of reflection, but also a sign of an outward acceptance. This is important not only to the person but to the community.

    Yes N3r0nKrooI

  • People should perform baptisms if they believe it will get them closer to God and help them make it to Heaven.

    I believe that baptisms are a huge step in showing your love for God and it is still very important. I don't think it is absolutely necessary in order to go to Heaven, but it points you on the right track and is a public announcement of your faith. I don't think babies should get baptized; people have to make the decision for themselves, but it is still very important.

    Yes Tr0yKentros

  • Baptisms are an important right of passage within the church community.

    Baptism in some protestant churches is an extremely important right of passage. It is important that this practice continue in these societies. The practice is seen as the final step a prospective member of the society must take in order to be fully accepted as a member of the group. Regardless of personal religious beliefs, I believe that the practice is essential within the context of these social groups and should be continued.

    Yes R0zJosh

  • It is still important to perform baptisms so people can be baptized. God is the only way of life and without him nothing is possible.

    Getting baptized is part of the Christian religion and that's our bond with God himself. With that we are committing ourselves with him.

    Yes IuceDas
Voice Your Opinion
No
25% of users

  • no, it is silly

    they are ridiculous superstitions, no more real than stepping on a crack and causing your mother a lumbar injury. it is ridiculous to suggest that one must be submerged in water to become 'pure' of heart and cleansed of sins.besides if there is a god, he probably will not care if you were dunked into a magic bath before you died. well what do you expect from a faith that promotes ignorance.

    No Anonymous

  • No, because religious rituals like this exist only as a form of entertainment and emotional manipulation.

    If faith is spiritual and transcendent, then the notion that words and rituals are necessary to affirm it would seem contradictory. People seeking to use immersion in water to "cleanse" their spirits can do it just as easily by jumping into a pool, floating on their backs, and blissfully staring up at the sky. The pomp of an official baptism is little more than an affirmation of a social identity, and mocks its own spiritual pretensions.

    No eststorm

  • While allowance must be made for the way particular customs function well in a given cultural setting, baptism, focused as it is primarily on infants who know nothing of the event, seems quite dubious to an outsider.

    One hesitates to judge another group's religious customs, but questioning in a tentative spirit can hardly threaten a well-grounded practice that provides strong, unambiguous benefits, so it bears asking why baptism is considered so important in view of the fact that it seems to imbue with spiritual significance an event that the individual being consecrated usually cannot understand. Baptism, after all, is usually performed on babies, and it would seem appropriate for the central figure in a religious ritual to be a conscious participant who can appreciate and reflect on the event. There are surely other ways for communities to gather and celebrate the birth of a new child. And dunking a perhaps-frightened child in water, even briefly, seems a bit cruel. Perhaps groups that use baptism could, over time, develop alternative means of expressing their devotion, cementing their ties, and initiating children into their way of life.

    No M4I4cFeIine

  • This is only a symbolic measure taken by those who believe in a particular religion and has no importance other than that.

    Someone splashes or immerses you in water, says a few words and baptism is nothing more than that. Humans love symbolism and ritual, and this is simply one that accompanies various religious superstitions that people cling to. If it comforts them then that is fine, but it isn't important as a society that baptisms are performed. It may be important to the individual and their religion, so this should continue if it what they want. I though see no importance in it at all.

    No 54IInferno

  • Whether it's important or not depends on the individual's religious beliefs.

    To a person who is not of the Christian religion, baptism is not important and it never was. In some Christian denominations, infants are baptized, and obviously they are too young to make a choice for themselves. A baby who was baptized might not be religious at all when he/she grows up, so for them, it wasn't important. Baptism is only important psychologically for people who belong to certain Christian denominations.

    No N Schroeder 60
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Is it still important to perform baptisms?
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