Baptism
💧 What Is Baptism?
Baptism is a ritual of purification, initiation, and transformation found primarily in Christianity, but with echoes in other spiritual traditions as well. At its core, it represents a rebirth, a washing away of the old self, and a welcome into a new spiritual identity.
✝️ In Christianity
🪷 Symbolism
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Water = cleansing, renewal, the Holy Spirit
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Death and rebirth = dying to sin and rising in Christ
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Entry into the faith = often the first sacrament
🕊️ Key Types
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Infant Baptism (common in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and some Protestant churches)
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Emphasizes grace and belonging from birth
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Believer’s Baptism (common in Baptist, Pentecostal, and evangelical traditions)
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Requires personal confession of faith first
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Immersion vs. Sprinkling
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Immersion (full-body dip) symbolizes full death and resurrection
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Sprinkling or pouring is more symbolic and practical
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🔄 Biblical Origins
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Rooted in Jewish purification rituals
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Popularized by John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus in the Jordan River
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Jesus later commanded baptism as part of discipleship (Matthew 28:19)
🌌 Mystical or Spiritual View (Tauler, Eckhart, etc.)
Mystics like Johannes Tauler saw baptism not just as an external ritual, but as a symbol of the soul’s inner journey:
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The "true baptism" happens when the soul becomes empty of ego and open to divine union.
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It marks the inner transformation where the Divine is “born” in the soul.
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Tauler might emphasize a continual, inner baptism—a daily dying to self and being made new in God.
🪄 In Other Traditions
While not always called "baptism," many spiritual systems use water rituals:
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Hinduism – sacred river immersions (esp. Ganges) for purification
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Islam – ritual ablutions (wudu) before prayer
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Mystery cults (like Mithraism) – initiation with symbolic washing
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Modern spirituality – people may use ritual baths for emotional or energetic cleansing