Baptism

Today is a day when many churches will perform baptisms. Lately there have been some new disputes in some mainstream churches about the meaning of baptism and whether or not a person who has not been baptized may receive Communion. There are also long-standing disagreements over whether infant baptism is valid or not, when and under what conditions an adult might be baptized, and how baptisms should be done. I have so many other questions about religion and theology that I don't think much about these particular matters. I suppose that if you're convinced that you should be baptized as an adult and you feel that the Spirit is moving inside of you to do that then you should find a church that will accept you and that you can live commit to and do that. If your church is praying the version of the Nicene Creed that says "We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins" and you got baptized as an infant and you want to be baptized again your are going to have a struggle.

Here is something that I picked up from the Appalachian Americans Facebook page that was written by Ms. Birdi Stephens. She's a good writer and I look forward to reading her posts. This particular post gpoes right to the heart of the matter.

Ms. Stephens writes:

This was my paternal grandpa being baptized in the creek on a Sunday afternoon in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. He was 96 years old then. He was the only grandparent I ever knew, and I spent countless hours with him as he recounted the adventures of his long life. On this particular Sunday afternoon, word had spread throughout the community that my grandpa was going to be baptized, and more than 200 people lined the creekbank that warm day to celebrate with him. I still carry the memory of that day in my heart.