Baptisim....Yay, or Nae?...

[Kaytee]

This is true. Baptists don't believe everything Methodists believe, Pentecostals believe, Protestants, Lutherans, Evangelical, Church of Christ. They all have different beliefs. It'd be my advice to simply seek out what you are looking for, find which denomination God tells you is the one you should follow. No man can tell you what religion to follow. That has to come from God.

On a side note, there is a standing joke that Baptists believe they are the only ones getting into Heaven.

Very true, and lol about the Baptists I have heard that too. I know its just a joke, so no baptists come attack me now lol

 

[.:Kalli Rae:.]

I was baptised at about the age of 7-8. I went to church every Sunday and Wednesday for years but then when I was a teen I stopped going, I didn't want to do it 1/2 way. There were so many people I went to class with and they would go to church and be "good little kids" but then would go out and party and sleep around. I thought my soul would be in better shape if I just did whatever I was going to do and not go to church than be so completely 2 faced about it.

My dad scared me really bad for a lot of years about my baptism and I don't want that to happen to my kids so I am not going to baptise them unless they are ready and want to. My dad told me that if I get baptised and then sin its worse than just sinning. If I sin after the baptism I will go to hell, there is no saving after that. When I realized that I sinned I gave up on it, figured I was going to hell no matter what. Now I don't go to church and I don't know if I believe in the All-Knowing All-Powerful God. I am a good person and keep my karma in check because I believe there is Something, I just don't know what it is. I am pretty sure there is a "Heaven/Hell" but again I don't know what it is. I don't believe it is paved in gold behind a pearly gate but thats just me.

 

[Amber]

My dad scared me really bad for a lot of years about my baptism and I don't want that to happen to my kids so I am not going to baptise them unless they are ready and want to. My dad told me that if I get baptised and then sin its worse than just sinning.

Tell yer dad that after you've been saved, God sees no sin, only the Blood of Jesus.

 

[Aunt]

it is strange. I was baptised and raised nominally catholic. I stopped going to mass years ago and have explored a number of faiths and ideologies. My niece was raised catholic and taken to mass regularly and sent to catholic school. in the interests of continuity i take her to mass from time to time because it is what her mom would want (around once a month) As an adult i have found a certain beauty in the ritual of church going and often feel a sort of peace from going. This has surprised me. Especially since I really dont agree with much of what the catholic faith teaches. But faith is a deeply personal thing. dont think anyone can tell another what do do here.

 

[Kaytee]

it is strange. I was baptised and raised nominally catholic. I stopped going to mass years ago and have explored a number of faiths and ideologies. My niece was raised catholic and taken to mass regularly and sent to catholic school. in the interests of continuity i take her to mass from time to time because it is what her mom would want (around once a month) As an adult i have found a certain beauty in the ritual of church going and often feel a sort of peace from going. This has surprised me. Especially since I really dont agree with much of what the catholic faith teaches. But faith is a deeply personal thing. dont think anyone can tell another what do do here.

great post! I am the same way. Right now I go to an Episcapal church, we are breaking away though. For whatever reason, its not my concern. I love the services and the people. We worship God and his son. That is what is important. People who are Christians but don't go to church are not bad people or whatever, that is not what I want to say. But when they say they don't go because of organized religion, need to step back and fsearch out a church home. There is one out there for them. You don't have to be involved in church politics to have a church home, but the peace you will feel when you go is magiacal

 

[budnkota]

hhmmm.. some food for thought on here. I am not sure how to describe what I mean and am a little concerned that it's going to come out in a way that I don't mean...
First off, I am not and I won't for my son. We are not a member of a church, but when he's old enough, he will select for himself what he wants to do.

I am not one for wearing of religion on the coat sleeve. I don't follow any specific religion (because I think there are elements of truth in all, but no one will ever get it all right), but I do not beleive that God wants people cheaply advertising their faith (bumper stickers, license plates). And there is a lot of that. I believe that it is the most personal thing in the world, and is not meant to be a public performance. To me, that's what things like baptism are. Just a show. That doesn't mean that people can't share their beleifs- we have a Meals on Wheels friend whose husband in a pastor. We've participated in several events at her church to which she has invited us. She is really the poster woman for sharing her faith in an appropriate manner.

I'm suprised about hte baptist stereotype, b/c I am very, very impressed with the community mindedness of this baptist church. it's a huge facility with a community center that offers free admission to the pool, gym, etc every sunday afternoon, has a free community skate park, offers a extensive food pantry and clothing program for people in need. They've come into where I work and volunteered to paint, clean - work their bottoms off. They also have a school at their facility which is a colloaboration of 11 (?) denominations working in partnership to educate these kids K3-12 and is highly successful, with SAT scores 40 pts above state average and many times #1 in Istep scores. It seems that if you were elitist about your particular beleifs, you wouldn't be welcoming others to share your efforts.

 

[Dadu2004]

but I do not beleive that God wants people cheaply advertising their faith (bumper stickers, license plates). And there is a lot of that. I believe that it is the most personal thing in the world, and is not meant to be a public performance.

I have a Christian keychain, wear Christian shirts and have a cross at my work desk and in my car. I have crosses in my home and other Christian symbols surrounding me. For me, it's not to publically display my faith...it's to remind me of the faith that I should be practicing. It reminds me of how to act as a follower of Christianity, and that Christ is with me. I would suspect that's how the majority of people think...we all need reminders of how to live according to our Christian priciples, as we're fallable human beings.

 

[Kaytee]

I have a Christian keychain, wear Christian shirts and have a cross at my work desk and in my car. I have crosses in my home and other Christian symbols surrounding me. For me, it's not to publically display my faith...it's to remind me of the faith that I should be practicing. It reminds me of how to act as a follower of Christianity, and that Christ is with me. I would suspect that's how the majority of people think...we all need reminders of how to live according to our Christian priciples, as we're fallable human beings.

same here

 

[budnkota]

I have a Christian keychain, wear Christian shirts and have a cross at my work desk and in my car. I have crosses in my home and other Christian symbols surrounding me. For me, it's not to publically display my faith...it's to remind me of the faith that I should be practicing. It reminds me of how to act as a follower of Christianity, and that Christ is with me. I would suspect that's how the majority of people think...we all need reminders of how to live according to our Christian priciples, as we're fallable human beings.

I can agree with the key chain and the crosses on your desk. but am guessing you don't spend a lot of time looking down at the shirt you are wearing, so how is that reminding you of your faith vs an advertisement of it?
6 mo after 9/11, I did an interview about the proper way to display a flag, and something the man said has stuck with me. He was talking about how it's become common for athletes to wrap flags around themselves (not a good thing) and how inappropriate bumper stickers, flag jackets and tshirts were to the flag code. I'd have to go back and reread the story to remember all the details, but you are supposed to destroy (generally burn) a flag that has touched the ground, because that is a move of surrender and it is better to burn that flag that to surrender the ideas for which it stands.
So if this kind of respect should be given to a flag, shouldn't your religious icons, whatever they may be, held to an even higher level of respect and honoring?

 

[meow_173]

Just on a humourous note.....does anyone watch Last Comic Standing? And were they completly furrious when God's Pottery didn't win??

 

[Dadu2004]

I can agree with the key chain and the crosses on your desk. but am guessing you don't spend a lot of time looking down at the shirt you are wearing, so how is that reminding you of your faith vs an advertisement of it?
6 mo after 9/11, I did an interview about the proper way to display a flag, and something the man said has stuck with me. He was talking about how it's become common for athletes to wrap flags around themselves (not a good thing) and how inappropriate bumper stickers, flag jackets and tshirts were to the flag code. I'd have to go back and reread the story to remember all the details, but you are supposed to destroy (generally burn) a flag that has touched the ground, because that is a move of surrender and it is better to burn that flag that to surrender the ideas for which it stands.
So if this kind of respect should be given to a flag, shouldn't your religious icons, whatever they may be, held to an even higher level of respect and honoring?

No, I don't necessarily look down at my shirt, but I know it's there. And I'm pretty sure I'm not going to burn it after it hits the floor on my dirty laundry pile. As far as respecting religious icons... I don't worship icons. I worship God. There's a difference.

 

[Kaytee]

No, I don't necessarily look down at my shirt, but I know it's there. And I'm pretty sure I'm not going to burn it after it hits the floor on my dirty laundry pile. As far as respecting religious icons... I don't worship icons. I worship God. There's a difference.

AMEN

 

[Mindy]

LOL, I can totally understand that.

It's the people with bumper stickers displaying "Be Wise, Circumsize" or "God is wise, don't circumsize" that really make me wonder Nothing like privacy for your baby boy huh? LOL

 

[Kaytee]

LOL, I can totally understand that.

It's the people with bumper stickers displaying "Be Wise, Circumsize" or "God is wise, don't circumsize" that really make me wonder Nothing like privacy for your baby boy huh? LOL

I have never seen those, and though I don't really agree with circ that much, I don't think I would ever ever ever put anything like that anywhere!

 

[Dadu2004]

I'm not a big fan of trying to prove your point of view by mixing in God. Things like "God hates gays" or "God is wise, don't circumsize" or "God doesn't eat meat" are all ridiculous. Some people like to exploit God for their own campaign, which is dangerous territory.

 

[HandInCup]

I come from a long line of intollerant people as far as religion goes. Personally, I feel that if the child chooses that form of faith, allow them to explore it in it's entirty. And one thing I will not stand for is anyone talking down on anyone else's religion.

My dad is a Roman Catholic, and my mom is a Baptist. Dad was always warm and welcoming when I was curious about his religion, and mom was completely offended by that. She told me I was going to be a Baptist and that was that, because I was her child, she was picking my religion. She told me I had no say in anything because she knew what god wanted. And that turned me off from her religion entirely.

I have been to many churches, Catholic and Protestant, and have decided that that is not the religion for me. I have become and will stay Agnostic until I find god. When I have kids, I will educate them on religion when they are old enough to understand what I'm saying. (=
And if they choose to be Christian, I will back them 100%. If they choose to be anything else, I will still back them 100%.

I have had many friends of different religions, the majority being Christian. One thing that really annoyed me was one of them would always criticize everyone on their religious points of view. He even told me my dad was wrong for being Catholic because all catholics don't believe in Jesus and are child molesters. This, I'm sure anyone can understand, is the wrong way to talk about someone's religion. He also gave us a two hour lecture on why we are going to hell when we die, and how he doesn't want to accend into heaven with us begging him for help and crying about why we didn't listen to him in the first place.

These are the kinds of people that annoy me when it comes to any religion, please, please, please don't think it's only Christianity that I'm talking about, because I have absolutly no problem with it at all. It is a beautiful religion. (I'm saying that because people tell me I come off anti-Christian, which is in no way the case).

 

[bssage]

I agree 100% with trina very good post. I was raised cathlolic school church classes the whole shabang. But I find many Church going folks and religions to be very hipocritical (no not everyone). One thing I can never get over is how much money is spent on temples and accessaries. Wouldnt that money be better spent feeding the hungry or something? I do believe that most religions contribute value by teaching the basics of humanity. I.E dont steal. dont cheat ect.

Bryan

 

[Father_0f_7]

Megan, Dylan are baptised...they chose when they were around 16. Dane I dosent show any interest in being baptised, he loves our religion (we're episcopalian) he just doesnt really want to be baptised right now. Cassie is showing an interest in the Methodist church right now but a few weeks ago it was Baptist so we'll see. Billy and Kaitlyn are 8 so all they really know is that we are episcopalian...although they have heard us talk about quite a few religons.

We send all our kids to an episcopal private school because that's what we feel is best for them (they are allowed to choose where they want to go after 4th grade) but we also have books at home about all different religions (and I mean ALL) we even have books about Atheism. In the end we basically let them choose and we respect every one of their opinions and choices...If they chose they want to be athiest, I respect that...probably wouldnt be happy about it but I would respect it.